INTRODUCTION
Feature Summary: Create custom lesson types that are visible on the scheduler.
Use Cases: System users can create custom lesson types tailored to the interests and skill levels of members. By default, only admins and sub-admins (with the right permissions) can create lessons. If a club does not use the Book a Pro feature, members must contact the club directly to have an admin or sub-admin create a lesson on their behalf.
OVERVIEW
A Lesson Type is a high-level tag that clubs create to define and categorize their lessons. It sets the framework for how lessons are offered, including:
Basic Details – Name, duration, and player capacity (minimum and maximum players).
Court & Resource Settings – Whether a court and/or additional resources are required, and rules for applying min/max based on available courts.
Appearance – Background and text colors to help distinguish lesson types in the scheduler.
Financial Settings and Custom Fields – Tax rates, revenue category, and custom fields for tracking specific details.
Status Controls – Whether the lesson type is active and available for use.
Note: If you haven’t read the Overview: Lessons article, it’s a great place to start for a high-level review of lessons in CourtReserve. Check it out here.
Lessons vs Reservations
On the CourtReserve platform, there are two main kinds of bookings: Lessons and Reservations.
Lessons – Typically created by system users on the admin side. Lessons involve an instructor and one or more players working to improve their game. If you’d like members to be able to book their own lessons, use the Book a Pro feature.
Reservations – Can be created by both system users and members (based on system settings). They typically involve booking a facility (such as a court) and may also include booking equipment (like a ball machine).
This article focuses on Lesson Types. To learn about setting up Reservation Types, see article here.
PREREQUISITES
System users should configure scheduling restrictions and lesson pricing before members can book lessons. These settings are found under the Instructor Settings row, using the Scheduling Restrictions and Instructor Pricing icons. If desired, they should also create any relevant revenue categories in advance.
VISUAL EXAMPLES
The example below shows two lesson types available for an admin to select when booking a lesson for a player from the scheduler.
Example of lesson type on the Instructor scheduler:
Example of lesson type on the player's confirmation email:
SETUP REQUIREMENTS
Log in to the admin dashboard.
Click SETTINGS on the side menu.
Scroll down to the INSTRUCTOR SETTINGS row.
Click Lesson Types. A new page displays.
Creating Lesson Types
Click the Create Lesson Type button.
In the popup window, fill in the fields (see below).
Click Save.
Fill in the Fields
Name - Enter a unique name for the lesson type. This name is visible on the scheduler and (if enabled) member portal.
Min / Max Reservation Time in Minutes - Set the smallest and largest block of time (in minutes) that can be booked for this lesson type.
Duration increment - If a member/player wants to book a lesson time greater than the default duration, this number defines how much time (in minutes) can be added per increase.
Default Duration - The standard length before a member/player adds time.
Example: 60-Min Private Pickleball Lesson
Min Reservation Time in Minutes: 60
Max Reservation Time in Minutes: 120
Default Duration: 60 (1 hour)
Duration Increment: 15
How it works:
A member can book a private pickleball lesson for at least 60 minutes and up to 2 hours total.
By default, when they select this lesson type, the booking will show as 1 hour.
If they want more time, they can increase the lesson in 15-minute increments (e.g., 1 hour → 1 hour 15 min → 1 hour 30 min, up to 2 hours).
So, if Sarah books a 60-Min Private Pickleball Lesson, it defaults to 1 hour. She can extend it to 75, 90, 105, or 120 minutes — but no less than 60 minutes and no more than 120 minutes.
Min / Max Number of Players - Require a certain number of players for this lesson type. Use this feature to implement booking restrictions.
Apply Min / Max Rule based on # of Court - If enabled, the Min Number of Players and Max Number of Players selected will be applied for each court added to a booking. If the setting is disabled, the Minimum and Maximum will be the overall parameter regardless of how many courts are on the booking.
Example: Apply Min / Max Rule Based on # of Courts
Scenario:
A club creates a Group Pickleball Lesson type.
Min Players: 4
Max Players: 8
Case 1: Apply Min / Max Rule Based on # of Courts Rule Enabled
If the lesson is booked on 2 courts, the system requires 8–16 players total (4–8 players per court).
Case 2: Apply Min / Max Rule Based on # of Courts Rule Disabled
If the lesson is booked on 2 courts, the system still only requires 4–8 players total (because the min/max applies to the lesson overall, not per court).
Colors
Background Color - Change the color that displays on the scheduler/calendar.
Text Color - Change the text color that displays on the scheduler/calendar.
Example:
Other Settings
Tax Rate - Add a tax rate for this lesson type, if applicable.
Require Court - Use this box to require a court during a lesson. The default setting is enabled. CourtReserve assigns a court when a user creates a lesson on the scheduler.
Allow Resources(s) - If checked, the lesson owner can add a resource (eg. ball machine or other equipment) to bookings with this lesson type.
Custom Fields - Collect unique information about the members/players during lesson registration. Click here to learn about custom fields.
Is Active - The default setting is checked, which means the lesson type is active and available.
Managing Lesson Types
CourtReserve shows all lesson types in a table. Click the Edit icon to update a type and Delete to remove a row from the table. To change the order of lesson types, click a crossbar icon and drag the row to a new location.
Unavailable: We recommend keeping the lesson type Unavailable so system users can block off instructor time for club activities (e.g. attend meetings, off-court events, PTO, etc.).
VIDEO TRAINING
Click here to watch the section of the Lessons & Instructors: Overview video that covers the information in this article.