While I’m certainly no expert on building, opening, or running padel clubs, I do get a fair number of people asking me for my advice on how they should go about building, opening, and running theirs.
For instance, yesterday I spoke with two young — and obviously quite intelligent — entrepreneurs who are looking at opening a club in Texas in the coming year. And unlike many others I’ve heard about who are rushing into the space without doing much due diligence, these two have obviously not only done their homework, but are also are eagerly looking to do more.
They asked some very specific and insightful questions about everything from the ROI on adding additional square footage for amenities like a yoga studio and juice bar… to how many more players they could expect to attract by also adding a few pickleball courts… to whether the perception that padel is a “Latin sport” might hamper its growth in the U.S. (they are both orginally from Spanish-speaking countries).
All in all, it was a great conversation, and it brought up a few thoughts on my end about what padel club owners should definitely not do based on what I’ve personally seen and experienced at the dozen or so clubs I’ve been able to visit in the U.S. and abroad over the past couple of years.
So, here are a few key things I would urge all aspiring padel club owners and operators to keep in mind:
1) Do NOT underestimate the importance of ceiling height.
Yes, yes, I know. Finding a large enclosed space suitable for padel that also has high ceilings is a major challenge. And plenty of clubs around the country with relatively low ceilings are attracting plenty of players.
That being said, I’ve played at several clubs where ceiling heights of 22 feet or less have majorly affected my enjoyment of the game (and the others I was on court with said the same). Yes, it was better than nothing, and I was definitely still happy to play. But if I knew there was another club within driving distance that had higher ceilings, they would likely get my business 10 out of 10 times.
With only a couple clubs currently existing in even some of the U.S.’s most populated cities, for now people are just taking what they can get. But as more clubs open, ceiling height will no doubt be a major differentiator between clubs, so underestimate its importance at your own risk.
2) Do NOT make it so difficult for players to find out basic information about your club.
I’m constantly scouring the internet and social media looking for information on new padel clubs opening around the U.S. And it never fails to amaze me how difficult many clubs — both new and old — make it to find out simple things like when they’re opening for business… what hours they are open for play… and how many courts they have.
I’ve come across clubs that have one set of opening hours on listed on their website… another different set listed on Google… and yet another different set listed on social media. There are many other clubs that force you to sign up for — or sign into — court booking platforms in order to just figure out whether they’ve got two courts or 10.
Then there are the clubs who still aren’t open despite the fact that their websites say they were set to open months ago, and still others that actually are open for play, despite the fact that both Google and their websites say they aren’t yet.
Granted, there are a million and one things padel club owners have to think about and deal with on a daily basis, but in my experience the harder you make it for people to do business with you, the less likely they will.
3) Do NOT overlook user experience.
While I have yet to play at Park Padel in San Francisco, I did recently have a long chat with their co-founder and CEO, Jessica Talbert, who told me she actually used to work in Silicon Valley as a user experience researcher and head of customer experience.
She also told me that she is methodically employing everything she learned in these fields at Park Padel — and it shows. Both from the photos and videos I’ve seen and the feedback I’ve gotten from those who have played there.
Contrast that with another club I played at earlier this year…
Their unisex “locker room” was basically just a broom closet with a lock that didn’t seem to work. And nearly everything in the place, including the ceilings, was painted black. This not only gave the club a dungeon-like feeling, but also made it incredibly difficult to see the ball against the lights.
To top it off, they were playing (in my opinion, very bad) music so loudly throughout the club that even when you shouted the score out, your your own partner often couldn’t hear you, let alone your opponents. Perhaps not surprisingly, their padel courts were largely empty despite it being 5pm on a Friday.
Then there are the cases of:
- A rather posh city club I’ve heard about where the only available bathrooms are in a nearby office building whose owners aren’t exactly always excited to have the padel crowd using their facilities…
- An outdoor club where the reflection off car windshields on sunny days blinds everyone on court…
- A club in an industrial warehouse with so much unused space around the courts that even when it’s fairly busy, the place just feels empty and sad, and…
- A club with a single outdoor court in a very hot and humid climate that is surrounded by some of the nicest patio furniture you’ll ever lay eyes on, yet doesn’t offer a single umbrella, awning, or square inch of shade.
Of course, everyone has their own tastes. And no padel club will ever be perfect for everyone who plays there. But my advice to those working on opening new clubs (and even running existing ones) is to spend as much time as possible thinking through what it will be like to actually play there — and then work to improve that in every possible way.
While all of this may seem a little bit harsh, these are just my honest observations and (free) advice for anyone who might want it. And to end things on a positive note, I will say that while every club can probably improve in some way, so many clubs out there are doing a stellar job on so many levels.
Take Padel California (pictured above) in Oceanside, CA, for example. While it’s one of the smallest and simplest clubs I have ever visited, it’s also one of my very favorite. The environment is super relaxed and fun, the location is perfect, and the owners couldn’t be more welcoming or helpful.
And there are so many other clubs around the U.S. where I’ve had an incredible experience both on and off court, like Padel Clube (also pictured above) outside Chicago, the Parker Racquet Club outside Denver, Padel + Pickle Club in St. Louis, and Ultra Padel Club in Miami, just to name a few.
I look forward to visiting many more in 2025 and beyond and getting more insights on what makes truly great clubs great. So, please be sure to stay tuned.
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