The Ultimate Guide To Pickleball Facility Grand Openings

Your grand opening is more than a ribbon-cutting—it's the start of a thriving pickleball community. At Johns Design & Consulting (JDC), we’ve developed a proven approach to ensure your facility’s success from day one.

In this guide, we'll walk you through our strategy for launching a successful pickleball facility. You'll learn what it takes to build pre-launch excitement, create compelling membership offers, and execute an opening day that turns first-time visitors into long-term members. 

Phase 1: Pre-Launch Marketing

The success of your pickleball facility often hinges on the buzz you create long before opening day. There's a lot that goes into this phase. 

Timeline: When to Start Your Marketing Push

At JDC, we encourage owners to start marketing their facility as soon as they can. 

You want to be able to tell people with certainty that you're opening within a specific time frame—whether it's fall, winter, or spring.

"The moment you sign that lease, your grand opening campaign begins," explains West Shaw, Chief Operating Officer at JDC. "Many owners make the mistake of waiting until construction is nearly complete to start their marketing efforts, but the most successful launches we've seen start building buzz and community engagement from day one."

Social Media Strategy

Your social media strategy shouldn't feel like a business advertising—it should feel like bringing friends along on your facility's journey. 

Focus your content on three key areas:

1. Personal Connection

• Introduce yourself and share why you're passionate about pickleball

• Take followers behind the scenes of construction progress

• Show real decision-making moments ("Here's why we chose this court surface...")

• Film quick weekly updates about milestones and challenges

2. Team Building

• Introduce coaches and staff as you hire them

• Share their pickleball backgrounds and teaching styles

• Show training sessions and preparation

• Let your team's personalities shine through

3. Community Engagement

• Ask for input on key decisions

• Share and respond to common questions

• Show how you're incorporating community feedback

• Create excitement about upcoming programs

Keep your content mix simple but consistent:

• 2-3 minute video walk-throughs

• Quick 15-30 second progress updates

• Before/during/after photo comparisons

• Construction time-lapses

• Team introductions

"People like feeling part of the action," explains West. "When they see you building the facility out over time and sharing the journey, they become more than just future members—they become invested supporters of your vision. It's why we always encourage owners to overshare during the pre-launch phase."

Email Marketing 

While social media builds awareness, email marketing drives membership sales.

• Capture emails through:

  • Website sign-up forms

  • Social media campaigns

  • Local media outreach

  • Community events

• Implement a strategic drip campaign that:

  • Explains different membership types

  • Demonstrates membership value

  • Creates urgency around early-bird offers

  • Keeps potential members updated on progress

"We use email marketing sparingly in the pre-launch phase," West notes. "Once we're officially ready to sell memberships, that's when we put prospects into an email drip campaign that educates them and gets them into the sales funnel."

Community Partnerships

One of the most powerful pre-launch strategies is identifying and engaging with local pickleball leaders. Remember, these natural leaders have a lot of influence over who plays and where. 

• Identify community leaders:

  • Look for organizers of large group chats 

  • Find individuals who coordinate regular play sessions

  • Connect with those who influence where groups play

• Engage these leaders:

  • Involve them in building your vision

  • Seek their input on:

    • Tournament strategies

    • Clinic preferences

    • Programming needs

    • Community preferences

"In every community, there's always a pickleball leader," West emphasizes. "If you can convert that person to play at your facility, you will inherit a group of 80-100 people that will also play at your facility. That's the number one important thing—get your community leader to buy into your vision."

Community Activations

Take your facility experience directly to potential members before opening day. JDC recommends setting up portable courts in local malls and community spaces where you can:

• Let people hit around with pickleball equipment

• Introduce them to your coaching staff

• Talk about your facility plans

• Drive sign-ups for beginner clinics

"Beginner 101 clinics have the highest lifetime value as customers," West reveals. "Focus your pre-launch efforts on introducing new players to the sport through these introductory programs."

Phase 2: Creating a Membership Strategy

Want to know one of the biggest mistakes new pickleball facilities make? 

Creating overly complex membership structures that confuse both staff and potential members. 

Here's JDC's proven approach to launching a membership program that actually works.

Keep it Simple

Train your staff to ask one simple question:

1. "Do you play more than four times a month?"

