Pickleball Magazine 2-2 Courtesy of The Pickleball Guru | Page 48

EVOLUTION
BY ROB DAVIDSON / DIRECTOR OF LEVELUP PICKLEBALL CAMPS
W
atching the various players at Nationals this last
year, it is easy to recognize what type of background
a player comes from: tennis, racquetball, table tennis or
even basketball. Talking with some players, though, it
seems to be a common factor that tennis players transition
to pickleball quite directly. It is no surprise, therefore,
that a tennis club would be a prime location for the
introduction of pickleball. Here are a few stories of how
pickleball has transformed tennis clubs into something
more.
The Lakes Country Club in Palm Desert, California
About three years ago, Marcin Rozpedski, former
professional tennis player and currently the tennis director
at The Lakes Country Club, was approached by a member
with an idea of putting one pickleball court on the back
tennis court of the tennis center –“just to try it.” Soon
after, the demand for the sport forced Marcin to start
taping two more courts, and he knew that he would have
to get some permanent lines down soon. The demand from
the members caught his interest.
When Marcin first heard about pickleball, it was a
struggle to come to terms with the sport. How could he
convince himself, as a tennis director and former tennis
professional, that this game of pickleball would catch on
and be successful at his club? Well, he decided to give it a
try. And he loved it. But how could he convince the general
manager to endorse pickleball? Naturally, the numbers
spoke for themselves.
Since starting the program, the club now has nine
individual permanent pickleball courts. The club sacrificed
three tennis courts for those pickleball courts, but now has
over 150 pickleball club members. Marcin coordinates an
easy-to-follow program, with given start times. Equipment
is provided by the club to new members for the first year,
and the club has equipment for sale through its pro shop.
Now the club is called a “racquet center” instead of “tennis
center” and, according to Marcin, it is
the best thing that ever happened to
the facility. He is glad that The Lakes
Country Club was progressive enough
to introduce and embrace the game of
pickleball three years ago.
Golf course at The Lakes
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Yakima Tennis Club in Yakima,
Washington
In a small city located just south
of the center of Washington, Tyson
McGuffin, a two-time National
medalist, is the Teaching Pro at the
Yakima Tennis Club. With the club
being run by a board, Tyson and his
pickleball friends had to convince
the group that pickleball was a good
idea. It was slow going, but eventually
the board consented and right now