Apps Used When Hitting The Courts
- Craig Johnson
- May 24
- 2 min read
It feels like just yesterday that I was a new sports parent searching for easy-to-use tech tools to maximize my kids' sports seasons or testing out the best iPhone Apps to help manage everything from communicating with the coach, game scheduling, practice attendance, team snacks or coordinating carpools with my kids' teammates. Now, I find myself still handling many of these tasks (except for the practice snacks or car pooling), but with a focus on organizing my own pickleball court times.
With that, here are the apps I frequently use or that have piqued my interest as I transition away from all those continual TeamSnap updates.
This is by far the best court booking system I've come across. My local club is not on this platform (unfortunately), so whenever I venture to play at other clubs, it's always a bonus when learning that my upcoming events are being booked with PodPlay. The fresh design, plus the plugin potential with video replays or on-court scoreboards, sets PodPlay apart.
A dependable and widely used booking system among the clubs in my area. It's nothing extraordinary, but crucially, it never presents any problems when trying to secure a spot during a high-demand drop-in sessions, especially during a busy rush at registration opening. CourtReserve always gets the job done. I'm sure the system really shines behind the scenes, directly for administration management.
As I start to venture into tournament play or more competitive pickleball, I find myself increasingly monitoring my DUPR profile. I also use it to look up other players to assess their competitive levels and see if my rating aligns with theirs. I really appreciate the "Add New Match" feature for tracking performance and offering a more accurate representation of my rating. However, it's not as commonly used in my parts as say, tracking your handicap is in golf.
This app continues to surprise me as it remains the preferred option for group interactions. I first noticed WhatsApp being used in sports with how my kids' coaches were drawn to it for their private coach-only group chats, and now it's also my primary tool for all pickleball-related social gatherings. Essential for connecting with players managed directly by my pickleball community.
Back when I was managing schedules with early morning swim practices, after-school sports activities, and tournament road trips, it perfectly prepared me to stay updated on the latest sports tech apps. Now that my kids are older, I still look for ways to manage my sports. It's interesting to see that the various sports apps I've been involved with haven't touched on retaining users after those busy youth sports years.
In the realm of pickleball and racket sports, technology apps I find mainly focus on club/facility management. However, as I delve further into my pickleball journey, I've got my eye on platforms like Playtomic or PlaySight to help improve my play more directly. What tech tools do you use when hitting the courts or when planning your sports travel adventures?
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