Keep Your Members Engaged During Summer

Summer presents unique challenges for pickleball clubs as public courts are free and plentiful. Yet this season also offers opportunities to strengthen your community and maintain steady revenue. Here’s how to keep your members engaged when competition for their time is highest.

Strategy 1: Weekly Crazy Eights Night for Social Engagement

The social aspect of pickleball is often what keeps members coming back. A consistent weekly Crazy Eights event creates a “can’t miss” social anchor that members will prioritize.

Why It Works:

• Social format that is a touch-point for your players
• Guaranteed play time with multiple games
• Consistency creates habits and regular attendance
• “Drop-in” nature accommodates summer schedules
• Players of all levels can participate meaningfully

Implementation Tips:

• Schedule on the same day/time each week
• Create a festive atmosphere with music and refreshments
• Consider themes for special nights
• Track participation with leaderboards across the summer

Players are much less likely to cancel their membership when they have strong social connections at your club that they don’t want to lose.

Success Story: A club implemented weekly Crazy Eights nights and saw a huge jump in engagement. By the end of summer, they were running three nights per week with over 150 total participants. To learn more about how Quke can help you implement this strategy contact us.

Strategy 2: Competitive Bracket Tournaments for Dedicated Players

Your most dedicated players seek competitive challenges. Monthly bracket tournaments provide structured competition that keeps these valuable members engaged throughout summer.

Why It Works:

• Appeals to achievement-oriented players
• Creates anticipation and preparation
• Opportunity for recognition and prizes
• Builds rivalry and friendly competition

Implementation Tips:

• Run monthly instead of weekly to create anticipation
• Offer meaningful prizes or recognition
• Create a summer-long points series with a finale
• Adjust formats based on attendance (waterfall format works well with variable numbers)

Balancing Both Approaches

The most successful clubs recognize that they serve different member segments and implement both strategies:

1. Weekly social events maintain community and regular engagement
2. Monthly competitive events create milestones and challenges

This balanced approach addresses both the social and competitive motivations that keep members engaged with your facility.

Additional Summer Retention Strategies

• Summer membership promotions with flexible attendance requirements
• Indoor play during extreme heat periods
• Early morning or evening play options
• Family-inclusive events
• Guest day promotions to leverage summer visitors

Transform Your Summer Programming Today

Ready to implement these summer retention strategies? Quke offers tools to easily manage both social Crazy Eights nights and competitive bracket tournaments. With automated participant grouping and real-time leaderboards, you can create engaging experiences that keep members connected to your club all summer long.

Contact us today to start your free trial and see how Quke can help you maintain strong membership engagement throughout the summer months.