Category: Pickleball Diaries

Exploring Pickleball in Dallas

We advise, consult and mentor pickleball club entrepreneurs, and a great thing about that job is traveling to see awesome pickleball spots! I just spent 3 days in “The Big D” on a pickleball mission.   The goal was to learn more about the evolving pickleball market, visit interesting venues, watch professionals play, test my skill against Texan picklers and oh yeah, visit my sister and her kids that live in Dallas.   I achieved 4 of 5, which is not bad! (I never got to play because of rain on the days I was free).

USA Pickleball National Championships

Located in Dallas at The Brookhaven Tennis and Golf Club, this was nirvana for scoping out pickleball play, shopping for swag, and immersing in the pickle scene.  Pro play took place both indoor and out with great elevated viewing available on many courts.  There were also dozens of courts featuring amateur play at many levels.  So amazing to see rec play and pro play interspersed in the same quality environment.  I can’t think of another sport that could pull that off.  Our shuttle bus ride from the parking lot was filled with an amazing cross-section of visitors:  old, young, men, women, athletes, non-athletes.  Literally the full cross-section of pickleball enthusiasts.

Imagine going to the US Open (Tennis or Golf) and being able to play on the same courts the pros were playing on. Genius. A great boondoggle weekend for guys, gals or couples would be to play and watch at the pro tournament while eating and drinking in the host city. You even get exercise!

Searching for cool dedicated Pickleball clubs

To be honest, I was stunned by the lack of publicly available, dedicated pickleball courts in Dallas.  My Google and Pickleheads searches found plenty of “generation one” venues:  municipal courts, community centers, re-purposed parks etc…but where are the dedicated pickleball places?  Metro Dallas is immense in square miles AND in population.  The weeklong USA Pickleball tourney was jammed with players – but the clubs have yet to open.  I found 2 places where you could reserve a court, drop-in and pay to play:  Chicken n’ Pickle, and Pickleball Oasis. BOTH are 30 to 40 minutes outside Dallas proper depending on Traffic.

Chicken N Pickle

I’d was dying to see this place because much has been written about it, and many of our clients reference it when planning their own clubs.  I’ve reviewed my experience in a separate post: click here if you’re interested.

Oasis Pickleball

Located in Rockwall, Texas a good 30-50 minutes from central Dallas depending on traffic.  This huge complex is co-located with a trampoline park, a swimming area and other family activities.  It has an amazing 40 outdoor courts with a dozen or so that were covered for shade and rain, also a cool pro shop.   I borrowed my sister’s car and shlepped out there for their 8am to Noon open play —- but unfortunately it was pouring rain and only a few courts were playable (and I didn’t want to horn in on the regulars).

This place is really a big time tournament venue, not an intimate local club. They do have an active membership ($55 per month), and some cool programming, but the high number of courts is really to accommodate hosting major tournaments that feature pro and amateur play.  That’s a key part of their business. The facility has the parking and can create the championship courts and other amenities needed for competitions.

Like Chicken n’ Pickle, the massive real estate makes something like this impractical closer in town and regular pickleball players are unlikely  make the drive on a regular basis.  Also, as I experienced, weather can effectively shut it down.  Why can’t there be dedicated, quality, smaller facilities in or around the city?   Where’s the indoor courts and clubs!?  They’re coming.  Several groups have made announcements about openings in Dallas —- it would seem there is plenty of demand.

Pickleball Business Advisors is brothers Bill and John Pryor.  We provide a variety of consulting services based on extensive experience in fitness business development, and research into the fast growing pickleball marketplace.  To initiate a feasibility assessment for your pickleball club, or for other consulting, contact us so we can learn about your project.

Is Chicken N Pickle a pickleball club?

I was dying to see this place because much has been written about it, and many of our clients reference it when planning their own clubs.  Is it a pickleball club? I would say “sort of”. Yes it has pickleball, but really the business model is an extensive experience-driven bar and restaurant — that has pickleball but is not primarily a pickleball club.

