🏊 2025 Club Ops Recap: Key Lessons, Sustainability Risks & Industry Challenges Heading into 2026

The 2025 season brought plenty of wins for swim & tennis clubs, HOAs, and pool management companies — but it also highlighted one of the most serious industry-wide threats: club sustainability. Across many conversations and demos this year, we discovered a troubling pattern: clubs that cling to manual processes, or have just a basic website (or only a Facebook page), are much more likely to suffer membership erosion, financial stress, or even closure.

Some clubs have already reached the breaking point — selling land to developers or municipalities. In one case, a club sold its land to a neighboring church that filled in the pool and built a recreation building. These aren’t isolated stories — they are warnings for any club that resists updating processes and embracing technology.

Clubs who fear that upgrading will “turn off” their older members often don’t realize this: young families craving convenience, automation, and up-to-date systems are the future of membership and engagement. These families are more likely to join, volunteer, and stay at clubs that offer smooth tech experiences.

✅ What Went Well in 2025

Many clubs who did invest in systems and technology had a much better season:

• Reliable Member Check-Ins – Accurate attendance tracking built trust and helped with planning.
• Automated Billing & Payments – Reduced manual work, improved cash flow, and fewer late payments.
• Responsive Support & Training – First-year clubs benefited greatly from having good onboarding, and by mid-season many felt confident in their processes.

These successes aren’t just about convenience — they’re about resilience. Technology helped clubs deliver better experiences, which in turn helped maintain membership and build financial stability.

⚠️ Common Industry Challenge

Even clubs that are doing many things right still ran into recurring obstacles, especially when manual or outdated processes were being stretched:

• Managing Guest Access – How do you give members flexibility without letting the system be abused?
• Reservation System Confusion – Court and party reservations are high-traffic. If the booking system isn’t clear, it causes frustration and missed opportunities.
• Complex Form Workflows – Waivers, registrations, special event sign-ups—lots of clubs try to manage these with simple tools and end up with errors or delays.
• Member Communication – Emails sent reliably, scheduled correctly, and not landing in spam are harder than they look.
• Front Desk Efficiency – Seasonal staff often struggle when they don’t have fast, streamlined tools or permission sets.
• Mobile Usability – More modern parents expect to be able to do everything from their phone: reserve, pay, sign up, communicate.

Leaving any one of these weak is risky — because they erode the member experience, and membership erosion adds up fast.

💡 Key Takeaways for Clubs Planning 2026

To stay sustainable, here are areas to invest in this off-season:

• Modernize Your Systems – Move off paper, Excel, or “just a Facebook page.” Even simple automation makes a difference.
• Review Guest Pass Policies – Clearly define limits and procedures now, to avoid friction later.
• Test Your Reservation System Early – Run mock bookings so everything is clear before opening day.
• Upgrade Forms & Workflows – Build intuitive, error-resistant online forms for waivers, event signups, lessons, etc.
• Audit Communication Tools – Ensure emails are clean, scheduled, and reach inboxes (not spam).
• Empower Your Front Desk – Give staff the quick tools and correct permissions to handle the bulk of day-to-day work independently.

🚀 The Generational Shift Is Here

Clubs sometimes worry that tech will alienate older members. What we’re seeing instead is the opposite: the future of clubs lies in appealing to young families who want ease of access, automation, transparency, and mobile-friendly tools. Those who don’t adapt risk being left behind or even going out of business — meanwhile, those who get ahead can grow, retain, and thrive.