Pickleball Franchise Locations Climb 37 Percent Even As Operators Struggle
- Open locations across six tracked pickleball franchise brands rose from 145 in January to 199 in September 2026, a 37% increase, according to The Dink.
- Indoor courts grew about 6.5% from December 2025 to September 2026, but the net gain fell from 418 courts in June to 70 in September.
- The charts show access growing. They do not show which clubs turn a profit or how many have closed.
Pickleball Clubs Keep Opening While Some Operators Struggle
Pickleball clubs are still opening across the country, and some of the people running them are having a hard time. The Dink reported the pattern on October 16, using charts from the October 15 edition of David Johnson’s Business of Pickleball newsletter. Alex E. Weaver, the site’s Digital Content Director, wrote that the numbers show “expansion continuing through a shakeout.”
For a player, that mix of growth and trouble is the current state of the indoor game. New courts are going up in the places that play, and the companies behind some of them are under financial strain. The Dink lays out the figures and draws a line between two ideas that are easy to confuse: how many courts exist and how healthy the clubs that run them are.
Six Franchise Brands Add Locations
The Dink’s first set of numbers tracks six franchise brands. Across those brands, open locations rose from 145 in January to 199 in September 2026. That is a 37% increase from January to September.
Several brands grew by large steps. Ace Pickleball went from 21 locations to 32. Pickleball Kingdom went from 23 to 34. PickleRage doubled, from 5 locations to 10.
The Picklr is on the list too. It had 76 locations in September, up from 60 in January. Its parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October. The Dink reports that the company says individual franchisees are not part of the filing and that clubs will remain open.
Indoor Courts Grow, but More Slowly
The second set of numbers comes from Pickleheads data on indoor courts. The count rose from 28,130 in December 2025 to 29,946 in September 2026, an increase of about 6.5%.
The pace changed along the way. The net increase in September was 70 courts. In June it was 418. Courts are still being added, just in smaller numbers each month than earlier in the year.
The charts show net change only. They do not say how many courts opened or closed in any given month.
Why a Busy Club Can Still Struggle
The Dink’s story does not say that clubs are failing in large numbers. It does point to earlier reporting that shows pressure on operators.
Johnson previously reported on pickleball facilities listed for sale. Nine of them cut their asking prices, and the typical reduction was 39%.
In an earlier Dink article, facility consultant West Shaw explained how a club that looks busy can still run into trouble. According to The Dink, Shaw said expensive leases and limited peak-hour capacity can strain even a busy club.
The Dink puts the point in blunt terms: “more courts measure access. They don’t measure whether the rent gets paid.”
What the Charts Leave Out
The data has clear limits, and The Dink says so. The charts do not show which clubs are profitable. They also do not show how many clubs have closed. A rising location count tells a player that more places to play exist. It does not tell a player whether any one of them will be around next year.
The Dink also offers a line aimed at players walking into a busy room: “A packed paddle rack is encouraging. Unfortunately, the landlord takes dollars.” A crowded club is encouraging, and it still says nothing about the rent.
What Players Can Take From the Numbers
The practical reading is that players in many areas should see more choices. Franchise brands added dozens of locations between January and September, and the indoor court count kept climbing through September.
The Dink also says the same trend could bring ownership changes and closures. Players who belong to a club or buy a membership are watching an industry that is still growing and still sorting out which operators last.
The Picklr example shows how that can look. The company’s parent filed for bankruptcy, and the company says franchisee clubs stay open.
The numbers from The Dink give players a simple reading: access is growing, the monthly pace of growth is lower than it was in June, and the financial health of any single club is a separate question. Court counts and location counts are the part of the story that shows up in a search for somewhere to play. The rest is rent, leases, and peak-hour demand.
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