CourtSide with Evan Dechtman

Evan Dechtman - TopSpin Digital
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Marketing

CourtSide is the podcast about the business side of racquet sports. Tennis, pickleball, padel, squash. If you own a facility, run programs, coach players, or operate in this industry, this show is for you. Host Evan Dechtman sits down with facility owners, directors of racquets, head pros, club managers, and operators across the country for honest conversations about what it actually takes to run a racquet sports business. How to fill courts. How to keep members. How to build programs from scratch. How to hire good coaches and keep them. The stuff that happens off the court that determines whether the stuff on the court survives. No scripts. No highlight reels. Just two people talking about what they've built, what's working, what's not, and where they think this whole thing is going. New episodes every two weeks. Evan is the founder of TopSpin Digital, a marketing agency built from the ground up for racquet sports, and HEARD Digital Marketing, its parent company. 25+ years of digital marketing for local businesses. 350+ clients. TopSpin exists because racquet sports businesses had real momentum and almost no marketing infrastructure behind it. Want to be a guest? Book your spot: topspindigital.co/courtside/book Email: evan@topspindigital.co Show notes: topspindigital.co/courtside

Episodes

  1. 2d ago

    CourtSide Ep. 6: From Cold Call to Assistant Director in 4 Years, with Brandon Day

    Brandon Day graduated from Ferris State's Professional Tennis Management program in 2022. Four years later, he's the assistant director at a 31-court tri-racquet club, and he's not even 30. He's at North Hills Club in Raleigh, North Carolina, running programming across 22 tennis courts, 6 pickleball courts, and 3 padel courts. He got there by cold-calling Jarrett Chirico for an internship, starting at the bottom at Royal Oaks Country Club, and working his way from teaching pro to director of programming in under three years. In this conversation, we get into: Growing up playing summer tennis to avoid the angry babysitter, and how that turned into a careerCold-calling Jarrett Chirico for an internship and getting an offer letter on the spotStarting at Royal Oaks making zero dollars and building a lesson book from scratchThe member who taught him what service actually means (hint: it had nothing to do with tennis instruction)Programming across tennis, pickleball, and padel without the three sports eating into each otherWhat certifications actually do for your career vs. what's just letters after your nameThe real math of what young pros make, from $30K to $150K depending on region and contractWhy burnout in racquet sports is a leadership problem, not a work ethic problemHis goal to be a director by 28 in an industry where the average director is 55+ If you're early in your racquet sports career, thinking about getting into the private club world, or trying to figure out how people actually move up in this industry, this one's for you. ABOUT COURTSIDE CourtSide is the podcast about the business side of racquet sports. Tennis, pickleball, padel, squash. If you own a facility, run programs, coach players, or operate in this industry, this show is for you. Host Evan Dechtman sits down with facility owners, directors of racquets, head pros, club managers, and operators across the country for honest conversations about what it actually takes to run a racquet sports business. No scripts. No highlight reels. Just two people talking about what they've built, what's working, what's not, and where they think this whole thing is going. New episodes every two weeks. Subscribe so you don't miss one. Want to be a guest? Book your spot: https://topspindigital.co/courtside/book Email Evan directly: mailto:evan@topspindigital.co CONNECT WITH BRANDON DAY North Hills Club: https://www.northhillsclub.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-day-dca-crse-918271183/

    CourtSide Ep. 6: From Cold Call to Assistant Director in 4 Years, with Brandon Day

  2. Jul 14

    CourtSide Ep. 5: From Teaching Pro to Director: 32 Years at The Broadmoor with Karen Schott

    Karen Schott walked into The Broadmoor in 1994 as a teaching pro. She spent eleven years learning under Dennis Ralston — a five-time Grand Slam doubles champion and International Tennis Hall of Famer — before taking over the program in 2005. She's been running it ever since. Thirty-two years at the same club. One of the most recognizable names in racquet sports at the same property. In 2021, she stood at the USPTA World Conference and told a room full of tennis pros: if you don't learn to teach pickleball, you'll be out of a job in two to three years. The title on her office door changed from "Director of Tennis" to "Director of Racquet Sports" shortly after. In this conversation, we get into: Walking into The Broadmoor at 24 and what she saw on day oneEleven years learning under Dennis Ralston and what he passed downThe standard of a five-star property — what it demands and what it protectsThe USPTA conference moment and telling her peers the hard truth about pickleballHow coexistence actually works when you have tennis diehards and pickleball beginners on the same staffThe economics of running racquets at a resort vs. a private clubWomen in leadership — how many are in the room and what needs to changeWorking alongside her husband David on the same team for nearly a decadeWhat she'd tell a young woman who wants to be a director someday If you run a racquets program, manage a club, or want to understand what thirty-plus years in the industry actually teaches you, this one is worth your time. ABOUT COURTSIDE CourtSide is a podcast about the business side of racquet sports. Long-form conversations with the owners, directors, and head pros shaping tennis, pickleball, padel, and squash. Hosted by Evan Dechtman, founder of TopSpin Digital. New episodes every two weeks. Subscribe so you don't miss one. Want to be a guest? Book your spot: https://topspindigital.co/courtside/book Email Evan directly: mailto:evan@topspindigital.co Full show notes: https://topspindigital.co/courtside TopSpin Digital: https://topspindigital.co HEARD Digital Marketing: https://heardmarketing.io CONNECT WITH KAREN SCHOTT The Broadmoor: https://www.broadmoor.com/sports/racquet-sports/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-schott-45409422/ #CourtSidePodcast #RacquetSports #Tennis #Pickleball #TheBroadmoor #DirectorOfRacquetSports #KarenSchott #ClubIndustry #WomenInSports #TennisProfessional

