Ball Hogs Beware! Ensure Fair Play With RemoteLock + CourtReserve
You may have heard the sentiment that nobody likes a ball hog. Tennis and pickleball players everywhere can relate. But they’d also add that nobody likes a court hog either. These are the enterprising individuals who consistently book up more than their fair share of court time during the most coveted windows.
Ashley Owens, owner of CourtReserve, not only agrees, but she and her husband created software to finally banish the court hog and make court reservations more efficient and easier. Founded about seven years ago, CourtReserve is a web-based platform and app for court reservations, events, tournaments and more. The software has transformed the reservation process for some 800 facilities around the world, including homeowner’s associations, public facilities, parks and recreation departments, and private clubs.
Many of Owens’ customers used regular old pen and paper to track reservations prior to CourtReserve. “It’s crazy what people still do on pen and paper today,” she observes. “That is our biggest competitor—pen and paper!” This antiquated method requires a lot of manual entry, has plenty of room for error, plus there’s little oversight of fair and equal court time for all players.
With CourtReserve, players book instantly from an app on their smartphones. A self-serve model, the app ensures staff or administrators are free from the time-consuming duties of taking and managing reservations. Plus, they have total control over playing time through the software’s rules/restrictions. “What do you want your players to be able to do?” poses Owens to her customers. “How many courts can Bob, a tennis player, book each day? Or each week? Or how many reservations can Bob have at one time?” These rules and more can be easily set in CourtReserve, ensuring fair usage for all. (Sayonara, Court Hog!)
For those customers who take advantage of the RemoteLock and CourtReserve integration, players use CourtReserve’s mobile app to easily locate and book a court. They simply toggle through the days of the week and click on “reserve” at the desired time. This prompts a confirmation email to be sent to the player, which includes a unique PIN for the smart lock on the gate or entrance that’s only good during the reservation window. Now, players have digital proof of their reservation time, eliminating any potential guesswork or arguments. That’s especially useful for public courts and those in HOA communities that don’t have an attendant or a front desk.
“I think the concept of having the player have access when you want them to have access is important,” remarks Owens of the RemoteLock-CourtReserve integration, which has been in operation for about two years. “And it’s all permission-based to keep your facility safe.”
“… it’s all permission-based to keep your facility safe.“
Others have tapped into the power of CourtReserve. Owens cites applications at billiards clubs, golf simulators, bocce clubs, even lap lanes at swimming pools. “We have a couple of yacht clubs,” she says. “They put their boats as courts and people reserve their yachts. We don’t market that, but people talk.”
And let’s not forget the explosion of pickleball in the U.S. Owens says multifamily buildings and HOA communities lean heavily on CourtReserve. “They have two courts and you’ve got 100 people fighting over two courts!” she points out. She highlights the potential problems as some of these communities still use pen-and-paper reservations with a rule posted on the fence stating each player is allotted one hour of play. “You get down to the courts and Sally is there. She’ll just say ‘I just got here! My hour just started.’ Unless you have some kind of online digital system, Sally can stand there all day and say her hour just started,” explains Owens.
Interested in learning more about RemoteLock and how it works with CourtReserve? Chat with us today.
Molly Worth
Senior Writer
Molly Worth is RemoteLock’s senior writer and editor, and is enthusiastic about making tech topics relatable and enjoyable. Prior to joining RemoteLock, she worked at several Denver ad agencies, and was instrumental in creating and fine-tuning brand voices for both national and local clients. Infused with her belief in the power of technology to simplify everyday living, Molly’s writing helps highlight the human benefit of technology for novices, experts, and everyone in-between.
