Find a Court Anytime Anywhere with CourtsApp

Summary

Daren Hornig — founder and CEO of CourtsApp, and owner of the Port Washington Tennis Academy (now John McEnroe Tennis Academy) — joins Lisa Stone to introduce CourtsApp: a single-interface app for discovering and booking racket sport courts across the US and Canada. Positioned as the “OpenTable or Expedia of racket sports,” CourtsApp solves the number-one complaint in a pre-launch survey of 2,000 players: finding and booking courts. At recording, the app had 1,800 courts across 175 facilities, with a target of 10,000–15,000 courts by end of 2026. This episode is the same content as the 2026-03-11 findings file; the 2026-04-08 transcript file appears to be a re-transcription of the same audio.

For full findings, see: 2026-03-11 [FINDINGS] find-a-court-anytime-anywhere-with-courtsapp-ft-daren-hornig.md

Key Findings

1. Court Discovery Is the Number One Complaint Among Racket Sport Players

A pre-launch survey of 2,000 players identified finding and booking courts as their top complaint — above cost, quality, or instruction. CourtsApp solves this with a unified search interface: input location, date, time, sport, and duration; see all available options with pricing and photos.

2. The OpenTable Model Applied to Tennis

Three clicks to find and book a court. Available on Apple and Google Play, free to download, no membership required. Filters for surface type (hard vs. clay), indoor vs. outdoor, and time window. US and Canada coverage only at recording.

3. Facility Business Model: Free Software, Commission on Bookings

Facilities onboard free (20-minute setup), connect their existing reservation API, and receive commission-based revenue when a court books through CourtsApp. Empty court time is perishable inventory — 75–80 cents on the dollar from a CourtsApp booking is better than zero from an empty slot.

4. Traveling Junior Tennis Families Are the Core Target User

Families traveling to tournaments can pre-book warm-up courts on the correct surface type in an unfamiliar market, eliminating the Google Maps search-and-hope process. The surface type filter prevents accidentally booking a hard court before a clay tournament.

5. Dynamic Pricing for Off-Peak Court Time

Planned feature: discount court slots as they approach unused expiration, similar to airline and hotel pricing models. Virtual-schooled players and remote workers with flexible schedules can access cheaper daytime court time, expanding play volume without premium pricing.

6. Planned Expansion to Full Racket Sports Marketplace

Roadmap includes tournaments, leagues, lessons/clinics (open and closed coaching environments), and pro shop integration. The vision is an Expedia-style all-in-one platform for all racket sport needs. Coaching integration was approximately 60 days from launch at time of recording.

Actionable Advice for Families

• Download CourtsApp (free, Apple/Google) and use it when traveling to pre-book warm-up courts on the correct surface type before tournament matches
• Use the surface-type filter to avoid booking a hard court before a clay tournament
• If your home club has empty off-peak court availability, mention CourtsApp to the facility manager — zero cost to onboard, potential for discounted access

INTENNSE Relevance

• Facility sourcing: CourtsApp’s growing network could streamline court sourcing for INTENNSE training sessions and pre-match warm-up across markets
• Player logistics: INTENNSE players traveling between markets benefit from the same court-discovery functionality as touring junior families; CourtsApp inclusion in player onboarding resources reduces friction
• Partnership opportunity: CourtsApp is building tournament sponsorships and ambassador networks — a prestige co-branding relationship with INTENNSE aligns both brands with serious tennis players and families
• Dynamic pricing as a model: The off-peak discount concept is structurally applicable to how INTENNSE might approach match ticket pricing — premium windows at full price, late-release inventory discounted to broaden audience

Notable Quotes

“We look at ourselves as the OpenTable or Expedia of racket sports — you come to one app, one website, and find all court availability. Three clicks and you find a court.”

“Before we started the company, we did a survey of 2,000 players. The number one complaint they had about the sport at large was finding and booking courts.”

“A court is a perishable commodity. Once that time passes, you can never sell it again. What would you rather have — 75, 80 cents on the dollar or 0 cents on the dollar?”

“We have 1,800 courts, about 175 different facilities signed up. I think by the end of 2026 we’ll have 10,000 courts.”