Glow in the Dark Pickleball? Sign Me Up!
Though we have published guides on how to create a pickleball court at home, in your community, or even at school, perhaps, you are looking for something a little more social. What could be more social than an indoor pickleball club!? Pickleball facilities like the Ace Pickleball Club are coming to some major U.S. cities, and yours might be on that list. Think of indoor trampoline parks, skydiving facilities, or skateparks – all activities that can be done inside or outside. Now, imagine a place where pickleball players can enjoy the sport at whatever skill level within a designated athletics facility.
Ace Pickleball Club is an athletics company that specializes in establishing indoor sports facilities centered around playing pickleball. Their first location will be coming this month to the Atlanta area. While their upcoming developments in Florida, Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Indiana will be opening soon. Within these four states, the Ace Pickleball Club will have 10 franchises for players to enjoy a one-on-one or multiplayer game.
According to the company’s social media page, these facilities will feature
“between 8 and 16 courts in a climate-controlled environment with on-court technology for instant replay and live-streaming to provide the ultimate pickleball playing experience. Where members of all ages and skill levels will be able to participate in a variety of activities offered at their local club including daily open play, clinics, leagues, tournaments, social and glow-in-the-dark events.”
(LinkedIn, Ace Pickleball Club)
So, if you are looking for an exciting summer activity to enjoy solo or with friends and family, consider visiting one of the Ace Pickleball Club facilities. As of right now, Ace Pickleball Club has courts hitting Chicago, Phoenix, Jacksonville (Florida), Fort Wayne (Indiana), Southwest Florida, Orange County (California), Harrisburg (Pennsylvania), and Denver. With their first club located at 1425 Market Blvd (Suite 200), Roswell, GA 30076. Just outside of Atlanta, near Alpharetta. Since the company will be opening clubs on each side of the U.S. coast, it is likely that many of you will be near one of their clubs or a driving distance away at one point or another. If you ever visit one of these cities, consider taking a day-trip to the courts. What’s even better is that at Ace Pickleball Club you don’t need to bring any equipment. They’ve got you covered!
Ace Pickleball Club’s recent entry into the pickleball space comes with much anticipation, but it involves fierce competition as well. Like that from the largest operator of pickleball courts in the U.S. (according to Club Industry), Life Time. Life Time currently has 350 pickleball courts across the country, with the expectation to have 600 by the end of 2023. The rapid increase in pickleball courts established by Life Time this year directly correlates with how much the company anticipates pickleball to grow this year and in coming years. As the nation’s fastest growing sport, pickleball is drawing serious interest. Its demand requires major investors (like Life Time and Dupr) to get in front of the curve now. Which is why companies like Life Time have been able to open a pickleball court nearly every week this year as demand surrounding the sport heightens daily.
Dupr which stands for “Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating” was founded in 2021 by the founder of the Major League Pickleball (MLP), Steve Kuhn. Kuhn established the company as a means to provide a rating system for pickleball players globally. The complex scoring that Dupr rates players at allows each to have individual and game rankings as we have seen with most other sports.
So, with Dupr leading the global rating system for pickleball and Life Time owning hundreds of pickleball courts in the country (while having a substantial head-start against Ace Pickleball Club), this leads us to ask – where does Ace Pickleball Club fit in this industry? With such large competitors, the company will need many distinguishing qualities to go up against Life Time. Though, all sports have major companies at the forefront of them, whether it be Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Football League (NFL), the reality is that the sports industry is massively competitive on and off the courts. With few companies controlling each area (sports commentary, retail, courts, etc). If Ace Pickleball Club wants to garner traction within the pickleball scene, there isn’t a better time than now. Because as major competitors fight to get their names in households across the country, making themselves a notable brand in the pickleball space, smaller companies will be overlooked. I guess we’ll have to see who comes out on top.
