The major U.S. fitness company Life Time opened “Life Time North Shore” in Northbrook, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. In the complex with a total floor area of 114,000 square feet (about 10,600 square meters), it lined up 28 pickleball courts in total—18 indoor and 10 outdoor—with the indoor courts even equipped with stadium seating for tournaments. It is the 16th location in the Chicago metropolitan area. Seen from the standpoint of Japanese players and those who operate facilities, what’s worth noting is not the number of courts itself but the investment stage of “not converting existing tennis courts, but building a large dedicated facility from scratch.” In this article, after organizing the source news, we concretely decode the difference between the scale of U.S. facility investment and the facility rush underway at home in Japan.
A 28-court complex that opened in Northbrook
According to Life Time’s announcement, Life Time North Shore opened on June 26, 2026. It is located at 1300 Techny Road in Northbrook, on a site of more than 17 acres. The building’s total floor area reaches 114,000 square feet.
Pickleball is configured with 28 courts in total—18 indoor and 10 outdoor. On the indoor side, stadium-style seating is provided to accommodate tournament hosting and spectating, and a pro shop that carries the PPA Tour official ball is also attached. It has a strong fitness-club character too, housing group-training studios, a ballet and yoga studio, a workout floor lined with free weights and machines, a recovery space with cooling and compression equipment, and even a Kids Academy for children. Hydrotherapy facilities with a sauna and cold-water bath are slated to be added in fall 2026, and an outdoor pool in 2027.
What the “16th location” shows about the opening pace
This facility is the 16th Life Time in the Chicago metropolitan area, and according to the announcement it is the 6th opening in the past five years. Rather than one-off buzz creation, it lies on the extension of an opening design that concentrates clubs intensively in a specific area. Furthermore, there are plans to open a new club in Naperville, Illinois, in early 2027, so the density in the Chicago area will rise further.
Life Time is known as a company that declared itself “all-in” on pickleball in 2021, and it now operates more than 190 athletic clubs across the U.S. and Canada, making it one of the largest owners and operators of permanent courts in the U.S. It also has a hub in Peachtree Corners, Georgia, with 29 courts in total—12 indoor and 17 outdoor. The 28 courts in Northbrook once again show that this course is not a passing thing.
Comparing the number of courts and character
Placing large U.S. facilities alongside the dedicated facilities now springing up in Japan makes the difference in scale easy to grasp. The table below is a comparison based on published information, handling neither yen conversions nor vague monetary figures, lining up only the number of courts and the published facility scale.
| Facility | Location | Court configuration | Published scale and features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Time North Shore | Northbrook, Illinois, USA | 28 courts total (18 indoor, 10 outdoor) | 114,000 sq ft total floor area, spectator seating indoors, fitness attached |
| Life Time Peachtree Corners | Georgia, USA | 29 courts total (12 indoor, 17 outdoor) | Stadium seating on 4 courts |
| Picklr Tokyo Toyosu | Toyosu, Tokyo | 7 courts | About 560 tsubo, scheduled to open in fall 2026 |
| Sansan Ikebukuro | Ikebukuro, Tokyo | 7 courts total (3 indoor, 4 outdoor) | Attached gym space, scheduled to open in July 2026 |
The difference isn’t only in the number of courts. The big point is that the U.S. 28–29-court class weaves tournament hosting into the design, on the premise of spectator seating. They are built to be places to play and, at the same time, places to show and to run as a business.
How it's received locally and in the industry
Life Time positions Northbrook as a “hub for healthy living” and puts the pickleball experience front and center. In the announcement, the club’s person in charge commented that it will become a new hub for the community.
In the U.S. pickleball industry, a structure in which fitness clubs compete over the number of courts is taking root. The view that holding dedicated courts becomes a weapon for member acquisition and retention is pushing each company’s investment decisions. The more hubs with spectator seating increase, the more candidate host sites for the pro tour broaden, and the “outlet for the playing population” and the “stage for the business” overlap in the same building.
