I have been going here for quite a while now and am excited to learn they have updated the facilities at this place! They have a convenient online reservation system with a reasonable price. They also have an on-site shop for all badminton needs. I got my racket strung here. The quality of stringing could be much better in my opinion. We will keep visiting this place and I do recommend it to anyone looking for a great place to play badminton with friends. read more

Synergy Badminton Academy - Courts - Sporting Goods Near Me - Menlo Park, California

See all

I found the receptionist to be very rude and illogical on Tuesday night. We made a booking for ~4 pm. Since we knew we wouldn't make it, we called at around 3 pm but no one responded. We also dropped an email to no avail. Then we booked another window and paid again. We asked for rescheduling the first window which we had paid for and called for. Instead she tells us that we need to call at least one hour in advance to get a refund. When we told her we'd called and no one had picked our call, then she said she only comes to office at 3.45 pm. Well then how are we supposed to reach out 1 hr in advance if there is no one to pick up call at 3? Mind you, we weren't even asking for a refund. Just for a reschedule at any convenient to THEM. We were ready to come at any hour of the day any of the following days, but we got neither a refund nor a callback nor a reschedule. Only rude talks. Needless to say, they lost a regular customer. read more

Staff are friendly. Courts are nicely kept. Drop in charges are very reasonable. I have not taken any lessons there but I heard from friends that their coaches are very good too. read more

First time and probably would be the last time visit as well . There was only 1 young lady there with rude attitude and poor customer service when I visited the store. I'd stay away from this store as there are many other great sports outlet or venue with higher qualify products and better customer service. read more

We had a 11am reservation made on Friday for court #1. It's been a long time since I last played so I had a great time playing the sport that I grew up with. Upon arrival, the parking lot was full, even the side parking, so I would suggest others to come early, because I had to wait for a while until a parking spot became available. There are around 8 or so courts and although the gym is a bit old, it is pretty clean. I brought my own water bottle, but it would be convenient if they had a water dispenser for those who need a water refill or forgot to bring their water bottles. Overall, it was a smooth process checking in and out and we had a lot of fun playing badminton. read more

I've started going to Synergy to play badminton with my kids. Things I like - almost always courts available when it works for us. Plentiful shuttlecocks to use. Clearly a place where people love badminton. I've seen kids camp / being coached and the person leading that definitely knows what they're doing. Seems like a great place for kids to develop their game. Things I'm not so fond of: lighting. I often get the shuttlecock lost in the fluorescent lights. Don't know if this common to other places, but the glare can be distracting. Not sure how often they clean the floors. But they could use a scrub. Website is a bit clunky for making reservations but it works. Overall really good experience but for me difference between 5-star and 4-star. read more

Pretty chill spot for badminton The place is actually pretty big inside--you have to go in to really see it. Lots of open court space, and pretty nice facilities. Generally very clean. The flooring, nets, and benches all look new. The drop in price for one day is $8, which is very reasonable. Definitely should check it out read more

Synergy Badminton Academy - Outside - Sporting Goods Near Me - Menlo Park, California

See all

Probably the best gym I've ever been a part of. The facilities are clean, the staff is attentive, and they could not have better coaches. Howard is able to break down even the trickiest shots step by step in a way that is easily learned and replicated. He also is incredibly patient and answers any questions we have, both the acute and the obtuse. He also takes the time to talk with each of his students to ensure that they are making steady progress toward their own personal goals. read more

Synergy Badminton Academy - Sporting Goods Near Me - Menlo Park, California

The setup, the facilities are good. Shower rooms inside locker rooms, hair dryer, paper towel, clean! Entrance fee is $8, or $7 if pay for 10 times at once read more

Synergy Badminton Academy - Sporting Goods Near Me - Menlo Park, California

The guys at the pro shop are great! They have an excellent selection of the newest rackets and badminton gear, I was easily able to pick out one that I liked. They were really helpful picking out what racket suited my playing style and strung it on the spot so I was ready to play right then, awesome people! read more

