Browsing: Pickleball News

Major League Pickleball and The Botanist Islay Dry Gin have reached an agreement to form an exciting new multi-year partnership throughout 2023 and 2024 at league events. This exciting deal marks the league’s first official gin partnership. Seventeen Brand Partners The venture combines The Botanist, one of the market’s most prominent high-end gins, with Major League Pickleball, the foremost professional team pickleball league featuring nearly 100 of the world’s top players in America’s fastest-growing sport. MLP’s business expansion has resulted in 17 current brand partners – including title sponsor Margaritaville, Michelob ULTRA, and Toyota & the All-New 2023 Toyota Prius…

The Association of Pickleball Players (APP) has unveiled plans for the AARP U.S. Champions Cup, expected to be one of the largest pickleball events to date. These marquee events will cater to the AARP Champions (ages 50 and over) and Masters (ages 60 and over) Divisions, featuring a minimum of 15 competitions on the APP Tour in 2024. Open To All Skill Levels Scheduled for February 1 to 4 in Daytona Beach, Florida, the tournament will be open to players of all skill levels, including those at the professional level, within the AARP Champions and Masters Divisions. Additionally, there will…

The APP Tour is back this weekend for the 2023 APP Houston Open, hosted at the Houston Memorial Park Tennis Center from October 25-29. Following the excitement of the Dallas Open earlier in the month, we expect the Texas sun to shine again upon the APP in Houston. Today marks the start of the tournament, with amateur doubles and pro qualifiers. The rest of the tournament will see our usual lineup of pro singles and doubles, so let’s take a peek at which players we think you should watch this weekend! View this post on Instagram A post shared by…

In the 1980s, Ivan Lendl strode the tennis courts of the world like a colossus. He style of play wasn’t as easy on the eye as, say John McEnroe’s, but he possessed a focused, almost machine-like ability to outlast opponents, usually from the baseline. However, encountering the 63-year-old legend today reveals a different picture. He appears thicker around the midriff and grayer too. Most strikingly, he actually exhibits occasional moments of levity, including a smile. A Misconception Yet, delve into his newfound passion for pickleball, and it becomes evident that the Lendl of yesteryears is still very much present. When…

It’s 20 years now since the Florida Marlins turned baseball upside down, cutting a swathe through the playoff games and then spanking the New York Yankees to clinch the World Series. Now, Brad Penny, Jeff Conine, and three more teammates from the class of ‘03 are involved in a different kind of ballgame — and you’re invited along for the ride! PBX Pickleball The five members of the ‘03 World Series champions are just part of a 115-strong contingent of retired professional athletes who have joined PBX Pickleball. This new league connects ex-sports stars with the pickleball community. Sports Facilities…

The newly unveiled pickleball venue and dining establishment Pickle Haüs is poised to set a new standard in the new concept of “eatertainment.” Scheduled for a grand opening on November 17, 2023, this expansive 41,000-square-foot facility is located in Algonquin, near Chicago, Illinois. Dual Focus The premises encompass 12 indoor pickleball courts, complemented by a refined restaurant, a bar, two golf simulators, private event facilities, and an inviting outdoor dining area. The Pickle Haüs leadership team emphasizes a dual focus on top-tier pickleball courts and a robust food and beverage program, with the aim of nurturing a sense of community…

World top-ranked players Anna Leigh Waters, and Ben Johns lead the pro-player field in the 2023 Biofreeze USA Pickleball National Championships powered by Invited and the PPA Tour.  The tournament, the largest in pickleball history, will take place from November 5-12 at Brookhaven Country Club in Farmers Branch, an inner-ring suburb of Dallas. Unprecedented Record Ben Johns, at age 24, holds an unprecedented record as the first player to secure 100 career titles on the PPA Tour. This achievement solidifies his position as the most successful player, regardless of gender, in PPA history, boasting 104 career gold medals. The 16-year-old…

Franchisor and indoor court facility provider Ace Pickleball Club is in the middle of an ambitious expansion plan. Its latest acquisition is a space at Jeffersontown Commons in Louisville, Kentucky. The establishment’s footprint is 38,000 square feet and will feature 11 indoor courts in a climate-controlled setting. Roswell, Georgia Diego Pacheco, the Chief Growth Officer of the company, stated that the Louisville venue is among the initial five Ace Pickleball Club facilities to be established. The inaugural site was inaugurated in Roswell, Georgia, situated just north of Atlanta, where the company is headquartered. The company learned of this opportunity at…

The Texas Ranchers, one of the eight founding teams of Major League Pickleball (MLP), announced a large group of new team owners, including the legendary Grammy Award-winning rapper Lil Wayne. He will also take on a strategic advisor role within the organization and plans on helping the Ranchers build pickleball courts in underserved communities. Beyond the Rancher’s acquisition of Wayne, other stand-out investors include Australian hip-hop artist The Kid LAROI, famous for songs such as STAY and WITHOUT YOU, and NFL analyst and former player Emmanuel Acho, who also happens to be a Texas native. The other members of the…

With the rise in popularity of our favorite sport, one of the industry sectors that gets caught in its slipstream is the pickleball equipment market. One of the markets seeing the biggest surge in demand is paddle manufacturing. Tanners, situated in central Arkansas, is a manufacturer well situated to make the most of this boom. Escalating Popularity Tanners is in Hot Springs, about 50 miles southwest of Little Rock, and is a big player in the large-scale production of Vulcan pickleball paddles. The escalating popularity of the sport is paralleled by an increasing need for these products, a trend which…