Simplify Court Bookings for Tennis, Pickleball & Multi-Sport Clubs

Setting a court booking system can be quick and simple.

In this article, we’ll walk you through how to create a court booking system for tennis, pickleball or other types of booking for sports making it easier to manage everything from court booking, add-ons, member logic, digital waivers and online payments.

We’ll discuss

1. The Typical Booking Flow (What Clients Experience)
2. The Admin Side: Full Control Over Your Booking Rules
3. Add-Ons and Upsells at Checkout
4. Payment Options: Total Flexibility
5. Prioritized Booking for Members

The Typical Booking Flow (What Clients Experience)

Let’s start with the end user. Here’s what booking a court looks like for your clients using Activity Messenger:

1. They land on your booking page
   You can list available days and hours based on your schedule. Clients see only what’s available, and once a time slot is booked, it’s gone—no double bookings, ever.
   

2. Clients can select a time block and court
   Whether you have 3 courts or 10, clients can choose the exact one they want (if you allow it). For example, they might choose Court #2 from 8:00am to 9:00am.
   

3. Optional add-ons can be offered
   Want to offer tennis balls for $5? Racquet rentals? Snacks? All that can be added at checkout.

4. They complete the form
   You can ask for the number of players (singles vs. doubles), collect names, and even split the cost automatically.

5. They sign your waiver digitally
   This part is critical—whether it’s a simple liability waiver or more advanced terms, Activity Messenger handles digital signatures.

6. Choose a payment method
   You can accept credit cards, offline payments (pay at the desk), or even Interac e-Transfers. You decide.

7. They receive an email confirmation with receipt and waiver copy
   Everything is automated. No need to manually send invoices or collect offline waivers.

The Admin Side: Full Control Over Your Booking Rules

This is where Activity Messenger really shines. It’s not just about making bookings—it’s about automating your business rules and saving your staff time by reducing all manual tasks.

Here’s what you can configure:

Set booking hours and lead time

• Open up courts only between 7:00am and 9:00pm (add a different schedule for weekends)
• Block off specific days or holidays
• Stop bookings 2 hours in advance (to give your team time to prepare)

Allow clients to cancel (with constraints)

• Decide how far in advance people can cancel
• Let them cancel directly through their confirmation email or their client account
• Free up the slot automatically for others to book

Build flexible pricing models

• $12 per court from March to October
• Higher rates on weekends or evenings
• Member vs. non-member pricing

You can go as granular as you want.

Define resources (courts) and manage availability

You can create “resources” like Court #1, Court #2, and Court #3. Each time slot has a limited number of spots based on your actual courts. Once a time is booked out, it’s no longer available.

You can also:

• Let clients choose a court
• Or assign it automatically (ideal for clubs that don’t want people picking)

Customize checkout forms for court booking

Collect only the info you need—name, email, phone number, emergency contact, etc. You can also:

• Ask how many players are coming
• Ask if they want singles or doubles
• Include custom liability waiver or policies

Activate waitlists (with automated SMS notifications)

If a time slot is full, clients can join a waitlist. As soon as someone cancels, the first person on the waitlist gets a text and can grab the spot instantly. Zero admin effort and no loss revenue.

Add-Ons and Upsells at Checkout

This is one of my favorite features. Why not offer extra items directly at checkout?

• A $5 pack of tennis balls
• 🥤 Cold drinks or snacks

You can even upsell services:

• 🎓 A 15-minute warm-up lesson
• 🧼 Towel service
• 🧑‍🎓 Ball machine rental

These options appear during booking and can increase revenue without any extra work.

Payment Options: Total Flexibility

Not all clubs want to go 100% online payments right away, and that’s okay. Activity Messenger supports:

• Credit card payments (via Stripe)
• Offline payments (cash, card at the front desk)
• Interac e-Transfer (with auto-settlement to your bank)
• Pay later (for recurring clients or internal use)

You choose the best option for your members and club realities.

Prioritized Booking for Members

You can create booking rules based on membership tiers.

For example:

• Premium members can book 7 days in advance
• Basic members only 2 days in advance
• Non-members can only book on the day of

This is great for clubs that want to reward loyalty and upsell certain types of memberships without having to manually track who’s who. It also allows you to collect last-minute bookings for your empty courts from non-members.

Final Thoughts: You Deserve a Booking System That Works for You

If you’re using Google Forms, paper calendars, or a mix of disconnected tools, you’re doing way more work than necessary. And you’re probably losing out on revenue opportunities along the way.

With Activity Messenger, you can:

• Customize your court booking system to match your rules
• Collect payment, waivers, and information in one place
• Automate follow-ups, cancellations, and notifications
• Save your staff time—and offer a better experience to your clients

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👉 Want to see how it would look for your club?
Book a demo and we’ll show you a real example tailored to your courts, rooms, or fields.