How to Get More Members for a Pickleball Club

Why is it hard to turn pickleball players into members?

Because most players are casual. In 2025, 24.3 million Americans played pickleball, but only 7.5 million played 8 or more times, according to SFIA. That's roughly two in three playing fewer than 8 times a year (our calculation from SFIA's figures). Your job is moving casual players into a habit.

Canada looks similar. Pickleball Canada's 2026 survey counts 1.8 million Canadian players, up from 1.54 million a year earlier. There are plenty of players. The question is whether they play at your club every week or at the park now and then.

/Sources: 24.3 million ... 7.5 million · 1.8 million ... 1.54 million

What stops pickleball players from playing more?

Crowded courts and finding people at their level. In the 2025 SFIA and DUPR survey of avid players, 44.4% said courts are overcrowded and 39.2% said it's hard to find opponents at their level. Almost half (48%) want to play more often. A club that solves those two problems has a membership to sell.

That's the pitch, in plain words: "You'll always get a court, and you'll always get a good game." Every part of your membership and your marketing should prove one of those two things.

/Sources: 44.4% ... 39.2% ... 48%

How do you turn a first visit into a membership?

Book their second visit before they leave. Then get them into a level-matched game or a beginner league within two weeks. Gym research points the same way: people who start a regular routine and make a friend at the club are much less likely to cancel. In pickleball, the friend is their weekly foursome.

The first 14 days I'd run:

1. Day 1: They play an intro session or open play. Before they leave, the front desk books their next visit.
2. Same day: A text and email thanking them, with the next beginner session and a link to book.
3. Days 2 to 7: A level-matched open play or clinic. Get them a rating so they know where they fit.
4. Days 7 to 14: Put them in a weekly slot: a beginner league, a ladder or a regular group.
5. Day 14: A membership offer, framed around keeping that weekly slot.

Gym research from 2017 (Hillsdon and Bedford, 3 million+ member records) found members who'd made a friend at the club in the last 3 months were 40% less likely to cancel. It's gym data, not pickleball data, but it matches what a weekly doubles game does.

/Sources: 40% less likely

Should a pickleball club offer a free trial?

A short, paid trial usually works better than a free one, because people who pay show up. The Picklr's Seattle club sells a 15-day trial for $30, once per person. Whatever you offer, give it a clear end date and follow up before it ends. Gymdesk, a gym software vendor, found about two-thirds of trial conversions happen within 14 days.

In our survey of 27 pickleball and padel clubs, 5 published a trial or first-month offer. Others use a learn-to-play session or a free account tier as the way in. Any of them can work, if there's a next step booked before the player leaves.

/Sources: $30 for 15 days · two-thirds within 14 days · our survey of 27 clubs

How should you price pickleball memberships to sell more of them?

Separate tiers by access, not just hours. In our survey, 17 of the 22 clubs that publish booking windows give each paid tier a different window, and the median top tier books 14 days ahead. Access is what heavy players value, and it costs you nothing to deliver.

Other tools clubs in the survey use:

• A daytime or off-peak tier for retirees and shift workers.
• A founding membership with a cap (50 to 100 spots in the clubs we found) before you open or expand.
• Guest passes, so members bring the next members. Several clubs limit how often the same guest can come back.

The full price breakdown is in our free club playbook. I won't tell you what to charge. Your market decides that.

How do you market a pickleball club to new members?

Show real people playing at your club, at every level. Post short videos of league nights, beginner clinics and members' best rallies, and run ads to adults within a short drive. Then make sure your Google listing is complete and has recent reviews.

What I'd post every week:

• One rally or highlight from a league night.
• One beginner clinic clip ("this was their second week").
• One member story: why they joined, who they play with.
• One post about what's on: leagues starting, socials, intro sessions.

And look after your Google Business Profile. BrightLocal's 2026 survey of US consumers found 47% won't use a business with fewer than 20 reviews. Ask every new member for one in their first month.

/Sources: 47% ... fewer than 20 reviews

Why do new pickleball members cancel?

Usually because they stop playing. Gymdesk's data shows members who visit less than once every two weeks cancel at about twice the rate of members who visit three or more times a week. So watch attendance, not just billing. A member who hasn't booked in two weeks needs a message, not a renewal notice.

A simple save routine:

1. No booking in 14 days: a personal text inviting them to a specific game this week.
2. No booking in 21 days: a call from a coach or the manager.
3. Before they cancel: offer a pause or a lower tier instead.

I'll say it again because it's true in every sport: leads come in and nobody follows up. That, not ad spend, is usually the leak.

/Sources: about twice the rate" (44.2% vs 23.2% over 24 months)