Pickleball for All! Resorts Up Their Game for America’s Fastest Growing Sport

  • June 23, 2021
Pickleball for All! Resorts Up Their Game for America’s Fastest Growing Sport

Have you heard that pickleball is America’s fastest growing sport? A hybrid of tennis, badminton and ping-pong, pickleball is the perfect outdoor activity to play as a family, couple, or with friends when on vacation at some of our favorite resorts.

From the most pickleball courts of any resort in the country in Phoenix to a picturesque court in Lanai, here are some luxury resorts that offer pickleball programs perfect for summer.

JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa | Phoenix, AZ

Featuring the most pickleball courts of any resort in the country, JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge now has 17 new pickleball courts that are professionally surfaced, world-class courts, including an expansive Center Court with a 400-person capacity. With pickleball gear and accessories as a full-time, certified pickleball instructor, a variety of packages can be tailored for leisure guests and team-building events, and the courts provide a picturesque outdoor venue for private buyouts and special functions.

Four Seasons Resort Lanai | Lanai City, H

Located on the picturesque island of Lanai, the luxurious Four Seasons Resort Lanai features an outdoor Tennis Garden with two Plexipave cushion courts and one Har-Tru Green Clay court, perfect for playing pickleball. Guests can sharpen their skills for the popular sport with the one-hour Beginner Pickleball Class to learn the most important pickleball shots, including drinks, volleys and the third shot drop, as well as scoring and strategies. Pickleball is helmed by the resort’s tennis pro, Andres Durandegui, who previously operated the Reno Tennis Centre, one of the largest tennis complexes in northern Nevada.

Carmel Valley Ranch | Carmel, CA

A family-friendly summer-camp-inspired resort, Carmel Valley Ranch is situated on 500 wild acres in the foothills along California’s Central Coast near Big Sur and Monterey. A sophisticated playground for all ages, the resort is an escape with plenty of room and activities to explore including pickleball. The Ranch has created a unique group experience where guests can learn the country’s fastest growing sport, kicking off with a coaching session with Carmel’s top Pickleball professionals.

The Greenbrier | White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia

The Greenbrier has made pickleball a major focus and recently completed the process of adding additional courts to their indoor Tennis and Fitness Center. Lessons are available, as well as renting court time. Family tournaments are held over holiday weekends and other exciting events.

  • Dating back centuries, The Greenbrier has been known as a destination for tennis enthusiasts. It still is a wonderful place for tennis with indoor and outdoor courts and a 2,500-seat stadium, which annually hosts the best players in the game. But some of the resources that were once devoted to tennis are now being used for pickleball, because of the growing popularity of the sport.
  • In any given week, as much as 75 percent of the court time and 50 percent of the lessons at the Tennis and Fitness Center are devoted to pickleball.
  • Sales of tennis gear and equipment are now heavily supplemented by sales of pickleball equipment.
  • Daily pickleball clinics are offered at The Greenbrier, as well as private lessons, and plans are being made to host major tournaments in the future.
  • Indoor locker rooms and an on-site pro shop, filled with paddles and other equipment, are rarities in the world of pickleball but are featured at The Greenbrier.