- October 2, 2024
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Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the United States, and the Lakewood Ranch Pickleball Club is right in line with over 1,700 members.
The nonprofit operates under the umbrella of Lakewood Ranch Community Activities. Club members teach an introductory clinic once a month and organize tournaments, leagues and open play.
“The club itself was designed to get communities playing each other because we had no courts,” President Bob Haskin said. “Esplanade was playing River Strand, and the Lakewood Ranch Country Club was just getting started. They only had four courts.”
That was seven years ago. As new communities continued to open up new courts, the club kept growing its membership. Haskins estimates that one in 10 people in Lakewood Ranch play pickleball.
Club members range in skill level from beginner to expert. People who have never picked up a paddle can join the club, too, and there’s no telling where that might lead.
“I had one lady up in River Strand, who’s now playing on the pro tour,” Haskin said. “I gave her lessons early on.”
Kelly Stroble is 54 years old and now plays for the Oklahoma City Punishers in the National Pickleball League.
Stroble was already a solid athlete with a background in tennis and softball, but club member Carol Lucas said she wasn’t very good herself at any sport before playing pickleball. And therein lies the draw of the sport — pickleball is easy to learn.
Haskin and club member Richard Bianchi teach the clinic at Lakewood Ranch Park once a month. It takes about an hour to teach a beginner.
“Somebody that is less coordinated or hasn’t played racket sports in the past, it may take them two hours,” Haskin said. “They may be very poor at it, but tell the other people on the courts that you’re new, and they’ll help you out.”
Pickleball is as social as it is sporty. Lucas met a 96-year-old man who told her that pickleball saved his life.
“His wife died, and he was so lonely that a friend told him, ‘You need to come out to pickleball,’” she said. “He started visiting with people and he loved it. He plays three games a day.”
The pickleball courts at Lakewood Ranch Park include a seating area where players can chat between and after games.
Off-court social gatherings are a membership perk, along with a monthly newsletter and discounted pickleball gear.
For more serious players, joining the club can earn them a Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating. The DUPR league starts in October. Haskin said DUPR is similar to GHIN, a system that provides handicaps to golfers.
“DUPR is either the No. 1 handicap system or it will be in the next few months,” he said. “And you’ll be able to rely on that and go play in a tournament anywhere in the country. When you’ve got that handicap, they know where to put you as far as skill level.”
Players are paired by skill level and age bracket. Over 50, the brackets change every five years. Haskin said club members get competitive in the DUPR league because they’re playing for a published rating.
However, members of the club don’t have to play in the DUPR league to receive a handicap and get matched with similarly skilled players within the club. Haskin has a similar system to DUPR, but it’s exclusive to club members.
The club also hosts the annual Sandhill Classic, a local tournament.
When Haskin started the club, he had no idea how many people would want to join. He quickly realized how much interest there was after attending a “club night” hosted by Lakewood Ranch Community Activities.
Haskin said he didn’t bring candy or a banner like the rest of the clubs, but he did bring a piece of paper that had 40 names on it by the end of the night.
The next step for the club is to start a Lakewood Ranch travel team that will play teams outside of the region. Haskin said some members have shown interest, so a team is “coming soon.”
A membership to the Lakewood Ranch Pickleball Club costs $15 a year.
