---
title: "David Johnson, IAPPF | CourtSide | TopSpin Digital"
url: https://topspindigital.co/courtside/ep/david-johnson
description: "David Johnson of the IAPPF on what pickleball facilities are worth, leases, pricing court time, and pickleball versus padel."
lang: en-US
---

All episodes (https://topspindigital.co/courtside)EP 12

# David Johnson, IAPPF

CEO and Founder

October 20, 2026

David Johnson and his wife Anna started selling pickleball gear in 2006. That became Pickleball Central, the biggest pickleball retailer in the world, which they sold at the end of 2021. Today David runs the IAPPF, the trade association for pickleball and padel facility owners, with more than 500 facilities. We talk about what facilities are really worth, why most are leased, and what decides whether a club makes it.

## Key Takeaways

- What owning courts taught him that selling paddles never did.
- Why nine facilities listed for sale cut their asking price by a median of 39 percent.
- Why 98 percent of pickleball facilities are leased, and what that does to resale value.
- Location, lease, and people: the three things that decide whether a facility makes it.
- Pickleball or padel: why demographics decide it.
- His advice before signing a lease: $15 or less per square foot, triple net included.

## More episodes

Episode 0

May 13, 2026

### Evan Dechtman, TopSpin Digital

Founder

A short introduction to CourtSide: why we are building a long-form interview series for the people running racquet sports, what each episode looks like, and how to be considered as a guest.
https://topspindigital.co/courtside/ep/introducing-courtside

Episode 1

May 15, 2026

### Andy Zodin, Columbine Country Club

Director of Racquet Sports

Andy Zodin on 15 years running racquet sports at Columbine Country Club, what a director actually does day-to-day, the ownership conversations that never go away, staffing teaching pros in 2026, and how private clubs are handling pickleball.
https://topspindigital.co/courtside/ep/andy-zodin

Episode 2

May 22, 2026

### Julius Gavin, Tennis University

Independent Tennis Coach, Founder

Julius Gavin, known online as tennis.god, has nearly 90,000 Instagram followers, charges $1,000 for six hours of coaching, and claims he can build a complete tennis game in 40 hours. We get into the math behind the program, the fraud accusations, the real economics of driving thousands of miles with a trunk full of balls, and how short-form content converts a viewer into a paid client.
https://topspindigital.co/courtside/ep/julius-gavin

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