INTRODUCTION
Feature Summary: Public Bookings allows clubs to offer reservations and event registrations to the public through a simple, mobile and browser-friendly booking flow. Below are answers to commonly asked questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What Are Public Bookings?
Public Bookings make it easy for players to book with a club without downloading the app, creating an account, or logging in, by using a dedicated public link to book reservations or register for events.
2. Who Can Benefit From Public Bookings?
Eligible clubs located in the United States and Canada on the Legacy, Launch, Advance, Momentum, or Enterprise plans with an active payment processor can enable Public Bookings.
Clubs benefit because Public Bookings:
Reduce friction for first-time and non-member bookings
Eliminate staff-assisted scheduling
Apply consistent pricing and rules via existing memberships
Improve communication with automated SMS confirmations
Reduce abandoned or fraudulent bookings through phone verification
Players benefit because they:
Book quickly without creating an account
See availability and pricing upfront
Book from any device (mobile or desktop)
Don’t need to download an app
Easily share bookings or event details with friends
3. How Do I Enable Public Bookings?
Navigate to Settings → Portal Settings → Public Bookings
Enable Public Bookings
CourtReserve generates a dedicated Public Bookings URL
4. How Do I Share the Public Booking Link?
Share the Public Bookings URL via:
Club website
Social media
Email campaigns
Marketing materials or QR codes
The link directs players into the public booking flow
Find it under Settings > Portal Settings > Public Bookings
5. Do Public Bookings Require Text Alerts (SMS)?
Yes, SMS is required
SMS is automatically enabled when Public Bookings is turned on
Used for confirmations, updates, and phone verification
Cannot be disabled while Public Bookings is active
Billing notes:
Standard SMS usage rates apply
Text verification (phone validation) messages are not billed
6. What Can the Public Book?
This is controlled by two settings under Settings > Portal Settings > Public Bookings:
Allow Public Bookings for Reservations
Allow Public Bookings for Registrations
Clubs may allow:
Reservations only
Event registrations only
Both
7. Do I Need to Create a New Membership for Public Bookings?
Not necessarily. Clubs can link an existing membership to Public Bookings, which determines pricing, booking rules, schedulers, and cancellation policies.
If different pricing or rules are needed for public users, clubs can create a separate membership that is not visible to members.
8. Can Public Users Log In?
No account is required for public users
There is an optional setting: Allow Log In From Public Bookings
When enabled, existing members can log in using a Log In button displayed, but it is not required
When disabled, the login option is hidden
9. Is Payment Required Up Front?
Yes, upfront payment by credit card is required and cannot be disabled
Players have 15 minutes to complete payment
Unpaid bookings are automatically canceled
Note: While payment is required at the time of booking, any payment profiles saved to CourtReserve are not used or required during the public booking flow.
10. What If a Player Does Not Receive the Text Verification Code?
SMS messages may occasionally be delayed or filtered as spam
Players should check their text spam folder and device settings
Admins should reference this article
11. Can I Add Custom Messaging to the Confirmation Page?
Yes, admins can add custom content below the receipt in public booking settings
Common uses include:
Codes of conduct
Day-of instructions
Parking or arrival details
The receipt is always included and cannot be removed
Learn more here.
12. Can Team Events Be Booked Through Public Bookings?
Team registration events are supported; however, players will be prompted to log in to complete their registration.
13. Can I Turn Off Certain Events From Public Bookings?
Yes, individual events can be hidden from Public Bookings
In the event setup, enable Hide Event from Public Registration in the event settings found via Event Setup → Additional Setup tab → General Information
Hidden events:
Remain available to logged-in members
Do not appear in the public booking flow
14. What Information Is Always Required During Public Event Registration?
After clicking Register Now, players are prompted to enter personal information
By default, the following fields are required:
First name
Last name
Phone number
An Email field is always included but not required
15. Do Custom Fields Appear in Public Bookings?
Yes, custom fields are shown during the booking process
They appear in the Additional Information section
Players are prompted to complete them before confirming the booking
16. What else should I know about Public Booking reservations?
Public booking does not currently apply sandwich times, prime times, or fixed durations.
17. Do Event Registration Restrictions Apply to Public Bookings?
Yes, event registration restrictions apply to public users. The only exception is member group restrictions.
Note: Member group restrictions are not supported in public bookings. If an event includes member group restrictions, the event will not be displayed in the public booking event list.
Players must meet the event’s requirements to complete registration
Required restrictions appear under Player Eligibility during the booking flow
If the club has DUPR ID integration enabled and the event includes DUPR-based restrictions, players will be required to validate their DUPR ID as part of registration. Learn more here.
18. Can I limit Public Booking reservations to specific times of the day?
Yes. Public Booking availability is controlled entirely by the membership type assigned to your Public Booking reservation configuration. Booking windows tied to this membership control when and on which courts Public Booking users can make reservations.
There are two approaches depending on your setup:
Option 1 - Add booking windows to your existing assigned membership
The recommended approach is to add or adjust booking windows on the membership currently assigned to Public Booking. For example, you can restrict the booking window to specific times for the Public Booking membership type while keeping the remaining times available to other types of logged in members.
Note: Any changes made to the assigned membership will affect all members on that membership type. If that is a concern, see Option 2 below.
Booking window example: This club wants Public Booking users to access hard courts from 1:00 PM–4:00 PM only. The booking window for the assigned membership is set to Open Window, court type Hard, Day of the Week set to Everyday, with a time range of 1:00 PM–4:00 PM. This limits Public Booking users to reservations within that window only.
Here, hard court reservations for Public Booking users are open between 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM, as defined by the booking window.
Option 2 - Create a dedicated membership type for Public Booking
If you want Public Booking booking windows to differ from the rules that apply to logged-in members on the same membership, create a new membership type specifically for Public Booking. For this membership, you would configure the applicable courts, booking windows, and pricing. The quickest way to get started is to copy an existing membership, then adjust the courts and court times as needed.
For example: An existing Basic Membership was copied and renamed "Public Booking Membership." It was then assigned as the membership type in the Public Booking reservation rules. Booking windows should then be created as required.
Next, go to the membership's Booking Windows tab and create a booking window based on the times you want to accept reservations. In this example, all pickleball courts can be reserved on weekdays between 10:00 AM and 3:00 PM.
In this example, under Public Booking, a one-hour pickleball reservation on a Tuesday can start as early as 10:00 AM and as late as 2:00 PM, since reservations must end by the 3:00 PM cutoff.
