Success is rarely immediate, even in the fast-growing world of pickleball. It usually takes a while for a pickleball club to take off. There are other cases, however, when a pickleball club catches on almost instantly. Performance Pickleball is a prime example. They opened their doors in January 2024 and have not looked back since.
The Santa Monica Pickleball Center initially started as a robust tennis business. In October 2022, the facility began experimenting with a hybrid approach to incorporate the fast-growing sport of pickleball. Then in December of that same year, the business took over the retail property next to the Pro Shop, multiplying it five times over. Expanding their Pro Shop inventory was extremely successful and encouraged the team to move more towards pickleball. Owner Jon Neeter, says, “transitioning completely to pickleball was a tough decision for us. We had many great tennis clients that we wanted to accommodate as much as possible. At a certain point the numbers were just undeniable.” Fortunately, the facility attained the opportunity to rent courts hourly from the city of Santa Monica, which allowed them to keep a significant portion of their tennis programming going.
