The Pickleball Club Celebrates Grand Opening of First Indoor Facility in Florida

May 10, 2023 – Sarasota

 The Pickleball Club, a firm founded in 2019 and the nation’s leading developer and operator of private membership-based high-amenity indoor pickleball facilities throughout Florida, recently celebrated the grand opening of its first club. In Sarasota near Lakewood Ranch, Fla., the recent ribbon-cutting marks the opening of the first dedicated indoor pickleball facility in the state, and the company has six more underway, with a goal of opening at least 15 over the next five years. 

The 33,393-square-foot club located at 1300 Sarasota Center Blvd. officially opened its doors to the public on Tuesday, May 2. It features championship-grade courts with permanent nets, an outdoor players’ courtyard, Pickles Café, Dink’s Pro Shop, an indoor players’ lounge observation deck, luxurious locker rooms and a HEPA filtered air-conditioned environment.  

“The Pickleball Club is the most luxurious pickleball venue in existence today and our mantra is to provide an outstanding member experience,” said Brian McCarthy, founder and CEO of The Pickleball Club.  “We engaged in extensive market research to understand what people wanted. Foremost was the opportunity to socialize, to belong to a micro-community centered on pickleball. Equally important to the experience was the ability to eliminate the effects of weather, where a third to half the time, heat, humidity, rain or bugs, spoils the pickleball experience. The answer was a high end, indoor amenity-filled social club focusing on pickleball as the primary activity.” 

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on May 2 to commemorate the occasion. Attendees heard from executives of The Pickleball Club and guest speakers, including Steve Johnson, president and owner of Southern Cross Contracting; Catrina Southall, USDA deputy state director for Florida; and Brittany Lamont, president and CEO of Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance, among others. The event attracted over 200 people. 

Last month, the club announced the purchase of two additional properties in Venice and Pinellas Park, bringing its total of secured locations to seven. The Venice club will be located at the intersection of Crestview Boulevard and Jacaranda Boulevard. The Club will have 16 indoor pickleball courts and two outdoor pickleball courts. The Pinellas Park location is located at Gateway Centre Business Park and will have 16 indoor pickleball courts and two outdoor courts. Four other clubs are under development in Port St. Lucie, The Villages, Fort Myers and Bonita Springs. 

“We have created the premier pickleball facility and enterprise-class organization in the industry,” said Matt Gordon, co-founder of The Pickleball Club. “We intend to maintain and grow our leadership position. Our club at Lakewood Ranch is the case study. It is now the premier community in which to play pickleball and socialize for all generations. For the many hundreds of people who have already joined, this is exactly what they wanted.” 

The Pickleball Club’s strategy is to take advantage of the significant unmet demand for a quality indoor social-sports experience dedicated to pickleball. Each of the company’s clubs range between 34,000 to 50,000 square feet with 12 to 16 indoor pickleball courts, multiple outdoor courts, an outdoor players’ courtyard, Dink’s Pro Shop, Pickles Café, luxurious locker room facilities and ample space for gathering with friends, new and old.