Pickleball is Chic - Just look at Miami

Colorful graffiti. Artificial turf. Clinking glasses. The smell of burgers sizzling against a hot grill. Have I stepped into a beer garden? Then I hear that distinct plink of a little plastic ball against a paddle. No, it’s not a beer garden, it’s a pickleball center.

Dubbing itself “Miami’s First Pickleball Social Club” the Sip & Pickle in Wynwood looks to pioneer a new concept in the world of pickleball, blending the fun and accessibility of the game with the stylishness and class of a country club. As I watch players walk around in their tennis, ahem, pickleball whites, I realize it is unmistakable….

Pickleball is chic. In vogue. 

Pickleball has come a long way since Joel Pritchard first invented it in the summer of 1965. It became popular among seniors and a mainstay of retirement homes and suddenly spread like wildfire throughout our post-pandemic nation. And nowhere is that more evident than in the 305. 

No longer relegated to a few backcourts at your local tennis complex, centers dedicated solely to pickleball are popping up throughout Miami and Wynwood’s Sip & Pickle is just one of them. The Dinko Pickleball Complex, which just opened this past summer, boasts multiple indoor courts along with a cafe, shop, and VIP member’s lounge. The Yards at Amelia in Miami’s Hialeah neighborhood offers both indoor pickleball and food trucks just outside the courts. It looks like pickleball is looking to challenge tennis, so which sport can be the most beautiful (it’s still tennis, sorry, we’ve got Wimbledon).

Pickleball players enjoying the outdoor foodcourt at The Yards at Amelia

Professional teams

Speaking of tennis, pickleball and tennis no longer seem to be the fierce rivals they once were. The Miami Pickleball Club, Miami’s only professional pickleball team, was partly founded by tennis stars Naomi Osaka and Nick Krygios, among others. Pickleball even enjoyed its debut at the Miami Open this year. And the number of pickleball converts from tennis grows each year (myself being one of them).

 It further appears that Major League Pickleball (MLP) has established a firm foothold in the city. Miami hosted an MLP pickleball tournament this past October at the Miami Fairgrounds which included the addition of minor league pickleball which allows amateurs to play alongside the pros as long as they bring squads of at least four.

Of the more grounded variety

But booze and VIP lounges set aside, there’s still plenty of pickleball development in Miami of the more down-to-earth kind. The Miami Marlins hosted their 2nd annual Pickleball Day this past April with special promotions including handing out custom pickleball paddles with special ticket package purchases.

The DETA Pickleball Club in Kendale Lakes offers no fancy lounges or cocktails while you play, but with 17 outdoor pickleball courts, they are the largest pickleball facility in Dade County and are open to the public; no special membership or registration fees are required. 

And if that doesn’t appeal to you, most tennis centers in Miami now boast at least a few pickleball courts so wherever you are in the city, you can find a place to play.

For now, I will stick to my trusty, pickleball courts at my local tennis center in the suburbs. It’s boozeless and not exactly ‘chic,’ but it’s quiet and I can usually get a court if I make sure to hop on the reservation system at midnight. 

But it’s undeniable. Pickleball is everywhere. There’s even a celebrity chef pickleball tournament happening at this upcoming South Beach Wine and Food Festival for the third year in a row (I’d pay anything to watch Gordon Ramsay hit a dink!)

Pickleball is hot, it’s growing, and Miami’s in the thick of it.