They currently have 8 locations, and plans on the books for many more.  I spent 3 hours there on a Wednesday night, and here’s our Pickleball Business Advisor summary of the business:

  1. It’s immense.  12 pickleball courts, but that’s only a small percentage of a footprint that includes varied food offerings, restaurant seating areas, multiple bars, fire pits, foosball, shuffleboard, corn hole, roof decks and more.  I would say it was easily over 100,000 square feet.  Most courts were open air, many were covered, and a few look like they could be used in winter because they could be enclosed and heated.
  2. It’s really a restaurant, family entertainment and event venue that has pickleball.  NOT a pickleball club with a restaurant.  I met people attending a company sales meetings that had 70 folks there.  Many were using courts dedicated to their event and playing in street clothes.  They were having a blast.  P.S. the food was reasonably priced and very good (especially the chicken!). Note: My sister said order the craft beer because the wine was mediocre.
    There is a morning open-play scene that attracts more serious players, but I am quite sure pickleball revenues are only a very small part of their overall financial picture.

This location was in Grand Prairie, Texas which is technically in the Dallas area, but from a practical standpoint is not accessible for regular play by Dallas folks because of traffic and distance.    I’m quite sure one of the reasons it can’t be closer is the difficulty in finding suitably priced real estate closer into the city.   It is stunning to me that there weren’t more dedicated Pickleball clubs in Metro Dallas. I’m sure that will change soon.

Conclusion

All in all Chicken N Pickle appears to be a successful restaurant and event business with a unique twist related to pickleball.  It did not appear to be a serious fitness business where regular pickleball players would play, or that would create interesting programming to grow pickleball attendance and participation. Successful business, yes….Pickleball centric business, no.

Pickleball Business Advisors is brothers Bill and John Pryor.  We provide a variety of consulting services based on extensive experience in fitness business development, and research into the fast growing pickleball marketplace.  To initiate a feasibility assessment for your pickleball club, or for other consulting, contact us so we can learn about your project.

Cool new Pickleball clubs

Austin, Texas and North Kingstown, Rhode Island. In our never ending quest to unearth (and play at) the coolest pickleball spots in America, we found a couple winners this month. My wife and I celebrated a huge wedding anniversary by spending 4 days is Austin, Texas. I planted her in a Spa one morning and then headed out to find a game (clever strategy don’t you think?). She was on to my plan but it worked for her too.

Austin Pickle Ranch

Austin Pickle Ranch, West 6th St

This is a cleverly constructed 7-court complex on the roof of a parking garage in West Austin. Murals cover various walls, and a cool airstream trailer serves as the check in desk. Nifty viewing areas feature Astro turf and Adirondack chairs. The court quality is outstanding, the nets perfect. I was there on a mild morning in October and I asked their front desk guy about rain….he said “thats not much of an issue around here, we’re more concerned about HEAT”. This is why I feel indoors is the way to go— but this place had a great charm, and from a business stand point, I’m sure leasing the roof of a parking garage is a hell of a lot cheaper than retail space on the first floor. I stepped in to a great game…..my partner was bare-chested and tattooed, which concerned me at first, but he tuned out to be a nice guy and a quality player.

Lil’ Rhody

Rhode Island is the smallest state, but they’ve got a thriving pickleball culture that was mostly outside (including a re-claimed military air strip) until recently. Several spots have opened, and I recently stopped in to play at Lil Rhody.

Located in a nondescript strip mall off of route 1, Lil Rhody features 5 courts, each named after a cool Rhode Island town. The surface is slightly cushioned which is really nice and the lighting is good. I did hit the ceiling once, but the ceilings are plenty high for regular play. When I saw pictures and video on the website, I was concerned about tightness…..courts had more room around than I thought (still a bit tight on the sides though). They have a nice system for corralling errant balls.

Interesting model — 5 courts, low cost membership, some open play is free for members, other sessions require a small fee. I don’t know what they pay for rent, but probably not huge given the area. P.S. this location serves a handful of small towns in Rhode Island, not the city (Providence), and not high end suburbs.

One impressive part of the experience was that our advanced group was one short so the young lady working the front desk jumped in. She was an awesome player and a joy to play with. This is the kind of staff necessary for that “vibe” a good Pickleball club will have.

Pickleball Business Advisors is brothers Bill and John Pryor.  We provide a variety of consulting services based on extensive experience in fitness business development, and research into the fast growing pickleball marketplace.  To initiate a feasibility assessment for your pickleball club, or for other consulting, contact us so we can learn about your project.

Pickleball across America (and Mexico)

Over the past 18 months, I’ve taken the opportunity to combine business, vacation, and personal travel with…..you guessed it, pickleball.

