Padel Smash Academy

RacquetX is back for year three and it’s bigger, sharper, and more on-court than ever. In this interview, Robyn Duda (Co-Founder & CEO of RacquetX) walks us through what’s new for RacquetX 2026, including 10 total courts, a deeper Club Summit, the VIP Club Apex, and how the show is building a true “home court” for racquet sports - Padel, tennis, and pickleball.
You’ll hear how RacquetX iterates each year through a sponsor + attendee feedback loop, why the show moved to Fort Lauderdale, what activations to expect across the floor, and how their AI matchmaking app helps businesses schedule real meetings on site.
RacquetX 2026 Details (from Robyn):
📍 Broward County Convention Center (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
📅 March 13–15
🕙 Fri–Sat: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
🕙 Sun: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
🎟️ General Admission: $50
👧 Kids (under ~14): Free
🏟️ Club Summit: $699 (includes perks + party access)
🤝 Business Pass: $195 (matchmaking app access)
🎫 Joint ticket (with facilities content): $799
If you’re a player, coach, club operator, investor, brand, or tech company, this is one of the best weekends of the year to see the industry in one place.
✅ Subscribe for more interviews, club coverage, and the business side of Padel.

Racket sports clubs everywhere face the same challenge: prime-time is packed, but mid-day court time sits empty. In this episode, we sit down with Daren Hornig (CourtsApp) to break down a platform built to solve that exact problem.
CourtsApp isn’t a court management system. It’s a court marketing marketplace — the “Expedia layer” that sits on top of tools like CourtReserve and PlayByPoint to help facilities promote availability, drive bookings, and increase revenue from perishable court inventory.
In this interview, we cover:
✅ Why most racket facilities struggle with digital marketing
✅ CourtsApp’s “Expedia for racket sports” model (search, map view, price comparison)
✅ Dynamic pricing to shift player habits and fill the 11am–4pm window
✅ How CourtsApp integrates with existing booking platforms via API
✅ The performance-only model for clubs (no long-term contract, paid only when courts fill)
✅ Why discovery matters for padel as it grows in the U.S.
✅ The future: analytics, open play matchmaking, and AI booking tools like “Hey Courtney”
If you’re a club owner, operator, or player who wants easier access to courts — this is one of the most practical conversations we’ve had about growth, monetization, and the tech stack behind modern racket facilities.
Subscribe for more interviews with founders, club operators, and the people building the future of padel.

Padel is scaling fast  but building a great club is harder than people think. In this episode, Cesc & Julian sit down with Patricio Misitrano (CEO of Racket Social Club, Founder/CEO of Misitrano Consulting, and part of the Racquet 360 ecosystem) to break down what’s actually happening behind the scenes of U.S. padel growth.
Patricio explains Racquet 360:
Racket Social Club (multi-location padel clubs)
RacquetX (the industry convention & trade show)
Racket Central (e-commerce marketplace)
National Padel League (NPL) (amateur leagues + interclub competition)
We also dive into his interactive data dashboard tracking courts, pricing, indoor vs outdoor trends, booking platforms, and how club economics are shifting. If you’re a club owner, investor, coach, brand, or entrepreneur, this is a must-watch.
Topics covered:
Scaling clubs across Denver, Atlanta, and Houston (plus Katy)
The truth about permits, municipalities, and build delays
Why coaches + community decide whether clubs win
Why country clubs and tennis clubs will drive the next wave of padel growth
How data changes the game for investors and operators
00:00 – Rack 360 explained
00:58 – What is Racket Social Club? (clubs + operations)
01:10 – The locations: Denver, Atlanta, Houston, Katy
02:31 – The Atlanta acquisition (Windward Lake: tennis, pools, marina)
03:14 – Sports Haus (CT) origin story + why Patricio sold
05:01 – The 4 Rack 360 business units (RacquetX, Racket Central, NPL)
06:03 – Misitrano Consulting + advisory work for club builders
08:00 – The padel data mission: tracking every court in the U.S.
11:34 – The interactive dashboard: pricing, indoor/outdoor, growth, platforms
14:26 – Indoor padel trend + growth acceleration numbers
18:00 – Club pricing mistakes + dynamic pricing future
20:10 – Why country clubs/tennis clubs will drive padel growth
21:44 – Scaling challenge: leadership + local community differences
24:07 – Permitting/inspection delays + how to avoid losing months
26:43 – Best advice to new club owners (hire the right experts)
27:15 – Staffing structure + director roles + systems before opening
29:28 – The coach shortage problem (and how he hires)
30:25 – Risks of importing coaches (culture, language, retention)
35:54 – “No juicy news” + focus on member experience + retention
37:00 – Payment platforms + processing fees + alternatives
39:31 – Why different clubs use different platforms
41:40 – Building internal dashboards + CRM + automations
44:14 – Closing thoughts + padel ecosystem collaboration