    CourtSide Ep. 5: From Teaching Pro to Director: 32 Years at The Broadmoor with Karen Schott

  3. Jun 30

    CourtSide Ep. 4: Building a $2.5 Million Racquets Program, with Jarrett Chirico

    Jarrett Chirico had a racket in his hand at three years old. By 11, he was at the Bollettieri Academy on a full scholarship. By 16, he was the top-ranked junior in America, playing all four Junior Grand Slams. Today he builds racquets programs at private clubs and turns them into the highest-revenue departments in the building. He took Baltimore Country Club from $7,000 a month to nearly $100,000. He grew Royal Oaks Country Club from $1 million to over $2.5 million a year in racquets revenue, without raising prices. In 2022, he founded the Directors Club of America, a network of over 1,300 leaders across 400+ clubs. In January 2026, Jarrett moved to North Hills Club in Raleigh to take on his next challenge: 22 tennis courts, 6 pickleball courts, and 3 padel courts. In this conversation, we get into: Growing up at Bollettieri, playing Grand Slams, and the decision not to go proPlaying World Team Tennis for the Philadelphia Freedoms, coached by Billie Jean KingThe $7K-to-$100K turnaround at Baltimore Country Club and the $1M-to-$2.5M run at Royal OaksBuilding the largest pickleball program in the Northeast (1,000 players a week) and pioneering clay court pickleballWhy his crossover rates hit 80%+ when the industry average is 30%Founding the Directors Club of America and building a network of 1,300 directorsThe move to North Hills and what padel looks like from a director's chair If you run programs at a club, manage a racquets facility, or want to understand what separates the best directors in the country from everyone else, this one's for you. ABOUT COURTSIDE CourtSide is a podcast about the business side of racquet sports. Long-form conversations with the owners, directors, and head pros shaping tennis, pickleball, padel, and squash. Hosted by Evan Dechtman, founder of TopSpin Digital. New episodes every two weeks. Subscribe so you don't miss one. Want to be a guest? Book your spot: https://topspindigital.co/courtside/book Email Evan directly: evan@topspindigital.co Full show notes: https://topspindigital.co/courtside TopSpin Digital: https://topspindigital.co HEARD Digital Marketing: https://heardmarketing.io CONNECT WITH JARRETT CHIRICO The Directors Club of America: https://www.thedirectorsclubofamerica.com North Hills Club: https://www.northhillsclub.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jarrett-chirico-dca-b7712649 #CourtSidePodcast #RacquetSports #Tennis #Pickleball #Padel #DirectorsClubOfAmerica #NorthHillsClub #ClubIndustry #RacquetsDirector #JarrettChirico

    CourtSide Ep. 4: Building a $2.5 Million Racquets Program, with Jarrett Chirico

  4. Jun 16

    CourtSide Ep. 3: 30 Years Running Gates Tennis Center, with Sam Hitman

    Sam Hitman has been managing Gates Tennis Center since 1993. In 30+ years he's turned a public facility into the host of the country's largest sanctioned tennis tournament, launched two more facilities across Colorado, and built a scholarship program for kids who can't afford lessons. Sam is the General Manager of Gates Tennis Center in Denver, Director of Tennis at Pueblo Tennis & Pickleball Center, and founder of The School of Tennis Management. He and Evan go back to before either of them got into racquet sports, they played on a championship basketball team together at their local community center. In this conversation, we get into the parts of the job nobody puts on a podcast: How the public-private partnership with The Park People actually works, and what a $4.7M reconstruction looks like when the city owns the landRunning three facilities at the same time across different marketsThe real economics of public vs. private tennis facility pricingHow Gates added quiet pickleball courts, the paddles he tested, the investment, and a league that sold out in three daysThe School of Tennis Management, why he started teaching facility operators, not just players If you run a facility, manage programs, or want to understand how public tennis centers actually operate, this one's for you. ABOUT COURTSIDE CourtSide is a podcast about the business side of racquet sports. Long-form conversations with the owners, directors, and head pros shaping tennis, pickleball, padel, and squash. Hosted by Evan Dechtman, founder of TopSpin Digital. New episodes every two weeks. Subscribe so you don't miss one. Want to be a guest? Book your spot: https://topspindigital.co/courtside/book Email Evan directly: mailto:evan@topspindigital.co Full show notes: https://topspindigital.co/courtside TopSpin Digital: https://topspindigital.co HEARD Digital Marketing: https://heardmarketing.io CONNECT WITH SAM HITMAN Gates Tennis Center: https://gatestenniscenter.info #CourtSidePodcast #RacquetSports #Tennis #Pickleball #GatesTennisCenter #FacilityManagement #Denver

