A Weekly Court Review That Leads to Action

A weekly report is useful only when it changes one decision. If the meeting ends with seven percentages and no owner, it has become another form of paperwork.

Start with the question the club can act on this week: which bookable court time went unused, why was it empty, and what will you try next?

Find the gap before discussing the average

A weekly occupancy figure can hide the shape of demand. Busy evenings may pull the average up while Tuesday mornings remain empty. Break the week into useful windows by sport, day, and time.

Then check whether the apparent gap was really available. Maintenance, coaching holds, weather closures, and events should not be treated as failed demand. A court cannot be sold while the calendar says it is closed.

Decide whether the problem is price or purpose

Some quiet hours need a lower rate. Others need a reason to attend, such as a beginner clinic, a hosted social, or a company session. Do not assume every empty court needs a discount.

Price is a sensible test when people already want to play but reject that slot. Programming is more useful when the players who are free do not have a group or a suitable activity.

Check what could undermine the response

Before promoting the gap, look for practical obstacles. Is the court still blocked? Can staff explain the offer? Is the booking path clear? Are unpaid holds occupying the same period?

Returning players and reviews provide context, but they should not turn the review into a tour of unrelated indicators. A sudden loss of regulars may explain weaker demand. A poor review about confusing access may explain why first visits do not become habits. Follow those clues only when they connect to the gap you are trying to fix.

Run one test long enough to learn

Choose one window, one response, and one owner. Record the starting pattern and decide when to review it. A single busy day proves little, so compare several equivalent weeks when possible.

Smash can gather weekly booking, capacity, payment, and player signals in one view. A spreadsheet can support the same discipline. The important part is the sequence: identify a real bookable gap, choose a plausible cause, run one change, and return to the same window to see what happened.