The Rancho Santa Fe Tennis Club hopes to increase its pickleball membership by offering to share courts with those who live outside of Covenant.
At the October 5 RSF Association board meeting, the club’s request led to a broader debate about opening the Association’s private facilities to non-residents and its potential to dilute the brand of the Association. The board did not make a decision on the new pickleball sponsorships that day and instead voted to defer the item until it could get more information from the tennis board about the benefits membership and financial impacts. RSF Association President Courtney LeBeau and Director Phil Trubey both voted against the wait, ready to move forward to recruit new pickleball players.
Currently, there are 10 sponsored pickleball memberships and RSF Tennis Club General Manager John Chanfreau was requesting five additional memberships. New memberships would bring in an additional $6,750 per year for the club.
Sponsored tennis club memberships, first approved in 2015, have always been a somewhat controversial topic. With the sponsored membership category, non-residents pay a premium for the privilege of playing at the club. A club member in good standing may sponsor someone outside of the Covenant and the player must be reviewed and approved by the RSF Tennis Club Board of Directors.
Regular pickleball membership for Covenant residents costs $900 per year: they cannot serve on the board and do not have voting rights. Sponsored pickleball members pay $1,350 per year. The tennis club’s resident membership is $1,950 per year, which allows members to play tennis or pickleball, vote and serve on the board of directors.
Currently, Rancho Santa Fe has 88 resident pickleball members as well as 10 sponsored members.
Chanfreau said many club members have requested additional memberships to help increase the level of play and improve the social atmosphere.
“The reason this is done is because it benefits the members,” Trubey said. “As a pickleball player…this pickleball club is relatively small and it is difficult to find partners at the right level within the club. Adding five more isn’t a big ask.
On the tennis side, there are 40 sponsored members; Last year, the board increased the number of membership categories by 35.
“Honestly, they make our club better,” Chanfreau said of sponsored members. “They are very passionate about our club because they know it is a privilege to be a part of it.”
While supporting the tennis club’s efforts, director David Gamboa said there needed to be a broader discussion about opening the association’s private resources to the general public. He said he’s in favor of sharing, to encourage people to invest in Rancho Santa Fe, but essentially it’s about providing convenience to residents at no cost: “You have to pay a price to enjoy that privilege.”
“It’s not about money, it’s about access. This is a political issue for our members. I argue the economic value because of the access costs,” Gamboa said. “This director is in favor of John creating the most awesome pickleball community with the great champions of the land. But there is an economic price to this and we have to understand that because we are deferring the right of members who have purchased property here to give it to non-members. It’s a real economic value that we as a board judge…I don’t want to give our family’s gifts without the family’s approval, it’s that simple.
Gamboa said he believed the sponsored membership price was mispriced because there was high demand to join their coveted club. Although he can see both sides of the issue, director Dan Comstock said the sponsorship category will still be successful and there should be a surcharge on all non-resident memberships, up to five times more.
In his comments, Trubey said they should trust the tennis club board and general manager because they know the club best. He said he didn’t believe it was up to the association’s board to decide how much the fee would be. Although continuing to increase the number of sponsored memberships would be successful, Chanfreau said he would never do so in a way that would affect court availability.
Court availability is another concern expressed regarding the addition of non-resident members. Artistic jury chairwoman Beth Nelson said that in some recent applications for backyard pickleball and tennis courts, some members cited the reason they needed their own court as being because they couldn’t spend time at the club. Chanfreau objected to this claim: he said that even during prime times, such as weekends, there were lots available: “It’s rare that they’re completely full,” he said. declared.
In delaying their decision, directors such as Comstock, Lorraine Kent and Gamboa said they wanted more information from the tennis club about the program, such as the financial impact and number of sponsored memberships leading to a investment in the community through homeownership.
“We will get there,” Gamboa said. “We support John’s vision, we just need a little time.”
