He was tired of playing with pickleballs whose bounce and durability he didn’t like. lifeBahram Akradi’s founder and CEO decided to take matters into his own hands.

On Friday, the upscale fitness and lifestyle company announced it has developed the “ultimate pickleball.” Life Time will debut the ball exclusively at the company’s clubs later this month.

“It was a problem in the sport and it needed to be solved, so we stepped in and solved it,” Akradi said.

Akradi has been betting big on America’s fastest-growing sport since 2021 and remains optimistic about its potential. It’s a core part of Life Time’s growth strategy, whose shares are up 57% year-to-date. On August 1, the company raised its full-year guidance following a strong second-quarter performance.

Life Time will soon sell the ball in its racquet sports pro shops and online. The price is still to be determined by the company.

Life Time’s Athletic Country Clubs have more than 700 permanent pickleball courts, and the company plans to add 1,000 courts by the end of next year.

“Our goal is to give people the right venues, the right experience and the right consistency,” Akradi added.

Akradi said the company has already invested between $50 million and $100 million in pickleball and the sport has generated 6 to 7 percent of Life Time’s membership fees.

Life Time also hosts professional tournaments at its clubs for Major League Pickleball and the Professional Pickleball Association. The professional organizations use Vulcan as their “official ball,” but Akradi hopes to change that in the future.

In May, the company announced Lululemon as the official apparel sponsor for tennis and pickleball.

The company has also partnered with tennis legend Andre Agassi and top pickleball player Ben Johns to further grow the sport.