Key Takeaways
- Indiana-based manufacturer Off The Glass has appointed Brock Orlowski to a fractional advisory position focused on expanding padel at private clubs across the United States.
- Only about 1% of the roughly 4,000 private golf and country clubs in the US currently have padel courts, despite those facilities serving more than 2 million members.
- Orlowski stated that “it’s a question of when, not if, we see the country club sector build out padel for its members at scale.”
American racquet sports have seen this pattern before
Another significant change in recreation may be approaching for country clubs throughout the United States. Tennis has been central to private-club amenities for decades, while pickleball quickly evolved from a temporary curiosity into a must-have offering. Those within the industry now expect padel to become the next sport adopted on a broad scale.
Helping move that process forward is Brock Orlowski, Director of Racquet Sports at Fort Wayne Country Club. Alongside his full-time responsibilities there, he has accepted a fractional advisory position with Indiana padel court builder Off The Glass. Orlowski, a well-known figure in the Midwest and an RSPA Midwest board member, was named Indiana Professional of the Year in both 2023 and 2026 and recognized as a 2025 RSPA Top Education Earner.
Reaching a largely untapped US club sector
Private recreation offers considerable room for padel to grow. The United States has approximately 4,000 private golf and country clubs with a collective membership exceeding 2 million, but only about 1% of those venues currently provide padel courts.
Orlowski plans to help club directors and boards close that divide before adoption accelerates. “This is about growing the game, and highlighting the opportunity with padel that exists for America’s large country club sector,” Orlowski said. “I’ve watched first hand how tennis and then pickleball reshaped club life, and there’s no doubt to me that padel is the next phase.”
Rather than viewing padel as a trend that may or may not last, Orlowski considers its growth within private clubs unavoidable. “It’s a question of when, not if, we see the country club sector build out padel for its members at scale,” he said. “For me to realize this ambition, working with an American manufacturer that builds everything here, isn’t exposed to tariffs, and has the intense knowledge of the US domestic landscape, was a no brainer. The long-term thinking that Brevin and his team have for the industry is what drew me to Off The Glass.”
Planning in decades, not individual seasons
According to Off The Glass co-founder Brevin Bennett, maintaining padel’s fast growth depends on providing education designed around the long-term outlook and measured decision-making common at private facilities.
Bennett said, “Padel’s growth in America depends on getting the foundations right, and country clubs will be central to that,” “Clubs think in decades, not seasons, and so do we. Brock is one of the most credible voices in racquet sports, and his commitment to education is exactly what the industry needs as padel takes its rightful place alongside tennis and pickleball.”
