Creating successful programs and classes at your tennis or pickleball club can significantly enhance member engagement and satisfaction.
We sat down with Jack Michalko, retired Director of Tennis at Phoenix Country Club and current Executive Director of Southwest Professional Tennis Association to explore his insights for building a budding series of programming at your tennis or pickleball club.
Tips for Running Better Tennis & Pickleball Programs:
- Tailor Programs to Member Preferences
- Get Creative with Event Names and Event Types
- Offer a Variety of Programs to Cater to All Members
- Build a Strong Club Foundation with In-House Leagues
- Expand Through Collaboration
- Offer Comprehensive Programs
- Branded Merchandise and Pro Shop Integration
Tailor Programs to Member Preferences
Understanding the needs and preferences of your tennis or pickleball club’s different member groups is vital.
“The men at my club loved lots of Singles events, whereas the women loved Doubles events,” Jack notes. Tailoring your programs to these preferences ensures higher member participation and satisfaction.
Michalko encourages club owners and staff to be observant of their members to better understand them. He says, “Listening to your members, both through their words and actions, is crucial.”
One of the best ways to learn about your members is to get to know them. Ask them when they prefer to play. Are they early morning risers or late-night players? How busy are their lives and do they have more flexibility to play at their leisure?
Consider their interests and run reports at your club to better understand which events are most popular and at which times of the day your courts are being used at their maximum capacity.
Finally, Michalko encourages tennis and pickleball club owners and stuff to always think outside the box.
“I must credit my mentor, the late Harry Parten, and the USPTA for teaching me to innovate and continuously come up with new ideas. Staying open to new concepts and being willing to experiment can lead to groundbreaking programs that set your club apart,” Michalko says.
Pro Tip: Create a Google Form to survey your members about what they’d like to see at your club in terms of programming, events and more. Include questions to learn more about their identity, like age, gender, skill range, to better be able to serve each demographic in your member base.
Get Creative with Event Names and Event Types
To stand out, Michalko suggests considering giving your events unique and engaging names. “Our events were not of the usual sort,” Jack explains.
“We did events with fancy names, like Ringer Roundup and the Ladies Holiday Classic. We had a Mystery Mixed Doubles Calcutta event and a Tri-Club Championships Tournament. These creative names and formats attracted more participants and kept things fresh and exciting.”
Partnering with local non-profit organizations for events and tournaments can be a great way to draw support from your members for a good cause. Old Coast Pickleball club of St. Augustine, Florida, recently held a tournament to raise funds for Betty Griffin Center, a center for survivors of domestic and sexual abuse.
Pro Tip: Hold a contest on social media and ask your community for creative event names. The best name giver wins branded swag from your club!
Offer a Variety of Programs to Cater to All Members
To better serve all of your members, your programs should not be created with a one-size-fits-all approach. Make sure you have a healthy variety of events and programming that are either more instructional, competitive or social.
Michalko recalls his former club offering Grand Prix events for members with limited time, allowing them to participate on their terms. This inclusivity ensured that everyone, regardless of their schedule, could engage with the club’s activities.
Michalko is also a huge advocate for promoting social events at your tennis or pickleball club.
He says, “One of the most important things I learned early on in my career was that the best way to build up your instructional program is by developing a social program. Social events get people out on the courts, having fun and participating.”
According to Michalko, this involvement often led to increased interest in lessons and clinics, which helped boost his club’s instructional programs.
CourtReserve’s robust reporting suite allows clubs to run reports to determine how successful events and programs are. Be sure to analyze the data of each event and program to determine if that particular event type had high engagement with your member base.
Build a Strong Club Foundation with In-House Leagues
Starting with internal programs, like leagues, can create a strong foundation for building an engaged community of members at your club.
“The first program I created was a women’s league from within my club to get people out and on the courts,” says Michalko. “This became the backbone of the entire program. I organized A, B, and C leagues, each playing on different days, to keep things interesting and competitive.”
CourtReserve’s League feature provides a solution for managing and participating in pickleball leagues. With this functionality, pickleball clubs can:
- Manage leagues in-house
- Allow club staff or event organizers access to streamlined digital scheduling
- Maximize court usage and reduce scheduling conflicts
- Access score tracking
- Ensure matches remain fair for players
Expand Through Collaboration
Sometimes, the “collaboration over competition” approach can lead to more success at your club.
When internal leagues reached a saturation point, Michalko expanded by collaborating with nearby facilities. He says, “I called all the nearby facilities and asked their pros to send one delegate from their club to a special meeting I would hold at my club to start a city-wide women’s league.”
This innovative strategy led to the creation of the WITL League of Phoenix, which grew from 50 players to over 2,000 women. Healthy competition can result in an engaged member base for your own club as well as encourage community growth.
Pro Tip: Join CourtReserve’s Facebook Admin page to connect with other CourtReserve customers for collaboration and learn from likeminded club owners and professionals in racquet sports.
Offer Comprehensive Programs
If your facility offers more than one sport or activity, consider creating a more expansive program that is inclusive of a few or all offerings at your club.
At Michalko’s former club, they offered junior summer camps, which included tennis, golf, and swimming in one program. Michalko says, “It was successful because it included all three sports and was broken up into age groups,” Jack says.
He believes this holistic approach can be applied to other member demographics as well.
Branded Merchandise and Pro Shop Integration
A pro shop can offer an additional lucrative revenue stream for your tennis or pickleball club. And there are ways to strategically promote your pro shop through your club’s events and programming, like Michalko did.
He says, “The women needed team uniforms and they naturally bought them from my pro shop.” He also suggests offering shop credit as awards for events to encourage members to buy more gear and keep pro shop sales flourishing.
Pro Tip: Offering branded merchandise at your club is a great way to allow members to display their loyalty to your club and to promote your club on and off the courts.
Creating successful programs and classes at your tennis or pickleball club can significantly enhance member engagement and satisfaction.
Jack Michalko’s expert tips for building successful programming at your tennis or pickleball club include: tailoring programs to member preferences, getting creative with event names, offering a variety of programs, building strong in-house leagues, and expanding through collaboration.
Integrating comprehensive programs and branded merchandise can further boost engagement at your club to help you build a thriving community of satisfied players.
If you’re looking to take your club’s events and programming to the next level, consider investing in CourtReserve’s easy-to-use club management software.
Book a call with CourtReserve to learn more.
