A Full-Court Press
When technology is smart and works well, it’s a really cool thing. Why? Because it saves time, improves efficiency, and cuts out stress. If you like any of those things, then you may be interested in a new app called CourtsApp, which looks like it could become the future of court reservations. The app is kind of like an OpenTable or Expedia for racket sports because it shows people in real time where there are unused courts in their area.
As a player, imagine how easy that is. You will no longer have to contact several different facilities to find out exactly when and where a court is available. Instead, whenever you want to play pickleball (or tennis or padel, which won't be any of us ), you can immediately see all of the courts that are available near you and book whichever one you want.
Now imagine that you're an owner of a racket sport club or facility. You don't want your pickleball or tennis courts just sitting there empty with nobody using them. But it requires a lot of money and expertise in marketing to get the word out about your available courts. With CourtsApp, all of your club's unused court inventory will now be discoverable and bookable. Your facility can literally be put on the map for absolutely no cost because CourtsApp only makes a commission on the courts it books.
It looks like this concept is a win-win for both players and facilities. It's kind of like how the Jets and Giants can both win the offseason if the Giants trade their first round pick to the Jets so they can get a quarterback, and in return, the Jets can then give the Giants several picks that will solidify the rest of the Giants' roster. But we digress.
Back to CourtsApp, it also has integrations for DUPR which is the current dominating rating system in pickleball, which will allow players to bring their rating into the CourtsApp system. The app currently lists more than 1,500 courts across 150+ facilities throughout the New York tri-state area, including the John McEnroe Tennis Academy on Randall's Island, all the Sportime Pickleball locations, and Padel Haus.
Clubs and players can learn more and join the platform at CourtsApp.com or download CourtsApp from the App Store or Google Play. We still haven't come across an app that will make you better at pickleball without working on your game, but we'll keep an eye out for one.
