The Pickleball Club wants to be the surging sport's indoor option in Sarasota

Brian McCarthy is trying to relish the moment. 

Even though McCarthy's longtime project, The Pickleball Club, won't open until January or February, McCarthy has little doubt it will be a success. People won't sour on the sport, McCarthy said, in the long or short term. In fact, he and general manager Dominic Catalano believe the sport's biggest days are still ahead — which is why they are aiming to create the ultimate dill-uxe experience for Sarasota-area athletes. 

McCarthy got the idea for The Pickleball Club four years ago when he was on the Board of Governors at the Bird Key Yacht Club as strategic planning chair. McCarthy pitched the board about putting in a few pickleball courts on some empty lots the club owned. The members loved the idea — but the club's neighbors did not love the noise they said the courts would generate, so the idea was shelved. But McCarthy could not let the idea go.

It was not just the sport itself that interested him — though he certainly enjoys playing it — but where the sport could go. McCarthy said he had a feeling it would soon explode in popularity across all ages because of its ease of play and how the game encourages socializing. McCarthy hired a researcher to ask athletes what they liked and disliked about the current pickleball experience. He wanted to reach as many pickleball players across as many demographics as possible. Some common refrains seen in the results: people wanted a space to play indoors, especially in the summers, but wanted to do so on a surface that wouldn't cause much joint pain. They also wanted to retain the game's social aspects while refining the matchmaking process: Often, there are more players at a location than there are available spaces on courts, meaning that players were doing a lot of waiting for other matches to finish before playing again. 

McCarthy took this information and turned it into what will soon be The Pickleball Club, a 33,000-square-foot mecca for the sport.

The club, which will be located at 1300 Sarasota Center Blvd., will feature 12 indoor courts and four outdoor courts, as well as a small cafe selling to-go style food and beverages, plus a bocce ball area, a table tennis area and a cornhole area. And there will be plenty of areas to relax and watch sports on TV as a wind-down. 

McCarthy compared the club's indoor court surfaces to that of the U.S. Open in tennis, which is a multi-layered acrylic hard court. McCarthy said he believes the surface will be comfortable and plenty cushioned so people with injury histories and sensitive joints can still play. 

True to the sport's all-ages, all-levels origins, The Pickleball Club will have no skill requirements. In fact, McCarthy is expecting most of the club's members to be beginners or otherwise low-level players. But the club will have coaches available for each level in case players want to improve their skills. Nonmembers can also take lessons with coaches at higher rates. 

All of these activities and amenities won't come for free. The Pickleball Club will be a private club. McCarthy said that until the club opens, it will be offering a special initiation (one time) fee rate of approximately $1,000, plus monthly membership fees of approximately $100 for adult and family plans and $55 for youth plans. Those prices will increase after the grand opening. Unlike other private clubs, The Pickleball Club will not require monthly food and beverage minimums. A membership provides free open court play and use of the facility's other activities. Members will have to pay a small fee if they want to reserve a court, but the fee can be divided among four players. Accumulated fees will be billed once a month. 

"We want it to be affordable," McCarthy said. "I'm so glad that the sport is being embraced by everybody." 

McCarthy said the club has more than 200 members, with more than 1,900 people asking for more information once the club officially opens. 

While the sport is still popular with older generations, the average pickleball player is getting younger by the year. Catalano, who is a Level 5 pickleball player, said the median player is approximately 42 years old, with the largest age group being 18-34. Sports celebrities such as Tom Brady, Kim Clijsters, LeBron James and Drew Brees have all invested or promoted in the sport in various forms, as have non-sports celebrities like country music artist Maren Morris.

On Nov. 17, CBS will air a celebrity pickleball special hosted by Stephen Colbert and starring actors Will Ferrell and Emma Watson and country music artist Dierks Bentley among others. Catalano said the exposure can only help the sport at-large and, by extension, the club. 

Catalano said the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent months of social distancing led to pickleball getting back to its roots as a family-friendly game, something all loved ones can do together. The sport has continued to ride a wave of popularity since — and the club aims to keep it going. 

"People just need to get past the stigma of 'Oh, it's pickleball,'" Catalano said. "So what? It's a great time. Get out there and have fun. That's exactly what they are doing now." 

For more information on the club or to become a member, visit ThePickleballClub.us.