Quite a chill place to play badminton. They have 8 courts, all of which are in great condition. It may not initially seem like it but the place is quite big on the inside. They have a locker room and lounge as well. Unfortunately locker rentals are charged. The entrance fee was $8 per person for the day. We didn't have our own rackets and rented them for $5. They have a whole bunch of shuttlecocks lying around inside that you can use so unless you're really particular no reason to carry your own. There was a mix of people from different skill levels so it wasn't intimidating for beginners like us. Group classes are offered at $99 for 4 sessions in the month while individual classes are priced at $100 per one hour session. Was a tad bit surprised they had no water coolers and we had to buy water at $1 per bottle. read more

Synergy Badminton Academy - Empty courts on a Saturday evening - Sporting Goods Near Me - Menlo Park, California

See all

Being new to the area i found just two places that I can/book badminton, Synergy being a bit closer and slightly cheaper. Its a no-frills place but enough for good hour of sweaty exercise for the family. Reservation was easy on their website, very clear and easy to navigate, interestingly they request names/numbers for everyone in the party when you book. Something to note though - the showers are NOT working in the locker room. read more

A badminton club in Menlo park w00t!! Pros: - quite spacious with 8 courts to play on - we came on a Saturday afternoon and it was pretty empty, 2 of the 8 courts were occupied but we did hear from the person who helped us that this was not very usual. Might be a good idea to call ahead and check - price to play is pretty average around $8/person, play as long as you like. - if like me, you showed up expecting to get shuttle cocks in the court, you're in luck. There are a LOT of used shuttle cocks lying around that you can use during the game as long as you don't take them home. Cons - racket rentals are steep, $5/person. I recommend you bring your own racket or buy one ahead of time! - there are no water coolers so make sure you carry your own water and bring a lot of it because you're going to need it. You can buy water for $1. read more

See all

Nice grip on floors. Good net tightness, and had very friendly staff behind the counter. The reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5 stars, is because of the timer system. Sometimes it is used and sometimes it is not. The players were very snobbish, with a we are better than you attitude, before even having played you. Even had two quit out of a doubles game they were losing, saying they would rather play with friends. Other's, after you beat them want to substitute in other players instead of finishing the other half of the game, which technically constitutes a whole new game. Rather annoying. Had some decent games, but I prefer Bintang badminton. It was nice to try some place new. read more

Synergy Badminton Academy - The staff was nice enough to let me pose with the oversized racquet. Overall a fun club. - Sporting Goods Near Me - Menlo Park, California

The drop in fee is reasonable. Lighting and floor are perfect. We spent 2 hours in here. Finally, we could only play 40 minutes here. The rest of the time was waiting, waiting and waiting. Sometimes, certain courts were reserved. It made the problem even worst. Poor court usage rule is something pissed me off the most. People are not willing to leave the court even it's time up. One time I got into an argument with a lady. She was playing a game and not willing to leave. When we tried to kick them out, the lady said "The owner is my friend." So what? When I complained to the kid sitting at the front desk, nothing was done. If you are the owner and reading this review, please coach your friends to follow the rules. Otherwise, this place will become a private club. Will I come again? NO! read more

Owner insists he is doing the right thing. Interestingly, my previous review has been deleted from the front page of synergy badminton club. WoW... Is yelp a place to post review freely? read more

Wow! I hate to start of my review with such an unrefined, overused word but Synergy Badminton deserves a round of applause. Their staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. They explained to me the different types of racquets and even recommended some to me based on my playing style. It took be about an hour and a half to select my new weapon of choice, and the staff was helpful, graceful, and didn't rush me at all. They even let me hit a few birds in the parking lot with a Yonex Carbonex 35 ($140) before making my decision. I would recommend this place to anyone and everyone. Now you can't pay the bills with just good intentions, so let me tell you about their selection -- top notch! I did selection and price comparisons with Asby's in San Jose, Amazon.com, and other web-based retailers, and Synergy Badminton has a greater selection of badminton racquets that are priced slighty lower than the competition. I decided to purchase a Carbonex 21, and it took them about 30 minutes to string my 'boomstick' with lavender strings (24lb tension) and re-grip the handle with a matching grip. 100% satisfied. I think you will be too. read more

