Many venues still take reservations in a Facebook group or a Viber chat: a player asks for court 2 at 7 PM, someone checks a whiteboard, and a GCash screenshot follows. It works until two people are promised the same court.
This guide covers how to set up online court booking so players see what is really free, pay before they play, and leave your staff free to run the venue.
Decide how long a booking can be
Pick a shortest booking, a longest booking, and the step in between. These three numbers shape your whole day.
- Shortest booking: one hour is common. Shorter slots fill gaps but turn the court over more often.
- Longest booking: a cap keeps one group from holding a court all evening at peak.
- Step: booking in 30-minute steps lets a group book 90 minutes; hourly steps keep the grid simple.
- Start times: on the hour or every 30 minutes. Starts every 15 minutes leave awkward gaps nobody books.
Choose a time list or a court grid
Players can book in two ways, and they suit different venues.
| Compared | A list of times | A grid of courts and hours |
|---|---|---|
| The player picks | A length and a start time | The court and the hours, by tapping them |
| The court is chosen by | The system, from whatever is free | The player |
| Fits | Identical courts, where any will do | Courts that differ, such as indoor and outdoor, or a show court |
| Your benefit | Courts fill evenly, with fewer gaps | Players who care about a court get it |
If courts differ in price, such as covered against open-air, make them separate court types with their own rates. See how to set court and bay rates for peak hours.
Handle half courts and shared space
A basketball court that splits into two half courts, or a hall with badminton lines over a futsal floor, is one space sold several ways. A booking on the full court must block both halves, and a booking on a half must block the full court.
Set this up once in your booking system so it holds automatically. A rule your staff has to remember will be forgotten on a busy Saturday.
Price extra players and groups fairly
- Include a number of players in the court rate, such as four for pickleball doubles, and charge a fee for each extra player.
- Let a group book several courts in one booking for a tournament or a company outing, paid once.
- Limit how many courts one person can book online at once, so a single player can't hold the whole venue for a night.
Take payment before they play
A court hour is gone once it passes. Ask for full payment when a court is booked, by GCash, QR Ph, bank transfer, or card, so an empty court is at least a paid one. See how to take GCash and QR Ph payments for bookings.
Set a cancellation window, such as 24 hours, after which the booking is kept. Then write down what happens when weather closes an outdoor court: a credit, a new time, or a refund. Players accept a rain rule they read before booking far more easily than one invented on the day.
Keep a place for walk-ins and open play
Not everyone books ahead. A player who turns up at 6 PM should be able to take a free court on the spot, and the system should block it the moment they do, so nobody online books it at the same minute.
Slower hours fill well with open play, where players book a spot rather than a court. See how to run open play at your courts and how to start a pickleball court business.
In Onsuki, each court type has its rate, booking lengths, and either a list of times or a grid of courts. Half courts can share space with the full court, extra players can carry a fee, and a group can book several courts at once. The calendar shows a column per court, and a walk-in takes the court at the slot in progress. See Courts and Open Play and Pickleball courts.
