As we’ve featured in several recent articles, pickleball and golf are becoming increasingly connected. Our favorite sport has attracted the attention of some top-tier golfers who have become almost unofficial ambassadors.
Scottie Scheffler
Among them is Scottie Scheffler, regarded as the best golfer around at the moment. Scheffler’s endorsement of the game is evident as he has invested in the Texas Ranchers, his state’s professional pickleball team and last autumn, Scheffler joined former NBA luminaries Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd in the Carvana Celebrity Pickleball Showdown held in Dallas.
His performance was notable for the way he won a point off Ben Johns in a rally that went viral.
Another notable golfer who shares Scheffler’s enthusiasm for pickleball is Jordan Spieth, who actually teamed up with Scheffler for a pickleball match back in October 2022.
Other elite players, such as Phil Mickelson, Matt Kuchar, Tony Finau, Sherri Steinhauer, and Amy Olson, have also been connected to pickleball in some way.
“Bigger Than Golf”
Hank Haney, renowned as Tiger Woods’ former coach, is a big pickleball fan and boldly predicted that pickleball would one day surpass even golf in popularity. However, the prediction hasn’t quite materialized as expected.
In 2019, he told golf.com, “In three to four years, pickleball will be bigger than golf, and it won’t even be close.”
The recent Texas Open victory by Akshay Bhatia highlighted yet another golfer who has ties to pickleball. Bhatia’s triumph was nearly ruined by an injury sustained during the intense playoff with Denny McCarthy. His left shoulder, previously injured during a pickleball game, momentarily dislodged during a celebratory gesture on the 72nd hole.
Despite the setback, Bhatia managed to tape up his shoulder and secure victory, although his participation in the Masters was thrown into doubt.
A “Work In Progress”
Reflecting on his injury, Bhatia described it as a “work in progress,” acknowledging the challenges it presents. Regular readers will know Bhatia isn’t the only potential Masters participant having to contend with a pickleball-related injury; Bernhard Langer, set to bid farewell to the Masters this year, withdrew from the event after tearing his Achilles tendon during a pickleball match.
We reported that pickleball forms a part of Langer’s training program, and he had revealed how he suffered the injury while backpedalling to reach his opponent’s lob.
“I did a few steps backward and hit an overhead, and as I landed on the ground with my feet, I heard this huge pop, very loud, like a gunshot,” he said. “I knew right away it was a torn Achilles.”
Kate Kombo Foundation
We also saw the Kate Kombo Foundation hold a golf and pickleball tournament in Sawgrass, Florida, in October last year. The proceeds from the event supported the foundation’s mission to fund innovative, nontoxic treatments for childhood cancer.
Connor Hance and Drew Baird, co-owners of Enhance Pickleball, recently participated in the 2024 Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA) Show after being invited by the body. This may be one of the biggest indications yet of the barriers being broken down between our sport and golf.