I used to play at Synergy back in the days when it was still GGBC and then it's brief stint as RBA lol. Anyways now that I'm back in the Bay, I've been looking for a gym to start frequenting so I can get my exercise in. Synergy is actually cheaper relative to the other gym in Fremont that I go to--it's $70 for a ten time pass. I only go on Wednesday nights, but the lines are pretty short, if there are any, so you get to actually be on the court fairly often which is great. Facilities here are great--super clean courts, very spacious and just a clean place in general. They have quite a star line-up of coaches here if you ever wanted to train here. Honestly I haven't waited in many lines here at all--we got kicked off a court once after the timer ran out, but then we just played on a different court. I think it's pretty solid! tldr; good gym located in a random industrial park read more

Not much needs to be said about Alan and the Synergy store. This should be the only place that people go to for their stringing and equipment needs. Alan is a professionally certified stringer. To my best knowledge, he and the Synergy String Team are the only people in the United States that deserves the title of being a Yonex certified stringer, unlike some other stringers that advertise themselves as being Yonex certified. Alan also gets the privilege of traveling all around the world, stringing for some of the best professional players out there. So who wouldn't want their racket strung by THE Alan Kakinami?! read more

Does anyone have any comments on the facility other than that Alan is great at stringing raquets?

Best place to train! The coach is very patient and guiding every step towards success.

Somethings change and yet some stay the same. Similar to that phrase this club changed hands through a hand full of owners and names, GGBC, Royal BC, and now Synergy. What stayed the same was the helpful staff attendants and the great players. This was the original place in the bay area to get some hardcore badminton games (noo...none of that backyard stuff, this is for the pros). Through out the years this was the place I would visit for some good badminton games if I am in the bay area. Not to mention the club now offers badminton coaching at the highest level from 2005 Men's Doubles World Championships winner Howard Bach and 2012 Olympic Badminton Head Coach Ben Lee. I also love the fact that they now have a ladder system for community players, so players can compete regularly. Too bad I'm don't live in the area, otherwise I'd go everyday. read more

Great badminton club. They have about 10 well-maintained courts. Pretty inexpensive, $8 on weekdays and $9 on weekends for the day. So if not crowded you can play for as long as you like, and use as many courts as you like, that are available! Racket rentals are available at $5 per racket, you can buy rackets and shuttle cocks here too, though they're a little more expensive than on Amazon or sports stores. Locker rentals are available too. You are free to use the shuttlecocks available on the floor, if you don't want to spend on brand new ones. They have classes here too, if you want to get some serious baddi on! :-) read more

Glad I found this place on Yelp before going to Big 5! They had great selection of badminton racket, prices are reasonable too. Thanks for the staff that helped us for picking our racket although we are not pro players, they still introduce pros and cons of each racket to us. Staffs are friendly, knowledgeable and courteous. Would come again and will recommend this place to a friend! read more

Alan and Associates is the place to go for professional stringing. He took the time to ask me about my racket, my style of play, and what I'm looking for. Then he inspected everything: the frame, the shaft, the joint, strings, grip, and even the end-cap. I had no idea stringing was an art as well as science! He finished off the stringing by spraying YONEX on the strings, makes it look officially endorsed, a very nice touch. Alan pays attention to the details. About the stringing. I'm new to badminton and have had my racket done by several people in the past. This time was different. The sweet spot just got sweeter. I wish I was a better player to explain. The feel is 'sharper' and more direct. It requires more wrist and flexing of the racket, but after a day, I figured it out and am in love with it. The best way I can explain is, it feels like all the strings are evenly tensioned so that there is now a focal point: sweet spot. And the times I intentionally don't use the sweet spot, it acts very predictably. Thank you Alan and Associates. I trust you guys with my racket anytime! read more

one of the best stringers you can find in the nation (yup, he upgraded and stringing internationally) You do get what you pay for, professional, great stringing technics, loads of knowledge, awesome customer service, and friendly (Alan might get too friendly ~_^ lol) they have all they gears you need on court and off, different brands of shuttlecocks, rackets (badminton or tennis), bags, shoes, clothes, etc. you name it, they have it!! one of the best around the bay in any aspect, all you need to do is go check it out! read more

