Pickleball Innovators

Pickleball clubs are scaling into full hospitality operations faster and faster everyday. Brandon Hurter, the founder and CEO of Pivot180, argues that AI can absorb the administrative load without diluting the high-touch member experience. A technology marketer by training, Hurter launched Pivot180 as an AI advisory that helps small and mid-sized businesses turn AI strategy into working automation.

On this episode of the Pickleball Innovators Podcast, Hurter joins editor-in-chief and host Rachel Chonko to break down the operational pressures facing club operators, the specific AI workflows de's deploying for membership organizations and trends reshaping club technology. His advice — identify repetitive, friction-heavy tasks that consume staff time and hand them to AI so teams can spend more time with members.

Play Pickleball is working to unify a fragmented pickleball ecosystem, connecting player discovery with facility operations through one platform. CEO Matt Jarvis and CTO Kurtis Campbell (following Play Pickleball's acquisition of Campbell's Pickleball Manager) discuss how the merged platforms aim to link tournament and league management with player discovery, helping facilities retain players beyond their first visit through pathways into leagues, lessons and programming. The conversation covers the industry's shift toward facilities as community and entertainment destinations, an "AI-first" approach to product development, and Play Pickleball's ambition to become the connective digital layer between players, coaches and facilities.

One of the biggest challenges for pickleball club operators is figuring out what to do with all the data they collect.

Court bookings, player attendance and membership activity can provide a detailed picture of how a club is performing. But that information often remains scattered across different platforms or requires operators to spend hours interpreting it. IQSport Intelligence is designed to close that gap, turning historical player and club data into actionable insights that can help operators fill courts and make smarter programming decisions.

In this episode, co-founder of IQSport Vlad Shetinin, and IPC CEO and founder Chris Sears, share what the platform does and how it helps operators understand their players to give them the best playing experience possible.

As the pickleball industry shifts from open play to more structured, competitive formats, club operators face a new challenge: how do you run engaging events without doubling your staff?

For Dinakar Talluri, founder of Good Game Sports, the answer started with a problem he saw firsthand — a lifelong competitive tennis player who picked up pickleball in 2020, he began renting courts in the D.C. area to run weekend tournaments and got tired of fielding the same questions from players about who they were playing next. He built software to put those answers directly in players' hands, growing it from a tool for local facilities into a licensed platform now used nationwide, with more than 20 event formats that let operators run ladder leagues, MLP-style events and more without being locked into one structure.

In this episode, Talluri shares:

-How building an app to solve his own tournament headaches turned into Good Game Sports

-Why nearly 90% of facility registrations now come through event registrations, not open play

-How giving players more control unlocks two to three times the events with the same staff

-The shift away from open play toward ladder leagues, MLP events and more competitive formats

-Why Good Game Sports built 20+ formats instead of forcing operators into one system

-What he's most looking forward to as a partner at the 2026 Pickleball Innovators Summit

For club operators, this episode offers a practical look at running more events without adding headcount — including how handing players more control over scoring and check-in can unlock extra revenue, why event-based programming is outpacing open play, and what to consider when choosing tournament software that adapts to your facility instead of dictating how you run it.

🎙️ Guest: Dinakar Talluri, Founder, Good Game Sports

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As the pickleball franchise landscape matures, one question keeps coming up: what separates operators built to last from those chasing the next gold rush?

For Will Richards, the founder of Dill Dinkers, the answer comes down to discipline — knowing which leases to walk away from, which independents to bring into the fold and how to build a network that gives members a reason to stay loyal wherever they travel.

With nearly 40 locations signed and more on the way, Dill Dinkers has grown from a single Mid-Atlantic concept into a national franchise linking clubs together so members can play anywhere in the country. Richards believes the next few years will bring real consolidation to the industry, and that the operators who survive it will be the ones who understood their real estate, their data and their player experience from day one.

In this episode, Will shares:

-Why nearly 40 leases signed still isn't enough to slow down expansion plans

-How the Dill Dinkers membership model is turning independent players into a competitive advantage

-Why he believes industry consolidation is coming — and what separates the clubs that will survive it

-The real estate philosophy behind a "defensible lease," and why bigger isn't always better

-How Dill Dinkers is helping struggling independent clubs convert to the franchise model

-An inside look at Certified Pickleball Player, the AI-driven rating system reshaping how clubs program for their members

Whether you're evaluating your next lease, thinking about franchising, or trying to figure out where the industry is headed next, this episode offers a candid, on-the-ground perspective on what it really takes to scale a pickleball business.

🎙️ Guest: Will Richards, Founder, Dill Dinkers

As pickleball clubs continue to evolve, many operators are asking the same question: How do you create a facility people don't just play at, but genuinely want to be a part of?

For Kady Pooler, founder of Pickle Athletics in Oakland, California, the answer lies in what she calls the "play-and-stay" model.