The conversation becomes straightforward: If they play more than four times a month, a membership makes financial sense. If they don't, pay-as-you-go is usually their best option.

"We believe in a simple membership model that the front desk can explain confidently to a potential customer," West emphasizes. "If the front desk has to pull out a sheet that explains 25 different memberships, that's a really hard sell for somebody who's potentially not good at sales."

Early Bird & Founding Member Strategy

Launch with special rates that reward early adopters.

• Offer founding member discounts to those who join before opening

• Create a sense of exclusivity with limited-time offers

• Reward the risk-takers who believe in your facility before seeing it

"Founding memberships are just for those who are going to take the risk on joining you without seeing the facility," West explains. "They get the discount because they haven't seen the facility, and they don't care. They just want to play. We want to reward those people."

Post-Opening Flexibility

Don't feel pressured to have everything figured out on day one. Here's why:

• You can't predict exactly what your community wants until you open

• Different demographics might prefer different playing times

• Usage patterns may surprise you

West shares a real example: "Once you open and have sent out a bunch of surveys, you may see that the majority of players want an early morning option. They don't play in the afternoons, so they want something slightly cheaper for morning-only access."

Remember, you can always add more complex membership options later, but starting with too many can overwhelm your staff and potential members.

Phase 3: Launch Day 

Your grand opening isn't just a party—it's your chance to make a fantastic first impression on your community. 

Pro Player Integration

As a JDC client, your grand opening comes with a powerful boost: a personal appearance by pickleball pros Ben and Collin Johns. 

As part of the grand opening appearance package for JDC facilities, Ben and Collin will participate in engaging meet-and-greet sessions, high-energy exhibition matches that showcase elite play, and special clinics for early members. 

Additionally, your facility gains instant credibility when Ben and Collin promote your opening on their social platforms. We coordinate content across all channels to build excitement before, during, and after their appearance—this helps you convert that attention into memberships and long-term community engagement.

"Ben and Collin's social media following includes the most active players in every community," explains West. "These are exactly the dedicated players you want to attract to your facility."

Smart Scheduling

Peak times at pickleball facilities typically run from 7-9am and 5-9pm. When planning your grand opening activities, consider:

• Scheduling pro exhibitions during prime playing hours

• Offering beginner clinics during traditionally slower periods

• Creating multiple "mini-events" throughout the day to accommodate different schedules

Branded Merchandise

JDC has found that strategic giveaways can turn players into walking advertisements for your facility. 

Smart merchandise choices include:

• Branded water bottles players will use daily

• Stickers for water bottles and equipment

• Backpack accessories, like keychains, that showcase your logo

• Quality items people will actually keep and use

"I love keychains because everybody puts a keychain on their pickleball backpack," West says. "When it's got your logo on it, those players are saying, 'Hey, I play at Palmera Pickleball' everywhere they go."

Equipment and Vendor Partnerships

Through JDC's strategic partnerships, your facility launches with everything needed for a

seamless member experience from day one.

Court Reservations through PodPlay: Your facility gets its own branded app through PodPlay, available in both Apple and Google Play stores. Members can book reservations, access courts in autonomous facilities, sign up for clinics, and stay connected with facility updates right from their phones.

Professional Equipment from Joola: Our partnership with Joola lets your players experience premium equipment, with a full demo station at your grand opening, pro shop setup guidance, special launch day packages, and expert inventory recommendations.

Preparing Your Team

Your staff are the face of your facility. Make sure they're ready by:

• Training them to handle high-volume check-ins

• Preparing them to answer common questions

• Equipping them to sell memberships confidently

• Having coaches available to chat with potential students

Creating a Festive Atmosphere

Finally, make your pickleball facility grand opening feel like a celebration with:

• Live DJ or music

• Food trucks or catering

• Family-friendly activities

• Photography station for social media moments

"The word 'NO' shouldn't be in your staff's vocabulary during the grand opening," West emphasizes. "Train your team to find solutions and make every visitor feel welcome and valued."

Your Grand Opening Journey Starts With JDC

Remember, your grand opening isn't the finish line—it's the starting point of your facility's story. 

By following JDC's strategic approach, you're not just opening doors; you're laying the foundation for a thriving pickleball community that will grow with you for years to come.

Let’s make your grand opening unforgettable! Contact JDC today to start planning your facility’s success story.