The badminton court and restroom are clean and nice! Restring quality is good! The average level of players here are pretty good! You can really enjoy playing here. Drop in fee is $9, ten times pass is $80. read more

The instructors are great and the game is always fun. It's a bit like a tesla showroom here on weekend mornings and of course, with all the lessons, getting in and out of the lot is a little tricky. read more

Alan is awesome! You can find all your need for badminton with reasonable price. read more

Alan is awesome. I came here for stringing.. Alan helped me pick the best racquet for my budget and his stringing was awesome. It has changed the way I am playing now. highly recommend going to this place.. just leave it to Alan .. he will get you the best ;) read more

Super happy with my new strings-- great service (fast and friendly), very knowledgeable -- I'd go out of my way to get my racket strung here-- (and if you get hungry while waiting for your racket, there's a buffet for a good price next door) read more

Coach Kenny is an amazing person... great coach too. I've been training here for 2 1/2 months and they teach all the necessary drills. Everybody their is friendly and have a good sense of humor and community. read more

Alan is amazing! He's one of the best stringers and his customer service is very friendly. A large variety of everything in his store and he'll help you find exactly what you need and if in the off chance that he doesn't have something you want, he'll order it for you and get it to you asap. and for people who don't think quality stringing is worth the money, i had borrowed someone's racket that wasn't strung by alan and i hated hated it, and did not consider the racket any further until i had tried the same racket with alan's stringing and it played beautifully and definitively improved my game. he also uses the best stringing machine around which will give you a consistent string job everytime read more

Service at the store is good. Always someone at the front desk ready to help and the store also sells many great rackets for both Badminton and Tennis. Accessories are also sold in the store that are quite useful. Great string serve as well. read more

$8 drop in fee, $5 racquet rental fee (seems a bit steep), and the facility was FREEZING cold! I suppose you warm up after playing a while, but I spent my 2 hours there pretty cold. The lighting is on the sides of the courts, which I've heard is preferred by players so you don't end up being blinded if you look overhead. If I return more often, I would consider purchasing a punch card pass to make my visits cheaper. read more

Extremely packed and most courts are not usable. You have to wait hours to get one game in. And they don't enforce the rules so people blatantly violate them. read more

Great place for badminton, but very crowded even during weekdays. They gave discount if you work for Google or Facebook

I am a fan, though I wish they were open to the public on weekends. This place gets really packed around 6-10pm on weekdays since people from Google, Facebook, Amazon and Lucid Motors come here to play also. In addition, Synergy reserves courts for badminton lessons, so that means fewer courts for recreational play. It could get a bit cramped at times -- you really don't want to be walking around when you see an intense game going on. Otherwise, you'll probably receive unpleasant stares. Overall, I appreciate this place. The first time I was here was about 10 years ago, and surprisingly, it doesn't feel all that different. Word of advice: if the courts at Synergy are packed or closed for some reason and you are itching to get some good games in, Stanford Badminton Club plays on Tuesdays and Thursdays 8pm-10pm at Ford Gym (or Arrillaga Gym if Ford is closed - both gyms are about a 5 min walk from each other). An all-day gym pass is $10 (or $8 if you happen to know somebody with a Stanford Alum membership). The club members are all very friendly people! read more

1. The timing/sign up system is ridiculous. There is a piece of sign up sheet for each court, you are supposed to sign your name and start time on the paper, then wait in the line to start your 20mins game. But many people don't follow the rule, they just sign a bunch of names with no start time, then claim that they just started. 2. A group of people occupied three of the courts, they simply told us to go because they "always play at these courts", and "it's the law that they don't switch". After arguing 10 mins with them, we feel frustrated and sad. Even eventually the coach helped us to gain the court for a slot, but these people make the timer shorter, only 15mins. 3. The floor is cracked and old. 4. The space is packed and very small gap between courts. 5. HATE this place! read more

Went here to sharpen my skills but was repeatedly beaten by some kid who looked like sonic the hedgehog. He tired to sell me churros. The churros were good but very unhealthy and I don't think I improved. read more