DALLAS, May 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Invited, the World Leader in Private Clubs®, today announced that Jonathan Fralick has been named National Director of Racquet Sports. In this role, Fralick will oversee all racquet sport operations across Invited’s portfolio of 200 owned or operated golf and country clubs, city clubs, and stadium clubs. Formerly ClubCorp, Invited’s lifestyle hospitality brand was founded in 1957 on the traditions and values of acceptance with a recently launched new name and brand that conveys the aspiration and appeal to match the lifestyle and hospitality service that the company and its members and guests have become accustomed to.
“With more than 800 tennis courts and more than 300 pickleball courts, we are the largest operator of racquet sport facilities in the industry,” said Invited CEO David Pillsbury. “Our members have embraced racquet sports and the growing interest in pickleball to bring people together while enjoying a fun and challenging new activity. Jonathan has a proven history as an industry leader with his innovative approach to programing, business design and facility management that will help us take our racquet sports to new heights.”
In addition to announcing Fralick’s hire, Invited has established partnerships with Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating (DUPR) and agreed to host nine Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) events at Invited facilities in Austin, Dallas, Atlanta and Palm Springs. The DUPR is the most accurate and only global rating system in Pickleball. All players, regardless of their age, gender, location, or skill, are rated on the same scale between 2.000-8.000 based on their match results which levels the playing field at the amatuer level.
The PPA tour consists of the top professionals battling it out for the largest purses in pickleball. Additionally, they welcome all skill levels to come to play at tournaments to Play Where the Pros Play. The 2022 PPA schedule has twenty tournaments nationwide.
Invited will host four official PPA events with the first event already held at The Hills Country Club on March 22 and provided more than four million impressions through social and digital channels and included 1,000 participants and more than 7,500 spectators.
PPA events at Invited Clubs include -
- The Hills Country Club (Austin, TX), March 2022
- The Clubs of Peachtree City (Atlanta, GA), September 2022
- Mission Hills Country Club (Rancho Mirage, CA), January 2023
- Brookhaven Country Club (Dallas, TX), 2023
Fralick joined Invited as Director of Racquet Sports in June 2021 prior to his promotion. As Director of Racquet Sports, Jonathan developed First Serve, a comprehensive junior pathway to ensure organization, player development and member enjoyment with clear goals and proven developmental success. He also created the Right Start program for entry-level adults interested in learning or returning to tennis and pickleball, successfully building a community of players who learn and develop together in a social setting.
“I couldn’t be more excited about the road ahead for racquet sports at Invited,” Fralick said. “We have an incredible hand to play when it comes to leveraging our unmatched platform to grow member engagement and our community of passionate racquet sports members.”
In his expanded role with Invited, Fralick will oversee racquet sport operations across nearly 1,000 combined tennis and pickleball courts utilized by close to 100,000 Invited racquet members. Additionally, Fralick will have ultimate oversight for over 5,000 racquet events across the Invited network, including newly added PPA Pro Pickleball Events, the ClubLife Women’s National Tournament, the NCAA Sun Belt Tennis Championship, the USTA Men’s 50 & 55 National Championship, the USTA Husband and Wife National Championship, and several other regional events.
About Invited
Since its founding in 1957, Dallas-based Invited has operated with the central purpose of Building Relationships and Enriching Lives®. The leading owner-operator of private golf and country clubs, city and stadium clubs in North America, Invited is relentless in its pursuit of providing extraordinary experiences, meaningful connections, shared passions, and memorable moments for its more than 400,000 members. With approximately 20,000 peak-season employees and a portfolio of 200 owned or operated golf and country clubs, city clubs, sports clubs, and stadium clubs in 29 states, and seven BigShots Golf locations. Invited creates communities and a lifestyle through its championship golf courses, workspaces, handcrafted cuisine, resort-style pools, tennis and pickleball facilities, golf lounges, fitness centers, and robust programming.
Marquee Invited properties include: Firestone Country Club (Akron, Ohio); Mission Hills Country Club (Rancho Mirage, California); The Woodlands Country Club (Houston, Texas); and The Metropolitan Club (Chicago, Illinois).
Jim Berra
jim.berra@clubcorp.com
Jonathan Fralick
jonathan.fralick@clubcorp.com
Chris Reimer
Reimer@CRPRGroup.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5bd87efa-3d3c-4288-8955-6719a4017bf1