Welcome to a brand-new Padel Smash Academy Club Review—today Cesc & Julian are in Palm Beach with Florencia Roncatti (General Manager) and Guillermo Amor Torres (Operations Manager) at Padel Club Palm Beach.
This club may be small and cozy, but it’s packed with personality—from tiered clinics (Intro → Beginner → Intermediate → Advanced), to community-first open play nights where they literally bring pizza and get people to stay after the match. We also break down how the club approaches a seasonal market like Palm Beach, their membership structure (including a new monthly option launching), pricing, coaching lineup, and what expansion could look like next.
If you’re a player, coach, club operator, or just love seeing how padel is growing in the U.S.this episode is full of real insight.
Follow/Connect:
Padel Club Palm Beach — (add links)
Padel Smash Academy — (add links)
Chapters:
00:00 Programs + clinics overview
00:20 Palm Beach club review intro
01:10 Flo’s journey + tennis → padel
03:10 Guillermo’s role + Barcelona padel roots
05:00 Courts, ceilings, platform (PlayByPoint)
05:45 Pricing + memberships (annual + monthly)
07:30 Coaches + lesson/clinic pricing
08:20 Hospitality: coffee, smoothies, beer/wine
09:10 Expansion plans (more indoor courts)
10:00 Programming ladder + open play “pizza nights”
11:25 Community challenges vs Miami culture
12:40 Seasonality + summer pivots
13:45 USPA tournament plans
14:20 Why the “details” make this club special
15:25 Wellness + Halloween events + season timing
16:05 On-court challenge: Julian wants revenge 😄

Kevin Ye breaks down how PATL Atlanta grew padel in a tennis/pickle market by building community-first programming, then scaling via smart facility partnerships and expansion (Charleston next).
Kevin Ye (PATL Atlanta) breaks down the real blueprint for growing padel in the U.S.—starting with a small early community, converting tennis + pickleball players, and building programming that keeps people coming back.
In this conversation, Kevin shares how he discovered padel through social media, how PATL Atlanta built momentum with beginner clinics and Americanos, and what it takes to scale—staffing, coaching pipelines, zoning/permitting, and choosing the right locations. We also talk pricing strategy, membership value, and PATL’s next move: a fully indoor Charleston facility built for year-round play.
If you’re a club operator, coach, investor, or a player looking for a thriving padel community—this episode is loaded with practical insight.
Follow/Connect:
PATL Atlanta — https://playpatl.com/atlanta-chamblee/
Padel Smash Academy — https://www.padelsmashacademy.com/
Chapters:
00:00 Kevin’s background + discovering padel
03:30 How PATL Atlanta built community
05:30 Bootstrapping + partnering with existing facilities
08:30 Pricing + membership strategy
11:20 Expansion: Charleston plans
14:30 Staffing, coaching gap, and growth challenges
17:40 Programming: clinics, levels, Americanos, tournaments
20:40 Final thoughts