Play N Thrive Club is the largest badminton club and multi-sports, all-season indoor facility in the Midwest with 20 BWF certified International quality badminton courts, 11 pickleball courts, two volleyball courts, and four batting cages for baseball, softball, and cricket.
They are the only club with a two-time Olympics coach to train all ages in badminton. They offer open play, court rentals, memberships, tournaments, and leagues for all sports in the facility.
Badminton is more than a backyard sport
Owner Raghu Bharathur says he wants to change how people think about badminton. “This is a very intense sport compared to any other (racquet) sports you see. So, this is twice as intense as tennis. So, two hours of tennis is equal to one hour of badminton,” says Bharathur.
Play N Thrive offers training for all skill levels and ages in Badminton. “We have kids as young as five years old to adults 50 plus, 60 plus coming to train with our coaches,” adds Bharathur. “So the whole idea is to help them understand how to play the right way, because of the perception that badminton is a backyard sport, we are trying to break that.”
Volleyball, pickleball, batting cages, and ping-pong
Bharathur wanted to create an open and inviting space where the entire family comes to play and chooses what to play from many options.
“We wanted to get rid of the ‘Uber drive’ phenomenon, where parents are driving kids somewhere, and they are sitting somewhere. So the whole idea was, irrespective of your talents or skill level, we want to provide courts where people can come and play, or they could be a member here,” says Bharathur.
Play N Thrive Club is open throughout the year from 7 AM to 11 PM every day.
Host: Liz Spencer – Business Connection
Guest: Raghu Bharathur, Owner – Play N Thrive Club