Armed only with my “Places to Play” app, 2 paddles, 2 balls and my sneakers, I set out to test the premise that a fun pickleball experience can be found anywhere — even for a total stranger walking into a new town or community. I am pleased to report that I was 100% successful in each effort, and that the pickleball culture embraced me with open arms. Though there were a few snarky curmudgeons at some courts, the vast majority of people were friendly, and welcoming of ‘the new guy’. Sample places I’ve played in the past 2 years:

  • Wilmington, Delaware (converted public tennis)
  • *Chestertown, Maryland (YMCA)
  • Fenway Park (yes, that Fenway Park)
  • *Shaker Heights, Ohio (converted public tennis)
  • Winnetka, Illinois (fancy country club)
  • *Kauai, Hawaii (dedicated courts)
  • *Pescadero, Mexico (converted local bball court)
  • Cabo San Lucas , Mexico (resort tennis court)
  • Tahoe City, California (converted public tennis)
  • Incline Village, Nevada (indoor and outdoor community center)
  • Groton, Connecticut (community center)
  • Mystic, Connecticut (YMCA and Indoor Sports Center)
  • Holly Hill, Florida (48 court dedicated pickle complex)
  • Orlando, Florida (dedicated indoor in converted retail / warehouse)
  • Wakefield, RI (4 court indoor converted warehouse)
  • Wautoma, Wisconsin (outdoor public park using dropped tennis net)
  • Stevens Point, Wisconsin (indoor sports center with newly designated pickle)

*Chestertown, Maryland

Eastern shore of Maryland……An unspoken condition for agreeing to visit my mother-in-law with my wife was that I be able to sneak away and find pickle. Sure enough, the brand spanking new Chestertown Y had no fewer than 8 courts lined out in their massive gym. My Connecticut Y membership got me in for free and I went several times for open play.

NOTES: Certain hours only, temporary nets, cool bleachers to watch play, 2 foot temporary fences between courts to restrain loose balls, informal round robin, players seemed to ‘self-level’ their groupings.

*Shaker Heights, Ohio

Cleveland suburb. Visiting my old college buddy who shares a recent pickleball obsession. His regular group meets at the recently converted local tennis courts at a middle school.

NOTES: Temporary nets, play can’t start til 9 am due to noise agreement with neighbors, stick your paddle in line in the chain link fence for rotation. Youngest player 11, oldest player 78. Great group

*Kauai, Hawaii

Our first ever trip to Hawaii and it was a challenge convincing my wife to leave beaches and hiking to play pickle, she has a bum shoulder and can’t play. But I succeeded by agreeing to visit botanical gardens (a good marriage involves creative compromises).

NOTES: I had 2 spectacular experiences. In Poipu Beach I played for the first time on 100% dedicated pickleball courts. So cool. In Princeville, a neighborhood of snowbirds had banded together to re-surface a local basketball court. Best view of my life from a pickleball court.

Both locations deployed the fairly standard ‘paddle rack’ rotation system to keep play flowing. Being Hawaii, both were used to out of town visitors.

*Pescadero, Mexico

Once again I had to negotiate a pass to leave my wife, daughter and grandchild to seek out pickle. This time in gritty inland Mexican village. Not a place I would have visited on my own but a google search revealed a Facebook page called “Pescadero Pickleball”. It hadn’t been posted on in a year but I took a shot and tried to find it. After driving through vegetable fields, sketchy looking farms and by roving chickens and stray dogs for miles, I suddenly heard the reassuring ‘plunk plunk plunk’ of pickleball.

NOTES: Snowbirds primarily from Seattle and Vancouver who stay at nearby resorts, had worked a deal with the town to convert their covered (thank god) basketball court to pickleball. AWESOME. Cost to play? 50 pesos ($2.98)

Each time we visit somewhere to play, we learn a bit more about this market! Pickleball Business Advisors is brothers Bill and John Pryor.  We provide a variety of consulting services based on extensive experience in fitness business development, and research into the fast growing pickleball marketplace.  To initiate a feasibility assessment for your pickleball club, or for other consulting, contact us so we can learn about your project.

