Racquetball
Posted by Dave from Bartlett, IL, US on March 31, 2009
Have you seen an increase in participation in racquetball over the past three years? Do you see racquetball as a revenue source in the club industry if there is a qualified racquetball professional employed by the club?
No, we have not seen an increase in racquetball participation over the last 3 years. Racquetball is and has been a very minimal source of revenue for at least two decades if not longer. There are certain "pocket markets" for racquetball in the U.S. but they are diminishing as their core racquetball-player-audience ages. The problem with racquetball is that each court is 800 ft2 (20'w x 40'l) and more than that, thousands of cubic feet - that can accommodate at best 4 players (doubles) but usually only 2 players per hour. Since for the most part racquetball is only played about 5 hours of every club daily schedule, you are looking at unused square footage for 2/3 of each day and minimum-usage square footage by those few who do play. Just not a good business equation, especially in these economic times.