    CourtSide Ep. 3: 30 Years Running Gates Tennis Center, with Sam Hitman

  5. May 22

    Courtside Ep. 2: The 40-Hour Tennis Revolution: How Julius Gavin Is Changing the Game

    Julius Gavin (@tennis.god) has almost 90,000 followers on Instagram, charges $1,000 for six hours of coaching, and claims he can build a complete tennis game in 40 hours. Some call him the most honest coach in tennis. Others call him a fraud. The truth is more interesting than either take. Julius grew up in Norfolk, Virginia. Navy dad, Filipino mom, started hitting tennis balls at seven years old because a boss fight in The Legend of Zelda looked like a rally. He walked on at Norfolk State, lasted one semester against a roster full of guys from Argentina, Romania, and Brazil, and eventually built a coaching business entirely through Instagram with zero ad spend and no agency behind it. In this conversation, we get into the parts that the comment section argues about: • What "mastered in one to three months" actually means and where the 40-hour number comes from • Why he treats coaching like a math curriculum instead of a basket of tips • The real economics of driving thousands of miles to clients with a trunk full of balls • How short-form content converts a viewer into a $1,000 booking • The fraud accusations from other coaches and how he handles it • Why certifications exist to reduce liability, not prove competence • His plan to scale beyond one-on-one through books, courses, and online coaching • What he tells a young coach who wants to go independent If you coach tennis, run programs, or think about going out on your own, this one's for you. Want to be a guest? Book your spot: topspindigital.co/courtside/book Email: evan@topspindigital.co Show notes: topspindigital.co/courtside

    Courtside Ep. 2: The 40-Hour Tennis Revolution: How Julius Gavin Is Changing the Game

  6. May 15

    CourtSide Ep. 1: The Business of Running Racquets at a Private Club, with Andy Zodin

    Most people in racquet sports know Andy Zodin's voice from the radio. Fewer know what he actually does for a living. For the last 15 years, Andy has been Director of Racquet Sports at Columbine Country Club in Denver, one of the top private clubs in the Intermountain region. He's been a teaching pro since 1984, an RSPA Elite Pro, and served five years as USPTA Intermountain President. He also hosts KickServeRadio.com on the Tennis Channel Podcast Network with Mats Wilander and Jonny Levine. In this conversation, we get into the parts of the job nobody puts on a podcast: how a director of racquets actually spends a Tuesday, the conversations with ownership that happen on repeat, staffing teaching pros in 2026, how private clubs are handling the pickleball question, and what he'd do differently building a program from zero today. If you run a facility, lead a program, or coach for a living, this one's for you. Guest: Andy Zodin, Director of Racquet Sports, Columbine Country Club. Host of KickServeRadio.com. CourtSide is hosted by Evan Dechtman, founder of TopSpin Digital. New episodes every 2-3 weeks. Show notes: https://topspindigital.co/courtside Be a guest: https://topspindigital.co/courtside/book

    CourtSide Ep. 1: The Business of Running Racquets at a Private Club, with Andy Zodin

  7. May 13

    CourtSide Ep. 0: What This Show Is, Who It's For, and Why I'm Making It

    Evan Dechtman, the founder of Top Spin Digital, shares his journey from musician to marketer and the insights that led him to create a show focused on racquet sports. The show aims to capture real conversations about the business side of racquet sports and is targeted at industry professionals. It features one guest per episode and is distributed on various platforms. Guests with real experience and insights are encouraged to become part of the show. Takeaways Racquet sports marketingIndustry insights Chapters 00:00 From Musician to Marketer05:26 Becoming a Guest

    CourtSide Ep. 0: What This Show Is, Who It's For, and Why I'm Making It
  • 7 Episodes

About

CourtSide is the podcast about the business side of racquet sports. Tennis, pickleball, padel, squash. If you own a facility, run programs, coach players, or operate in this industry, this show is for you. Host Evan Dechtman sits down with facility owners, directors of racquets, head pros, club managers, and operators across the country for honest conversations about what it actually takes to run a racquet sports business. How to fill courts. How to keep members. How to build programs from scratch. How to hire good coaches and keep them. The stuff that happens off the court that determines whether the stuff on the court survives. No scripts. No highlight reels. Just two people talking about what they've built, what's working, what's not, and where they think this whole thing is going. New episodes every two weeks. Evan is the founder of TopSpin Digital, a marketing agency built from the ground up for racquet sports, and HEARD Digital Marketing, its parent company. 25+ years of digital marketing for local businesses. 350+ clients. TopSpin exists because racquet sports businesses had real momentum and almost no marketing infrastructure behind it. Want to be a guest? Book your spot: topspindigital.co/courtside/book Email: evan@topspindigital.co Show notes: topspindigital.co/courtside

Information

  • Creator
    Evan Dechtman - TopSpin Digital
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    7
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Evan Dechtman - TopSpin Digital
  • Show Website
    CourtSide with Evan Dechtman