SW19 Pickleball at State Line in Kansas City, Kansas might change many people’s idea of how to run a successful pickleball club. With few amenities and a non-membership membership model, this 10-court club is filled every day and even expanding internationally.
SW19 owner Daryl Wyatt never planned to own a pickleball club. A collegiate tennis player, he also played on the ATP tour until injury forced him out. With a background in tennis operations he jumped on an opportunity to take over a tennis club in May of 2022. The courts were lined for both pickleball and tennis. A diehard tennis player, he decided to completely convert one court to pickleball as he saw demand grow. One year later all of the courts had been converted, and he had as well.
Daryl says he was running tennis leagues and lessons etc. and could see the benefits of pickleball. Eventually he became tired of saying he didn’t give pickleball lessons so he hit the courts and fell in love with the game.
“I tried it once like a normal tennis guy hitting the ball really hard and not understanding dinks or other tactics and strategy,” says Daryl. “Since I didn’t know how to run clinics or coach I brought in other coaches. They started talking about the senior league and how fun it was and here we are.”
He is all in for pickleball and his enthusiasm for the sport is contagious, and also a large reason for the success of SW19.
Converting a tennis club to pickleball isn’t always an easy transition. For Daryl, the transition was easier as he followed demand from members instead of his own personal preference. While some tennis players were upset and even quit their membership, Daryl notes he now sees them back at the club for pickleball and he gladly welcomes them.
SW19 is a warehouse-style facility with 9 full size courts and one dink only court. The club is pay-to-play for everyone and offers a drink refrigerator and some merchandise for sale. After surveying members, he learned they don’t see a reason to change, so why fix what isn’t broken.
“We’ve developed an amazing community our players enjoy spending time in,” Daryl says. “If members are hungry, they will order in, they don’t need or want the extras. In fact, we even have a group that plays Mahjong in the club after their court time. It’s amazing to see.”
The “Cheers” model of having everybody know your name is working. SW19 has between 6,000 – 7,000 members in their player database. With so many options in the area to play, the focus on knowing members has paid off. Daryl says they don’t do much advertising at all and rely more on word of mouth and organic growth resulting from the club’s inherent business model and personality.
As a low-frills club, SW19 doesn’t have a “Director of Pickleball” who coaches exclusively or teaches clinics. The club allows coaches to rent courts and coach their own groups for the cost of the court. Daryl says typically the players come back or the coaches will want to return and coach clinics filled by SW19 and split the profit.
“We don’t care if they are members, bringing in any coach helps the business in the long run as they usually come back and so do the players in their clinic,” Daryl says. “It isn’t traditional, and it works for us!”
While their membership model is different, the club does offer regular leagues and open play courts that are available by the hour along with a rentable ball machine. Scheduled offerings include four-week mini-instructional groups with coached play for all levels, Drills & Skills or Games for beginners up to 3.5+, small group lessons with a pickleball pro and eight-week youth lessons for ages seven and up and more. The clubs open-member model allows them to host visiting pros and specialty events to keep energy and member engagement high.
Daryl’s experience on the tennis and now pickleball pro tours are allowing for expansion of SW19 overseas. He currently has a club outside Melbourne, Australia and is looking to grow the international presence even further as that market starts to embrace pickleball as well. He adds thanks to his connections and the engaged staff and players in Kansas City, he is able to leave the club and know it is in good hands.
“Pickleball makes owning clubs easier because everyone is walking in the door happy and ready to have a good time,” says Daryl. “Of course, we still have to do our job and provide great customer service, but if they leave the club unhappy, that’s on us.”
