01
Put open play in the hours that stay empty
Pull the schedule for the last 4 weeks and mark every hour where 2 or more courts sat empty on the same weekday. Those hours are the candidates. On a 4-court club they are usually weekday mornings between 10:00 and 12:00, early afternoons, and Sunday after 18:00.
Do not put a session at 19:00 on a Tuesday. That hour sells itself, and open play would only replace paying bookings with a cheaper product. Start with 2 sessions a week, keep each one on the same day and time, and leave them there for at least 8 weeks so players can build a habit around them.
02
Hold one level per session
A mixed session loses both ends. Strong players stop coming after 2 weeks because the rallies are short, and beginners stop because they feel watched. Give each session a skill band, write it on the booking page, and keep it there.
Bands only work if someone enforces them. The host decides on the day whether a player belongs, and if not, points them to next week’s session in the right band. That conversation is short when the band was printed on the page the player booked from.
- One band per session, named on the booking page and the confirmation email
- A first-timer session once a month so beginners have a door in
- A written note on how the club moves a player between bands, so it never feels personal
03
Cap the roster and take payment at sign-up
Cap the roster at the number of courts times players per court, plus one resting group. Four padel courts hold 16 players, so a cap of 20 keeps 1 group resting between rounds. For tennis singles on 3 courts, 8 is plenty.
Charge the drop-in fee at sign-up. A free roster of 20 produces 12 people on the day, and the host cannot run a rotation around 8 empty spots. Members whose plan covers open play should still confirm a spot, and the plan should count their attendance so the desk can see who signs up and never comes.
- Cap equals courts times players per court plus one resting group
- Payment or a member plan check at sign-up, never at the door
- A waitlist that opens at the cap and refills spots from cancellations automatically
04
Run a rotation players can predict
A 90-minute session splits into 4 rounds of 20 minutes with a short break between them. Winners move up a court and losers move down, and the resting group takes the bottom court each round. Everyone knows where to go before the round ends, so the courts never sit idle while people argue.
For bands where scores would sting, drop the ladder and rotate partners on a fixed sheet instead. The point is that no player sits out twice in a row and nobody plays the same partner all evening.
05
Give every session a host
A host is not a coach. A regular or a staff member who greets players at the door, checks the roster on the app, calls the rounds, and sends a two-line note to the desk afterwards with attendance and any band issues. Pay them with a free session. Without a host, open play drifts into a private group that books the courts for itself.
Rotate the host job among 2 or 3 regulars rather than relying on one person. A session that depends on a single host stops the week that host is on holiday, and the roster learns that open play is unreliable.
06
Review after four weeks
Look at 3 numbers per session: sign-ups against the cap, no-shows, and the size of the waitlist. A session that fills under 60 percent of its cap needs a new time, not a cancellation. A session with 5 or more on the waitlist every week needs a second session an hour later or on the next day.
Move the band before moving the time if the mix is the problem. A session where the same 4 players win every round is drawing from a band that is too wide, and splitting it into 2 sessions a week apart solves it faster than a new hour.