Pickleball Facility Programming Guide: Maximizing Revenue Through Smart Scheduling

Want to know the secret to a packed pickleball facility? It's not just about having great courts.

Running a successful pickleball facility requires a delicate balance between two key elements: programming and scheduling. While these terms might sound similar, they play distinct roles in keeping your courts bustling and your bottom line thriving. 

Programming refers to the various types of organized play and activities you offer, such as open play, leagues, clinics, and special events.

Scheduling, on the other hand, is the art of allocating court time for these programs and other bookings, like private lessons or rentals. It's the behind-the-scenes magic that ensures every hour on the court is optimized for both player satisfaction and revenue generation.

At Johns Design & Consulting (JDC), we've helped countless facility owners find the sweet spot between engaging programming and smart scheduling. 

In this guide, we'll share our proven strategies for peak time optimization, off-peak revenue boosters, and pricing and booking policies that can help you keep everything balanced. 

Quick Takeaways:

• Peak hours (7-9am, 5-9pm) are best utilized for open play formats

• Revenue optimization comes from balancing court capacity with pricing strategy

• Programming decisions should prioritize community building alongside revenue

• Data-driven scheduling requires both metrics and member feedback—don't be too reactive

Pickleball Programming Options

When it comes to pickleball programming, variety is the spice of life. 

Offering a range of organized play formats and activities keeps your facility fresh and exciting for players of all skill levels and interests. The key is to strike a balance between structured and unstructured play, competitive and social environments, and skill-based and age-based groupings.

Benefits of diverse programming:

• Attracts and retains players of all types

• Maximizes court utilization during peak and off-peak hours

• Generates multiple revenue streams 

• Creates a vibrant, inclusive community atmosphere

• Supports player development and skill advancement

Let’s take a look at a few programming options. 

Open Play

Open play is the backbone of any thriving pickleball community. It's a flexible, low-pressure format that allows players to drop in, mix and mingle, and enjoy friendly competition without the commitment of structured leagues or tournaments.

Even if players have to wait a few minutes for a court to open up, they'll spend that time building connections. It's a win-win that keeps your courts full, your members happy, and your facility buzzing with energy.

Leagues

Pickleball leagues offer a more structured and competitive environment for players looking to test their skills and engage in regular, organized play. It's a nice addition to your programming lineup as it provides a predictable, recurring revenue stream and encourages regular participation and a commitment from players. 

Types of leagues:

• Skill-based leagues (beginner, intermediate, advanced)

• Age-based leagues (seniors, adults, juniors)

• Mixed leagues (combining skill levels or age groups)

• Theme-based leagues (e.g., women's league, doubles league)

Clinics and Workshops

Offering clinics and workshops is a fantastic way to help players develop their skills, learn new techniques, and explore different aspects of the game.

Types of clinics and workshops:

• Beginner clinics (e.g., Pickleball 101)

• Skill-specific clinics (e.g., serve and return, third shot drop)

• Strategy workshops (e.g., doubles positioning, shot selection)

• Specialty clinics (e.g., women's clinics, senior clinics)

Beginner clinics are one of the most powerful tools for driving long-term revenue. When you can convert a new player in a pickleball 101 clinic, their lifetime value to your facility can be significantly higher than even your most skilled 4.0 players. Why? Because you're not just providing a one-time service—you're introducing them to a sport they can enjoy for years to come.

Special Events

Special events are a great way to generate excitement, attract new players, and create unforgettable experiences for your pickleball community. They also help showcase your facility's unique brand and culture and strengthen your reputation as a community leader. 

Types of special events:

• Tournaments (e.g., club championships, charity events)

• Social events (e.g., mixers, themed play nights)

• Exhibitions and demonstrations (e.g., pro player clinics, equipment demos)

• Community outreach events (e.g., school programs, corporate team-building)

Next let's explore how to optimize your court scheduling during peak and off-peak times to maximize revenue and player satisfaction.

Peak and Off-Peak Scheduling Strategies

By strategically allocating court time, you can maximize revenue, optimize player satisfaction, and ensure your facility is busy around the clock.

Here are some of the most successful strategies we've implemented at JDC facilities. 

Prioritizing Open Play During Peak Hours

Peak hours, typically weekday mornings (7-9am) and evenings (5-9pm), are prime time for pickleball play. To make the most of these high-demand hours, consider prioritizing open play over structured programming.

