Since being featured in our July issue, the Missouri Pickleball Club (MPC) in Fenton, Missouri, outside of St. Louis, has grown to 35 courts in the span of five years and they continue to grow. As a club owner for nearly five years, MPC’s Michael Grewe shared his insights into when, how and why to open additional spaces, along with tips for creating a successful club.
Keep an Eye on Waitlists
In 2021, owners Michael and Christine Grewe opened their first club on a whim in available vacant space. As membership waitlists grew for the 18-court facility, they realized there was demand for more courts.
MPC opened a two-court facility a half-mile from their 18-court space as a band-aid. Their data showed a void in the market and that local pickleball players were underserved. MPC opened its next club with 15 championship-size courts. They decided to invest in larger courts, knowing that as players improved and became more involved in the sport, they would appreciate the larger courts with fences and more room to play. This size court also allows the club to host professional tournaments, like MLP, PPA, APP, & MiLP events.
Location, Location, Location…and Timing
MPC opened its new 15-court facility eight miles from its first two buildings. Keeping courts nearby makes it easier for existing members to continue playing and builds upon an already strong member base. While Michael says the club didn’t see quite the membership growth they forecasted, their existing members are getting more opportunities to play, which has been great.
Michael adds they knew they could cannibalize themselves, but better for MPC to compete with itself than another club.
Find the Sweet Spot for Your Area
Missouri Pickleball Club is currently working on two different 12-court facilities. The club has found 12 to be the ideal number for ancillary clubs. Their existing larger clubs can host the national tournaments, and the small clubs can focus on club-centered social events and private corporate events. The club currently hosts four signature tournaments, including the St. Paddy Paddle Battle with 625 players, more than double from last year, and drawing players from 21 states. Dinko de Mayo in May is setting up to eclipse 800 players.
“We know our area appreciates the way we run and price tournaments. We guarantee numerous matches and price them in a way that encourages beginners to get involved,” Michael says. “Tournaments can be great revenue generators for your club, and a lot of fun to host when hosted with your member base in mind.”
Whether expansion is in your future or not, there are some tried and true methods behind the success of the Missouri Pickleball Club.
Manage Your Court Sheets
Managing court sheets is vital to keeping MPC strong as an organization and helps to identify voids in reservations as well as strengths. The club has staff members who manage the court sheets multiple times a day. Monitoring bookings reveals where a club can add programming, identifies weaknesses in court rentals, and helps owners make better decisions about who to target during open times.
“The magic is managing the court sheets and tying those times to the members you want to attract,” says Michael. While social media has its place in marketing, if a club is trying to fill time that’s best suited to retirees, TikTok or X might not be the best way to reach them. It’s important to keep marketing targeted to the age groups so downtimes or lagging programs can be advertised to the correct audience.
Make Pickleball Accessible for All
MPC offers free Learn to Play clinics five times a week. The 60-minute instructional class is followed by 45 minutes of on-court play with the instructor to help with scoring and reinforce instruction. There are typically eight to twelve beginners in each class, which directly feeds into beginner’s organized play. The club offers many beginner-focused play opportunities, with a staff member on hand to assist as needed.
Michael says the club’s goal is for all levels of players to feel welcome, keep it fun, and to grow the sport. MPC wants everyone to be conscious of the energy they bring into the club and make sure it is positive.
Missouri Pickleball Club stands behind its overarching theory to make pickleball accessible and the club a place players want to be. From little touches, such as MPC hot and cold packs for players to take home when injured to member-decorated paddles that act as art throughout the clubs, MPC has carefully crafted a recipe for expansion and member satisfaction success.
