INTRODUCTION
Feature Summary: This article shares how Dill Dinkers - a premier indoor pickleball franchise founded in Columbia, Maryland - scaled from a single location to one of the largest pickleball franchises in the United States using CourtReserve. It covers how the platform supported rapid multi-location growth while maintaining operational consistency across every site.
Use Cases:
Understand how CourtReserve supports multi-location and franchise operations from a single platform
See how clubs can standardize operations across locations while allowing for local flexibility
Learn how CourtReserve's reporting tools support data-driven decisions at scale
Explore how communication features like targeted emails and push notifications keep players engaged across multiple locations
Note: This article is a customer case study - it is not a feature guide or setup walkthrough. It is intended to illustrate real-world examples of how CourtReserve features can work together in practice. For setup instructions on features mentioned here, refer to the relevant Knowledge Base articles linked throughout.
OVERVIEW
Dill Dinkers was founded in 2022 by Will and Denise Richards after a firsthand experience with the lack of quality indoor pickleball facilities in their area. Their first location opened in Columbia, Maryland with 12 indoor courts, a pro shop, event space, and more. From day one, they chose CourtReserve to power their operations - a decision made easy by Denise Richards' firsthand experience using the platform as a player.
The vision was never just one club. Before their first location opened, the Richards had already planned to scale quickly - and they did. Within less than a year, Dill Dinkers expanded to four additional U.S. locations. In September 2023, they launched a franchising model and secured commitments for 282 franchise locations. Today, Dill Dinkers operates 15+ active locations with over 380 franchise locations in development, serving more than 48,000 players.
CourtReserve has scaled with them every step of the way.
Why Dill Dinkers Chose CourtReserve
From club to franchise As the business expanded, CourtReserve grew with it - offering scalable tools, multi-location management, and flexible programming to keep operations running smoothly and players engaged at every stage.
A one-stop shop CourtReserve brings court reservations, events, memberships, financials, reporting, and more into one platform - eliminating the need for disconnected tools as the operation grew.
An incredibly flexible system CourtReserve adapts to each club's needs with customizable settings, allowing Dill Dinkers to tailor the experience at each location while maintaining franchise-wide consistency.
Keeps players engaged With targeted emails, push notifications, and a dynamic member portal, CourtReserve helps Dill Dinkers keep players informed and connected across every location.
"CourtReserve is the heart of our operations. It provides the flexibility to scale while ensuring all locations run smoothly." Will Richards, Co-Founder and CEO, Dill Dinkers
Before and After CourtReserve
Before CourtReserve | After CourtReserve |
Planning to grow and expand rapidly with no platform in place | Operates one of the largest pickleball franchises in the U.S. using CourtReserve |
Needed a platform that could evolve with a growing franchise | Expanded confidently with a management system built for scalability |
Looking to unify and streamline multi-location management | Streamlined and standardized operations across all locations while allowing for local flexibility |
Founders used CourtReserve as players | Adopted CourtReserve as their club management system from day one |
How Dill Dinkers Uses CourtReserve
Multi-Location Management
As Dill Dinkers expanded, CourtReserve provided the infrastructure needed to manage a growing network of locations without rebuilding processes at each new site. Operations are standardized across the franchise while each location retains the flexibility to adjust settings to fit its community.
Related articles:
Reporting and Data-Driven Decisions
CourtReserve's reporting tools give the Dill Dinkers team visibility into revenue and court utilization across all locations. That data informs decisions about staffing, programming, pricing, and expansion - helping leadership act on what is actually happening across the franchise rather than on estimates.
Player Engagement and Communication
With players across 15+ locations, keeping the community connected requires more than word of mouth. Dill Dinkers uses CourtReserve's communication tools - including targeted emails and push notifications - to keep players informed about events, updates, and programming at their home location.
Related articles:
Court Reservations, Events, and Memberships
Court reservations, event programming, and membership management are all handled inside CourtReserve - giving the Dill Dinkers team one place to run every aspect of the player experience, from first booking to long-term member.
Related articles:
Dill Dinkers at a Glance
Founded | 2022 |
First Location | Columbia, Maryland |
Active Locations | 15+ |
Franchise Locations in Development | 380+ |
Total Players | 48,000+ |
Ownership | Will and Denise Richards |
Key Features Used
Multi-Location Management
Reporting and Analytics
Court Reservations
Events and Programming
Memberships
Email Marketing and Communication
Push Notifications