Life Time is #1 in Pickleball: 338% Monthly Participation Increase in Nine Months, 350+ Courts on a Path to 600+ by End of 2023
Posted: October 26, 2022 in Chains
Life Time – The Healthy Way Of Life Company
CHANHASSEN, MN – As pickleball participation continues its explosive growth, so too have the number of permanent pickleball courts at Life Time (NYSE: LTH), one of the nation’s premier healthy lifestyle brands. In fact, no other organization in America can say it owns and operates more permanent pickleball courts, now surpassing 350 across its locations with plans to top 600 by the end of 2023.
According to Max Ade, founder of Pickleheads,”Life Time operates more dedicated pickleball courts than any other brand in the United States. We don’t see anyone who comes close.”
Since August of 2021, Life Time has built indoor and outdoor pickleball courts at a rate of five new permanent courts each week from coast to coast, many with viewing areas, stadium seating, social lounges and more.
“If you had told me a year ago that I would be spending so much time playing, thinking about, and talking about this sport, I would have cheerfully challenged you. But now I’m obsessed,” says Bahram Akradi, Founder, Chairman and CEO. “With the existing footprint of our athletic country clubs and incredible coaches and pros, we saw the opportunity to lead this sport and we took it. We will be not just the biggest provider of pickleball but also the best.”
Anticipating and Meeting the Demand
The demand for pickleball courts has never been higher. According to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, nearly 5 million Americans now call themselves pickleball players. That’s almost double the number compared to just five years ago. To meet the growing demand for court space, Life Time is offering pickleball classes, instruction, open court time, leagues, mixers and tournaments for every age and every level.
“Within our healthy way of life ecosystem, we consider pickleball another amazing growth opportunity,” said Akradi. “We’ve seen total monthly participation at our clubs grow from approximately 16,000 to more than 70,000 in just the past nine months. Someday soon I believe that pickleball will be the sport that gets the largest number of people moving for fun, connection, competition, and the simple love of the game. And at Life Time, you can travel the country for a game at any of our destinations as part of your membership.”
Other Racquet Sports
In addition to pickleball, Life Time is also the largest operator of indoor tennis courts. With nearly 300 indoor and outdoor tennis courts, and dozens of squash courts, Life Time is a top destination for multiple national tournaments annually. Under the leadership of Ajay Pant, one of only a handful of Master Professionals in the world and past recipient of the prestigious Alex Gordon Tennis Professional of the Year Award, the company provides the best facilities, professionals, leagues, and programming, including Play Learn Love® for adults and SMART for juniors.
