Ashley's Tech Blog & More Tech for November 2024

Court Reserve and Wingfield

AuthorAuthor

Rich Neher & Ashley Owens
October 27, 2024

Ashley’s Tech Blog

3 Key Ways New Members Find Your Tennis or Pickleball Club

Attracting new members for your tennis or pickleball club is vital to your growth. Based on real-world experience, here are three proven strategies to attract them:

1. Web Searches
Most new players start with a simple Google search or use club-finding tools like an industry directory. To appear in search results, ensure your website is optimized for local SEO, features real member reviews, and has an active Google Business Profile. 

An optimized online presence plants the seeds of early trust with potential members.

2. Referrals: The Power of Word-of-Mouth
Referrals from friends, family, or coworkers are one of the most effective ways to bring in new players. Think about how often you’ve visited a restaurant or watched a show because someone recommended it. The same concept applies to your club. 

Referrals work, but they must be earned by consistently delivering great member experiences. At CourtReserve, over a third of new customers come from referrals. 
It’s powerful, but clubs need to put in the effort to make it happen.

3. Social Media: The New Frontier
More and more players discover clubs through social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, and even LinkedIn. Your club needs to actively post engaging content, respond to comments, and build an online community. 

Social media advertising can also be highly targeted, allowing you to reach players in your city or county specifically. It’s an efficient way to build awareness and get noticed by local players.

The Takeaway: Stand Out by Being Authentic
Don’t just imitate larger clubs—discover what makes your club unique and let that shine in every touchpoint, from your website to the member experience. Every interaction should reflect your club’s personality, helping you create authentic connections with members. 

A good example from Old Coast Pickleball: they stream court footage, allowing players to share their best moments—giving potential members a reason to join the fun.

In the end, the best marketing comes from your own members. Lean into their stories, build strong relationships, and watch your club grow!

Start your free trial today and see how CourtReserve can transform your club. Learn more at CourtReserve.com

Wingfield Box - the German answer to Playsight

When we read about the German National Governing Body of Tennis (DTB) expanding its competition with Wingfield, the German company that provides sports technology for racket sports, including tennis and pickleball, we needed to learn more. During a conversation with Wingfield GmbH Sales Manager Peter Hannawacker, we learned about this amazing product and technology, made in Germany, and quickly becoming a giant force in the racquet sports industry.

We learned that the Wingfield Box is an innovative, AI-powered system designed to bring smart tracking technology to tennis courts, both indoor and outdoor. Peter said that “by seamlessly integrating into the court (at the net post), it captures detailed data on every shot, rally, and match. Players can track their performance, analyze key stats, and even compete in virtual rankings with players around the world. Since this year, the system also supports indoor pickleball.”

Our long-time readers may remember how we discovered years ago that the Playsight Smartcourt system didn’t really perform as well as promised, was way overpriced, and many of the U.S. installations were not being used. Looking at Wingfield, its successes, and its price points made us think they are the real deal, the product Playsight aspired to be but never was. Just look at the way the Wingfield Box is being installed over a net post.

Peter added that with the Wingfield Box, they’re “introducing a new level of measurability to the sport—even at the amateur level. Players can now accelerate their development by adjusting their training, recognizing strengths and weaknesses faster, and moving beyond gut feelings to clearly see where they stand in terms of performance.” Naturally, all of this data is available through the Wingfield app, giving players easy access to their stats and videos “anytime, anywhere.”

Wingfield’s partnership with the Rafa Nadal Academy provides constant feedback and allows them to refine and expand their system’s features to better serve players and coaches.

Wingfield installations in Europe

See also this article about Wingfield’s smart entry into the U.S. Pickleball market:
Sports Business Journal: The Picklr to deploy Wingfield's AI-powered video technology as part of exclusive partnership

Photo: THE PICKLR

We will be able to write more about the Wingfield Box in future newsletter issues. At this point, here are some useful links provided by Peter Hannawacker.

https://www.wingfield.io/en/blog
https://help.wingfield.io/en
https://www.wingfield.io/en/court-finder