A former professional tennis player turned first-time pickleball club owner, Pooler has built Pickle Athletics around the idea that today's operators aren't simply providing courts — they're creating a pickleball club community. From coffee and wine bars to fitness amenities, social events and intentional programming, every detail is designed to bring people together and keep them coming back.

In this episode, Kady shares:

-The unexpected journey that led her from professional tennis to pickleball entrepreneurship

-Why she believes community and real-life connection are some of the biggest opportunities in the industry today

-How Pickle Athletics transformed a former car dealership into a thriving social hub

-The philosophy behind the "play-and-stay" model and creating a true third place

-Why programming and great coaching are essential to member engagement and retention

-What she's learned as a first-time club owner navigating the highs and lows of entrepreneurship

Whether you're opening your first facility, refining your member experience or exploring new ways to foster connection, this episode offers practical insights on building a pickleball club community that extends far beyond the courts.

🎙️ Guest: Kady Pooler, Founder and Owner, Pickle Athletics

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As pickleball clubs continue to expand across the country, many operators are focused on growth, court utilization and member acquisition. But according to Cameron Linder, one of the biggest risks operators face may actually be hidden in the fine print of their insurance policies.

As the CEO of Pickleball Insurance Program (PIP), Cameron has a front-row seat to the claims, coverage gaps and operational mistakes facilities are making as the industry matures.

In this episode, Cameron shares:

-Common insurance exclusions pickleball club operators are still overlooking

-The real risks facilities face as competition and participation grow

-Why proper documentation and video retention matter when injuries happen

-How operators should think about insurance as a long-term business partnership

-The value of intimate networking events like the Pickleball Innovators Summit

-Why relationship-driven events create better conversations than large trade shows

-His outlook on the future of the pickleball club industry and where it’s headed next

-Why pickleball has the potential to strengthen community connection in a post-COVID world

Whether you’re opening your first facility or scaling multiple locations, this episode offers valuable perspective on protecting your business while building for long-term success.

🎙️ Guest: Cameron Linder, CEO, Pickleball Insurance Program (PIP)

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While many pickleball operators are focused on fast expansion and filling warehouse space, Chris White took a different approach in Canada.

He built IPOP as a partnership-driven model — one that works alongside nonprofits, municipalities and local communities to solve one of the sport’s biggest challenges: access to courts.

The result? A pickleball concept that’s less about real estate arbitrage and more about infrastructure, inclusivity and long-term growth. From public-private partnerships to health-focused programming and culturally inclusive leagues, IPOP is an example of what a pickleball facility can be in an underserved market.

In this episode, Chris shares:

-Why IPOP was built as a for-profit working with nonprofits — not against them

-How public-private partnerships are unlocking new facility opportunities

-The reality of operating in a high-cost, low-supply market like Canada

-Why programming — not just courts — is the key to long-term success

-How inclusive, community-based initiatives are driving retention and growth

-The opportunity to position pickleball as a health and wellness solution

-His concerns around saturation — and why “if you build it, they will come” doesn’t work

Whether you’re an operator, investor or pickleball entrepreneur, this episode offers a fresh perspective on how to grow sustainably — especially in markets where the traditional playbook doesn’t apply.

🎙️ Guest: Chris White, Founder & CEO, IPOP

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When everyone else was converting grocery stores and warehouses into pickleball facilities, Kelly Bodner went a different direction. She built Indiana's first ground-up, purpose-built indoor pickleball club from dirt — and modeled it after a country club.

The result? Pickle on Penn in Carmel, Indiana: eight cushioned courts, locker rooms stocked with the essentials, a boutique pro shop, and a restaurant and bar overlooking the courts. Members pay an initiation fee and monthly dues in exchange for free court time, free open play, and high-end amenities.

In this episode, Kelly shares:

-Why she chose a membership model over pay-to-play

-What the country club approach gets right about retention and community

-How she broke up cliques and built real friendships among members

-The truth about adding a restaurant to your pickleball club

-What she'd do differently — and why she'd do it all again

Whether you're an operator, investor or pickleball entrepreneur, this episode is packed with honest, hard-won insight from someone who built something genuinely different in a crowded market.

🎙️ Guest: Kelly Bodner, Owner, Pickle on Penn | Carmel, Indiana

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🎾 Topics: Club membership models, country club pickleball, facility design, community building, restaurant strategy

In this episode of the Pickleball Innovators Podcast, Michael Wilmot — Chief Growth Officer at Boston Pickle Club — breaks down how BPC built the New England Tournament Series into a six-event, year-long competitive circuit that's growing 25 to 30 percent with every leg.

Wilmot shares why they walked away from paid marketing in favor of a grassroots approach built on player influencers and early registration momentum, how DUPR has become one of their most powerful recruiting tools for developing players, and why the off-court experience is just as important as anything happening on the courts.

He also gets into what surprised them most about repeat participation — and why that turned out to be an opportunity rather than a problem.

For operators who want to turn tournaments into more than a one-time event — and build something players keep coming back for — this one is worth your time.

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