On the other hand, from Japanese players, reactions to news of such large facilities stand out, like “I envy the court size and the indoor environment” and “I want an indoor space in Japan too where I can hit without worrying about rain or extreme heat.” These are voices that come out precisely because the condition of a permanent indoor space is still rare in Japan.
Implications for Japanese players and facility stakeholders
The reason this news carries meaning for Japan is that the “way of building” facilities is a step ahead. In the U.S., beyond the stage of borrowing existing tennis courts or renting by the hour, investment to build a large box from the start dedicated to pickleball is actually in motion. In Japan too, the idea of “building from scratch” dedicated facilities is definitely sprouting—The Picklr’s first arrival in Japanin Toyosu, andPickleball One’s flagship conceptsearching for a site of more than 1,500 tsubo in the Tokyo area. Still, by the number of courts, current domestic dedicated facilities center on around seven courts, still a gap from the scale of 28.
Drawn to players’ practical concerns, there are three things to look at. First, the number of indoor courts. The number of indoor courts where you can hit year-round regardless of weather decides that region’s play opportunities. Second, the spectator flow. Whether there is stadium seating ties directly to whether you can hold a tournament locally. Third, the attached functions. As withthe court attached to Club Med Tomamu,when pickleball is designed not as a standalone business but as “part of drawing customers,” incorporated into a resort or commercial facility, its sustainability as a facility increases. When choosing a new facility, or when considering launching one yourself, comparing these three points against the U.S. examples adds to your decision-making material.
Ripple effects on the industry and market
Large U.S. investments also affect Japanese facility operations, in a roundabout way. First is equipment and operational know-how. There is much to learn from leading U.S. examples about operational knowledge such as the booking system, court allocation, and the choice of lighting and flooring needed to run 18 indoor courts at once. Second is tour and tournament culture. As hubs with spectator seating increase, the methods for running pro tournaments and structuring amateur tournaments become standardized, and they become a reference point when Japanese facilities attract tournaments.
On the Japanese side, moves by fitness clubs, hotels, and commercial facilities to incorporate pickleball have accelerated since the start of 2026. Openings aiming for synergy with the core business are increasing, and the “fitness + dedicated courts” package Life Time showed in the U.S. becomes an easy-to-understand leading model for Japanese operators.
Practical Information and Related Links
Life Time North Shore is at 1300 Techny Road, Northbrook, Illinois. Because it’s membership-based, if you’re considering using it or visiting, you’ll want to check the conditions in advance on Life Time’s official location page. We are following domestic dedicated-facility moves individually on this site. The Picklr’s domestic expansion, Pickleball One’s flagship concept, and resort-attached examples are each organized in detail in the articles below.
- The U.S. Picklr arrives in Japan for the first time, launching in Makuhari and moving to a 7-court facility in Toyosu in fall
- Pickleball One’s flagship-facility concept with more than 20 courts
- 6 Courts at Club Med Tomamu -- The Summer Pickleball Resorts Are Taking In
Summary
Life Time’s Northbrook opening showed off—in the form of 28 courts and spectator seating—that U.S. pickleball facility investment has advanced from “converting tennis courts” to the stage of “building a large dedicated facility from scratch.” In Japan too, concepts to newly build dedicated facilities are beginning to move, but there is still a gap in the number of courts and spectator equipment. As the next action, we recommend that players choosing a facility compare candidates on the three points of indoor court count, spectator flow, and attached functions, and that those launching facilities place U.S. operational know-how and tournament culture as reference points. Rather than ending overseas facility news with the scale figures alone, it’s useful to read it as a yardstick for measuring what your own region lacks.
Sources
- PR Newswire・Life Time Brings 16th Location in Chicago with Opening of Life Time North Shore, Featuring 28 Pickleball Courts
- Pickleball.com・Life Time goes “all-in” on pickleball, offers 29 courts in Atlanta facility
- PR TIMES・Press release on the opening of Picklr Tokyo Toyosu
- Sansan, Inc.・News on the opening of Sansan Pickleball Court Ikebukuro
