Walk into almost any new or renovated Life Time club right now, and there’s a good chance pickleball is front and center.
Over the last few years, Life Time has turned itself into one of the most influential forces in pickleball. Not just through court count, but through programming, partnerships, tournament hosting, media visibility, and even manufacturing its own ball.
Life Time’s Massive Investment in Pickleball Courts
By late 2022, Life Time had already built more than 350 permanent pickleball courts across the country. By 2024, that number climbed to roughly 630 courts. By 2025, they had surpassed 800 courts nationwide.
At one point, the company was reportedly adding about five new courts per week.
Most fitness chains still treat pickleball like an add-on. Life Time treats it like a long-term business strategy, reportedly investing around $55 million in pickleball expansion between 2022 and mid-2023 alone. Life Time started creating premium racquet-focused environments with:
- Indoor and outdoor dedicated courts
- Viewing decks
- Lounge and bar areas
- Pro shops
- Tournament-ready facilities
- High-end court surfacing
They even launched a dedicated pickleball-only facility in Chanhassen, Minnesota, which opened with 15 courts and a full social-club atmosphere.
Life Time isn’t just selling court time. It’s selling routine, community, competition, and a reason to keep coming back.
Inside Life Time’s Pickleball Programming
Building courts is the easy part. Getting people to consistently show up and stay engaged is harder.
Its pickleball structure mirrors the way country clubs and tennis facilities have operated for years. Its programming includes intro clinics, open play, leagues, mixers, lessons, tournaments, and age-specific programming designed to keep players engaged long-term.
This is one of the biggest reasons Life Time succeeds while other gyms still struggle to fill courts during non-peak hours.
A beginner can take a free intro class, move into open play, join a mixer, get DUPR rated, enter leagues, take lessons, then eventually compete in tournaments without ever leaving the Life Time ecosystem.
It helps explain why member engagement reportedly jumped from around 3.8 monthly pickleball visits per member in 2023 to nearly 6.8 monthly visits by early 2025.
How Life Time Targeted Multiple Pickleball Demographics
Life Time positioned pickleball as a multi-generational sport from the beginning. The company leaned heavily into families, active adults, younger recreational athletes, seniors through its ARORA 55+ programming, competitive players, and social players.
That broad demographic approach matches what’s happening in pickleball right now.
While older adults remain a huge part of the sport, younger participation has exploded too. Life Time recognized that early and built programming that serves both ends of the spectrum.
The result is that courts stay active throughout the day instead of relying on one specific age demographic.
The Partnerships Behind Life Time’s Pickleball Growth
If you want credibility in pickleball quickly, attaching yourself to respected names helps. Life Time partnered with:
- Andre Agassi
- Ben Johns
- Collin Johns
- JOOLA
- DUPR
- The PPA Tour
- Major League Pickleball
The Agassi partnership made it clear Life Time wasn’t treating pickleball as a temporary trend. It was positioning itself as a long-term authority in racquet sports.
Meanwhile, the Johns brothers helped strengthen the educational side of the business through instructional video content integrated into the Life Time app.
How Tournament Hosting Elevated Life Time’s Pickleball Presence
Hosting tournaments helped shift Life Time from “the gym with pickleball courts” into a legitimate competitive pickleball destination.
Life Time clubs have been hosting multiple PPA and Major League Pickleball (MLP) events throughout the year since 2023.
Then came the LT Open.
Last year, Life Time launched its own professional singles tournament with a reported $250,000 prize purse and national television exposure on ESPN2.
At the same time, Life Time continues to run local and regional member tournaments through its Pickleball Classic series.
Why Life Time Created Its Own Pickleball Ball
Once you build enough infrastructure, controlling the equipment side becomes the next step.
Life Time launched the LT Pro 48 ball as both a performance product and a branding move. The company says the ball was designed for better consistency, durability, and overall playability.
The LT Pro 48 eventually became the official ball for both the PPA Tour and MLP.
Beyond performance, the ball gave Life Time something even more valuable: ownership within the sport. Instead of simply renting courts for pickleball, the company inserted itself directly into the game experience.
Every tournament, lesson, clinic, and league using the LT Pro 48 reinforces the Life Time brand.
How Life Time Is Shaping the Business of Pickleball
What Life Time figured out earlier than most companies is that pickleball isn’t just a court sport.
People don’t usually play pickleball once a month. They play multiple times per week. They socialize around it, travel for it, take lessons, buy gear, join leagues, and build routines around it.
Life Time built a system that captures all of that.
Based on the growth numbers alone, it’s hard to argue the strategy didn’t work.
Looking ahead, don’t expect Life Time to slow down.
The company has already shown interest in:
- Expanding dedicated pickleball facilities
- Growing tournament ownership
- Increasing digital coaching content
- Expanding branded equipment
- Deepening partnerships with professional pickleball organizations
At this point, Life Time is doing more than participating in pickleball. It’s helping to shape what the business side of the sport looks like moving forward.