Pickleball at Fenway Park

As a long time Boston Red Sox Fan, I always dreamed of being able to say “I hit a ball off the Green Monster at Fenway Park.”. On July 14th (my birthday), I did. I hit one off the wall! Granted, it was a pickleball, and the stadium was largely empty…..but hey, it was a clean shot, I absolutely crushed it. It was awesome.

For three days a company called Pickle4 took over Fenway Park as part of their Ballpark Series where they are bringing pickleball to “….the hallowed grounds of America’s most iconic ballparks. Imagine the thrill of serving, volleying, and scoring on the same turf where legends have played……”. Sounds a bit crazy, but a few hundred of us were frolicking in the Fenway outfield. I’ve been in the stadium hundreds of times, this was the first time I touched the “hallowed ground”.

Pickleball for everyone

Over the 3 days of this event, there was an amateur tournament, a pro tournament, and open court rental for groups willing to pony up. My friend Chris had a connection at WEEI, one of the sponsoring media, so we got complimentary access to court #3 right at the base of the famous Green Monster. (p.s. Chris is stronger than me, he hit one OVER the wall which got him a reprimand from event organizers). It was all good, we played exactly where Carl Yastzremski, Jim Rice and Manny Ramirez stood. For Red Sox fans, that’s heady stuff.

We saw all types. Pros warming up, 4.5 amateurs of all ages, teenagers, thirty somethings, and of course a good dose of the 60+ crowd. Chris and I spent much of our time teaching the rules to a group of young WEEI employees who were fascinated to learn what all the fuss was about. We literally watched them go from complete confusion to fist-pumping ecstasy within a matter of an hour or two. We felt we were spreading the pickleball love to the next generation.

The publicity and profile of this event at Fenway were huge in raising the awareness of pickleball in New England’s biggest metro area. Pickleball is a unique sport where everyone can feel, if only for a brief moment like they can play like a real athlete. Being at Fenway park, supercharged that sensation.

Pickleball Business Advisors is brothers Bill and John Pryor.  We provide a variety of consulting services based on extensive experience in fitness business development, and research into the fast growing pickleball marketplace.  To initiate a feasibility assessment for your pickleball club, or for other consulting, contact us so we can learn about your project.

Pickleball Paradise, we’ve seen it

I have seen the future of pickleball…it is here now.  A few blocks from the beach off a non-descript commercial strip in Holly Hill, Florida lies absolute paradise if pickleball is your passion.  It’s called “Pictona”, in a nod to nearby Daytona Beach.

Like most of us, I discovered pickleball on converted tennis courts, community center gyms, and random splotches of asphalt where someone painted lines and threw up temporary nets.  The conditions were not optimal, but the appeal of the game shone through anyway.  What I longed for, without really knowing it, was an environment dedicated solely to every aspect of the pickleball experience. Pictona is exactly that.  Close your eyes and make a wish list of what you’d like, it’s there:

Pickleball perfection

  • 49, yes 49 courts where there is some kind of play going on all day, every day
  • Virtually endless open play to accommodate anyone’s schedule
  • Covered as well as outdoor play on pristine surfaces with permanent nets
  • Fencing around each and every court assuring uninterrupted play
  • Optimal lighting and extensive viewing and mingling areas for between games
  • A world-class “championship court” that can seat over 1000 
  • Cool retail products and paddle-demo options
  • A “Kitchen” that serves good food as well as beer and wine
  • Court-programming to accommodate any level of play
  • Tournaments, ladders, mixers and various events for all levels
  • Youth, beginner and teacher training programs
  • Corporate, team-building and event facilities
  • A cordial and highly social vibe and environment

I could go on and on.  Pictona is the vision of Rainer and Julie Martens, who worked with the town of Holly Hill, and largely funded the effort as a gift to the community and to the pickleball universe. The facility was built in two phases with the most recent 24 courts coming on line just one year ago.  Membership options vary and members are the lifeblood of the facility, but there are lots of options for visitors. The unique quality and scale of Pictona have made it ideal for events and amateur and professional tournaments that are increasingly discovering it.

My brother and I spent 2 days at Pictona exploring, researching, learning….and of course playing pickleball! We wanted to understand what’s working and how to best organize and promote a local pickleball center.  Ownership and the team at Pictona are clearly on the very cutting edge of where pickleball is going, their model continues to evolve —- but we’ve seen what they have now, it is truly pickleball paradise. Contact us anytime to brainstorm building your own pickleball paradise.