INTRODUCTION
Feature Summary: CourtReserve allows clubs to sell memberships during a defined purchase window while delaying activation until a future date, making it easy to run promotions and manage seasonal or annual membership cycles.
Use Cases
Run seasonal promotions such as Black Friday or Early Bird specials
Sell next season or next year’s memberships in advance
Allow players to secure memberships before the active period begins
Prevent membership benefits from activating too early
Clearly separate sales periods from active membership periods for better planning and reporting
OVERVIEW
CourtReserve gives you the flexibility to separate when a membership is purchased from when it becomes active. This is especially useful for “pre-selling” memberships—allowing players to buy now while their access begins at a later, defined date.
By using Membership Purchase Dates alongside the Membership Start Date, you can confidently run promotions, plan ahead for upcoming seasons, and ensure benefits are only applied at the correct time.
Key Fields Explained
Membership Purchase Start Date
The date when the membership becomes visible and available for purchase on your Member Portal.
Example: If set to May 1, the membership is available for purchase starting at 12:00 AM on May 1.
Membership Purchase End Date
The final date the membership is available for purchase. After this date, players will no longer be able to buy the membership.
Membership Start Date
The date when the membership becomes active and benefits begin.
For pre-selling, this is typically set to a future date after the purchase window.
This field only appears when a fee is added to the membership.
For a detailed breakdown of all fields on the membership set up, see here.
How Pre-Selling Works (Simple Breakdown)
Purchase Dates = When players can buy the membership
Membership Start Date = When players can use the membership
This separation allows you to collect revenue early while controlling when access begins.
Real-World Examples
1. Black Friday Promotion (Most Common)
Sell next year’s memberships at a discount.
Field Setup:
Purchase Start Date: November 28
Purchase End Date: December 5
Membership Start Date: January 1
Result:
Players purchase during the Black Friday window, but benefits don’t begin until January 1—ensuring they receive access for the correct membership year.
2. Summer Season Membership
Allow early sign-ups before the season begins at a discount. In this example, the players get a $100 summer special price if they sign up during the month of April.
Field Setup:
Purchase Start Date: April 1
Purchase End Date: April 30
Membership Start Date: June 1
Membership End Date: August 31
Membership Price: One-time $100
Result:
Players can plan ahead and secure their summer discount, but access doesn’t begin until the summer season officially starts.
3. Early Bird Program Access
Encourage early membership commitment for structured programs.
Field Setup:
Purchase Start Date: July 1
Purchase End Date: July 31
Membership Start Date: September 1
Result:
Players sign up early, but benefits (like booking priority) begin closer to the actual program start.
Very Important Consideration (Avoid Retroactive Start Dates)
If the Membership Start Date is left as a past date after it has passed, new purchasers will still receive a membership that starts retroactively on that original date.
Example:
If the Membership Start Date is set to June 1 and someone purchases on June 15, their membership will still begin June 1.
Best Practice:
Set a reminder to go back into the membership settings and update—or more commonly, remove—the Membership Start Date once it has passed to prevent unintended backdating of access, billing, or benefits.
This is typically not a concern for one-time priced memberships, as no additional billing cycles will be created retroactively.
Why This Matters
Using Membership Start Date for pre-selling helps you:
Drive early revenue through promotions
Maintain clean and accurate membership periods
Prevent players from receiving benefits too early
Create a better, more predictable experience for both staff and members
Related Videos
Watch this video for an overview of initial membership setup and an explanation of how to set up a membership to pre-sell: Pre-Selling Memberships