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THE BLUEPRINT:
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New AI-powered CourtsApp simplifies booking for racquet and paddle sports players.
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More than 1,500 courts across 150+ facilities are already on the platform.
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Expansion planned from Maine to Florida by early 2026, with more markets to follow.
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App helps facilities gain exposure while offering players real-time court access.
With the exploding popularity of the racquet sports industry, Long Island developer and pickleball enthusiast Daren Hornig saw a need for players to reserve court time more easily.
To help serve the growing demand, Hornig partnered with creative executive Kate Daggett to launch CourtsApp, an AI-powered marketing and booking platform built to modernize court promotion and reservations.
The app is designed to give players a tool to reserve a court in any racquet and paddle sport. In addition, CourtsApp is also aimed at giving racquet sports facilities more exposure and expand their reach. The platform provides its software to the facilities for free and makes a commission on the courts it books.
Currently live to players with more than 1,500 courts across over 150 facilities already signed on throughout New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, CourtsApp plans to expand from Maine to Florida by the first quarter of 2026 before expanding market-by-market as club density increases, according to a company statement. Additional markets, including Southern California, Texas, and the Pacific Northwest, are expected to come online throughout 2026.
“CourtsApp was born from pure frustration,” Hornig, CEO of CourtsApp and an avid tennis and pickleball player, said in the statement. “For years, me and my friends struggled to find open courts in real time and near where I wanted to play. We wanted a simple, reliable solution that matched how people already book restaurants, travel, or fitness. Now, with CourtsApp, they finally have one.”
Pickleball has been consistently named the fastest-growing sport in the nation with an estimated 22.7 million players, an increase of more than 45 percent over the previous year. There are now more than 68,000 dedicated pickleball courts in the U.S., according to the company. In addition, the United States Tennis Association reported that 25.7 million Americans played tennis in 2024, an all-time high and 1.9 million more than 2023.
“Racquet sports are booming, but the technology that supports them has not kept up,” Daggett said. “Players expect the same ease they get everywhere else, and clubs need tools that help them grow. CourtsApp brings both sides together in a modern, intuitive experience that gets more people on the court, more often.”
Besides being an avid pickleball player, Hornig’s Great Neck-based real estate and development firm Hornig Capital Partners, has developed several of the sport’s newer facilities.
The company worked with Sportime on the $8 million renovation of its 200,000-square-foot Sportime John McEnroe Tennis Academy in Port Washington, expanding it to house 13 tennis courts and 12 pickleball courts.
The developer also worked on Sportime Pickleball facilities in Westbury, Armonk, Englewood, N.J. and Wayne, N.J.
Hornig, who calls CourtsApp the “OpenTable for courts and the Expedia of racquet sports,” says that beyond convenience, the app connects people,
helping friends meet to play, helping communities stay active, and making racquet sports more accessible to everyone.
“It is also a critical marketing tool for facility owners,” he said. “Most operators lack the funds and expertise to market effectively in today’s complex digital environment, and CourtsApp does this for them and more. Our goal is to get players on the courts and help clubs keep their courts full. It’s really a win-win scenario for all.”
The free app is available to download from the Apple App Store for iOS and the Google Play Store for Android. More information for players and facility operators can be found at courtsapp.com.
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David Winzelberg
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