I’m sooo excited about The Pickleball Club closing, but it’s not for the reason you’d expect.
Wait wat!?! Weren’t you a founding member?!
Yes I was. And it was only “technically open for 4 or 5 months”.
It’s going to reopen. Yes this is speculation, but I think it’s going to be great.
The top questions people are blowing my phone up about:
- Did you lose money?
Nope. I kept an excel sheet of all the hours I played vs. the expenses I paid. Tbh, in the end it was WELL worth it. - What about the people that paid out the entire year?
Refunds are in the process. - Why did they close?
I give my explanation below, but at a high level: they were supposed to open a chain throughout Florida (half a dozen+ clubs), were looking for investors years ago, and for the reasons outlined below, ran out of money and had to close the doors (VERY immediately). - Did you talk to the staff about it?
Yes. They shall not be named here. - What’s happening to the club?
My speculation is below.
The conversation behind closed doors
Before the club even opened, I had a sit down conversation with their sales person at their temporary office. He closed the door so I could give him the key learnings and “what works well” from the pickleball clubs I’ve played at across the United States.
As I signed up to become a founding member, I told him:
“Everything you’re doing is wrong, but if you guys want to actually stay in business, you’ll be FORCED to fix it”.
Obviously they didn’t fix it. Which is why the doors are shut (for now).
Key things that were wrong…
1) The pricing structure was wrong for the area
This pricing (which I left below) works for some areas. They had over 700 members in Sarasota. The cost of a private court ($40) is less than other pickleball clubs I’ve been to (it’s $60/hour at the new club in San Diego).
It’s RARE to find a place that has as many NICE, free and individually fenced courts as Port St. Lucie. To choose between “awesome and free if the weather is great” and “awesome and NOT free” is hard.
2) The perfect facility, but a backwards culture
Pickleball is playful. It’s fun. And it’s not perfect.
No matter how good you are, at some point you’ll go to slam the ball and totally whiff. Or hit a home run into the court next to you or something else that’s really dumb and inevitably EVERYONE will laugh at you… including yourself.
That’s why country club culture and pickleball do not mix.
I’ve (unfortunately) been part of exclusive clubs where men would wear the stupid sports jacket and I’d have to enter through the staff entrance because my yoga pants were too casual. It’s expensive, it’s annoying, it’s dumb.
The Pickleball Club tried to do this. With the minimum food and beverage requirement (which later went away) and the very formal approach between staff and members.
Tbh, the staff they had was fantastic. However, aside from the coaches, none of them played pickleball nor understood pickleball culture. They tried to make it feel like a golf resort – unnecessarily formal and it felt stuffy. This was not the staff’s fault- it’s the culture that the management in Sarasota was trying to create.
So when I would yell “FUCK BALLS” really loud when my third shot drop went into the net yet again, I wouldn’t feel bad… per se… but… you know, I was aware of the looks I would get.
I’ve played at over 80 courts, many of them pickleball clubs, in terms of build and facility- this is amongst the best I’ve seen (click here to see that list).
3) We all knew what was wrong, but all decisions were made by corporate
There’s nothing better than a wet corporate blanket to hold “the people who can fix things” back from doing the right thing.
Below is the latest letter I wrote to their corporate office. It was addressed, and juicy story: no one, including the staff knew they were going to close doors until RIGHT before they closed the doors. More or less, everyone found out (staff and members) within a 24 hour period of time.
I am SO EXCITED for the next pickleball club
The facility is amongst the best I’ve seen. Which is why I’m excited the current management is GONE and I’m personally excited for what’s next.
Are they going to destroy this place? Nah. I don’t think so.
I’m stoooooked. Beyond stoked. Whoever buys this place is going to do it right. Will I be the first member again? Yep.
I think it’ll reopen and be
- A pickleball place owned by pickleball players
- A fun environment
- Have long opening hours
- Be cheaper
And hopefully, play louder and better music.
So now what?
Well, we all keep playing pickleball elsewhere until it opens again. Boom.
below are more words as tho you haven’t had enough.
For Reference – The Pickleball Club St. Lucie West PRICING
Written as of September 2024, here’s the updated pricing model…
| NEW PRICING | OLD PRICING |
| $500 Annual (single person) membership fee | $1,650 Initiation fee (one time) |
| $750 Annual (couple) membership fee | $2,000 (one time) |
| $125 Monthly membership fee | Ranges $125-$640/month |
| $0 for all skill and social play | $10 per session for 2 hour open play |
| $40/hour private court reservation | Same |
| $0 obligation for cafe | $600 required annual spend at cafe |
Total amount I expect to pay annual for pickleball for ONE PERSON:
- $500 annual fee
- $1,500 for 12 months of monthly dues
- $2,000 total or $166 a month
Wait, $166 a month?! That’s a LOT! (or is it?!?!)….
Trust me, it’s not cheap. But the thing I wondered is… “but is it worth it“… read on for a breakdown.
Want to read even more? Cool. more below. And enjoy this totally dumb thing I did on the court with some of my Big Dill faves…
What is The Pickleball Club
A 33,000 square foot indoor club with 12 indoor pickleball courts (and 2 additional outdoor courts). They’re making it “exclusive” – which means it’s VERY hard to play here (or it’s very expensive to play here) if you’re not a member.
They’ll have a club house with food and drinks and blah blah blah. Basically: it’s a VERY nice experience and tbh, after playing at A LOT of pickleball clubs, this is one of the best I’ve seen in terms of facilities.
It’s located off St Lucie West:
When did it open?
It’s open. It soft opened early summer. But REALLY opened in late August. See the livestream below of an early view…
Signing up for The Pickleball Club means I respect my time. I am paying to get the type of play I want WHEN I want it.
-Makes sense doesn’t it?
If you’ve NEVER played at a PROPER pickleball club, it’s VERY hard to understand the difference between a club and the free parks.
Imagine playing at the level you want to be playing at, when you want, and with zero to minimal waiting (and no rain, heat, sun, bugs, and wind).
It’s why when I’m traveling in DC, I drive out to Dill Dinkers for the BEST pickleball games instead of standing around at the parks. You get EXACTLY what you want.
You’re probably thinking “BUT NO ONE PLAYS THERE RIGHT NOW”, it’s NOT like this.
You’re right, but it’s getting there. And when it is, the FOMO will be real. I’m a believer in what it will become and what it will offer.
Here’s a video of what you can expect….
and if you have insane ants in your pants, email me!
hello (at) christinelozada (dot) com
And for your viewing pleasure, here’s my faves from Bola kicking my butt.
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