Benefits of open play during peak times:

• Accommodates a larger number of players per court

• Maximizes court utilization and revenue per court hour

• Fosters a social atmosphere that keeps players engaged

• Provides flexibility for players with varying schedules and skill levels

We recommend doing open play during peak times simply because it gets more people into the facility than if they were to just book a court. Let's break down the math: A standard court rental at $40/hour brings in $10 per player. With open play at $5-8 per person and 8-10 players rotating through, you're looking at $40-80 per court hour—plus you're building a stronger community. It's a win-win that keeps your revenue high and your courts busy.

Scheduling Leagues and Clinics Strategically

While leagues and clinics are valuable programming options, it's important to schedule them strategically to avoid cannibalizing peak-hour revenue.

Best practices for scheduling leagues and clinics include:

• Schedule skill-based leagues during shoulder times (e.g., 9-11am, 3-5pm)

• Offer beginner clinics during off-peak daytime hours to attract new players

• Reserve peak evening slots for intermediate and advanced leagues

• Limit clinic court usage during prime time to maximize open play capacity

While private lessons and clinics are important revenue streams, we recommend scheduling them during off-peak hours. Here's why: During peak times, your courts will naturally fill with players. By shifting instruction to slower periods, your coaching staff helps drive traffic (and revenue) when you need it most. 

Maximizing Off-Peak Court Usage

While peak hours may be the breadwinner for your facility, don't overlook the revenue potential of off-peak times. By crafting targeted programming and creative scheduling strategies, you can keep your courts humming from morning to night.

Strategies for maximizing off-peak usage:

• Offer specialized clinics and workshops for specific skill levels and demographics

• Partner with local schools and youth organizations for after-school programs

• Create mid-day leagues and socials for retirees and stay-at-home parents

• Host corporate events and team-building workshops during workday hours

• Schedule equipment demos and pro shop promotions during slower times

With your core programming and scheduling framework in place, let's talk about some pricing and booking strategies that can help keep courts full and players happy. 

Implementing Dynamic Pricing and Booking Policies

Smart pricing and booking policies aren't just about maximizing revenue—they're about creating fair access and steady court utilization throughout the day. A well-designed system encourages players to try off-peak hours while preventing any single group from monopolizing prime court time.

The key to effective court management is a clear, simple booking policy. Our recommended approach includes:

• 7-day advance booking window

• Limit on number of advance reservations per member

• "Use it or lose it" policy where players must use one reservation before booking another

• Waitlist system to fill last-minute cancellations

When it comes to creating a dynamic pricing strategy, consider: 

• Higher rates for prime-time court bookings (7-9am, 5-9pm)

• Discounted rates during slower periods to drive traffic

• Open play pricing that maximizes per-court revenue 

Keep your pricing and booking policies straightforward enough that your front desk staff can explain them without pulling out a manual. The simpler your system, the easier it is for staff to manage and members to understand.

Data-Driven Decision Making

Finally, as you experiment with different scheduling strategies, it's important to track player satisfaction and key metrics to inform your future decision-making. 

Regularly survey your players and gather feedback on scheduling preferences and pain points. Use this qualitative data alongside quantitative metrics to refine your approach and ensure you're meeting the needs of your community.

With PodPlay's integrated analytics, facility owners can access detailed metrics to guide their decision-making process, such as:

• Court utilization rates by time slot

• Program fill rates and waitlist demand

• Revenue per court hour

• Peak vs. off-peak usage patterns

• Member booking patterns

PodPlay's dashboard provides real-time visibility into these metrics so that you can spot trends and optimize your scheduling strategy accordingly. This technology integration takes the guesswork out of programming decisions and helps you respond to changing member needs with confidence.

When reviewing your facility data and survey feedback, resist the urge to be reactive and make immediate changes based on raw numbers alone. For example, if 40% of members request an early morning membership tier, dig deeper to understand the underlying needs. Are current programming slots not aligning with member schedules? Is the facility over-programming certain times of day? The goal is to identify the root cause behind the data before implementing major changes. 

JDC Helps You Create a Winning Formula 

Ultimately, the key to effective scheduling is finding the right balance of programming that aligns with your facility's unique needs and player demographics. 

To create a successful strategy, prioritize court usage during peak times, design creative programming for off-peak hours, and utilize data to inform your decisions. This approach will help you maximize revenue, foster player loyalty, and ensure your facility's long-term success.

Want to learn how JDC can help you build and operate a thriving pickleball facility? Schedule a consultation to see how we set you up for success from day one.