Quick Hit:

Corporate bookings at pickleball clubs are surging as companies realize the sport is cheaper, less time-consuming, and easier to play.

Key Details:

• Corporate bookings at pickleball clubs spiked in June, as reported by PodPlay.
• Pickleball clubs like Ace Pickleball Club and Pickleballerz have seen significant increases in corporate events.
• Pickleball is becoming popular among professionals like lawyers, bankers, and realtors.

Diving Deeper:

Pickleball is emerging as the new go-to sport for corporate networking and deal-making, replacing golf for many businesses. Companies are increasingly booking pickleball clubs for their events, citing the sport's cost-effectiveness, shorter playtime, and accessibility.

Corporate bookings at pickleball clubs across the U.S. surged in June, according to PodPlay, a sports venue booking platform. Individual club operators corroborate this trend, noting a steady increase in corporate events. Ace Pickleball Club, with locations in several states, has seen a rise in corporate gatherings. Co-founder Joe Sexton mentioned that event requests are piling up even before new locations open. Similarly, Greg Raelson, chief marketing officer of Pickleballerz in Chantilly, Virginia, reported that corporate bookings have roughly tripled since 2021. In New York, Life Time health club is handling 10 to 20 corporate booking inquiries weekly, more than five times the volume from the previous year.

Professionals such as lawyers, bankers, and realtors are increasingly turning to pickleball to expand their networks. In Rochester Hills, Michigan, pickleball instructor Robert Dunn observed lawyers with clients, business discussions, and auto industry executives playing with suppliers and purchasers. "Even if the intent isn’t business, business is often a topic of conversation," Dunn said.

Chicago-based real estate broker Colin Hebson, who switched from golf to pickleball after 25 years, finds pickleball less intimidating for newcomers. "I can take someone onto the pickleball court who has never touched a paddle before, and they would have a good time in under 10 minutes," Hebson said. He highlighted the efficiency of pickleball, noting that two hours at his club cost $80 compared to $600 to $700 for a golf outing.

Mathew Norman, senior director of events at Crush Yard in South Carolina, noted that companies see a greater return on investment with pickleball. Events typically last up to three hours, allowing executives to schedule them after work. Crush Yard has already hosted ten corporate events this year for companies that previously favored golf.

While golf remains popular, particularly following a pandemic-related surge, it still struggles with diversity. The National Golf Foundation reported that while on-course golfers have increased for six consecutive years, 74% of golfers are men, and 78% are white. This has led some die-hard golfers to shift to pickleball to tap into a more diverse pool of clients, according to Richard Green, co-founder of SPF Chicago.

Executives at a Chicago-based marketing company decided to host a pickleball tournament this year after noticing some colleagues were less enthusiastic about golf. "They saw pickleball as a way of reaching out to get more engagement from employees who don't like to golf," Green said.

Minneapolis-based life coach Jasna Burza invites clients to play pickleball to help them loosen up. Many of her women clients, who are executives, lawyers, and entrepreneurs, appreciate the alternative to golf. "A lot of my women clients are like, ‘I have kids, I don't have time to spend seven hours on the course,’" Burza said. She also finds the sport transformative for relationships with clients, fostering a sense of vulnerability and camaraderie. "There are no pretensions. You see them miss a point. There’s so much vulnerability on the court," she added.

Pickleball is reshaping corporate networking by offering a more inclusive, cost-effective, and time-efficient alternative to golf, appealing to a broader range of professionals.