Ken Hamill , founder of Big Rigs Best Bets , has seen pickleball explode in the U . S . He consults with nearly 2,000 RV parks and likens the demand for pickleball to the demand for Wi-Fi some years ago . Rich Stockwell , one of the premiere RV park consultants in the industry , says , “ We always include and recommend pickleball courts in our designs .”
Just four or five years ago , RV park pickleball was mostly a southern phenomenon in Arizona , Florida , and Southern California . Now Ken recommends and sees courts being constructed and actively played in North Idaho ( StoneRidge ), Upstate New York ( Lake George ), and many other northern locales .
As new players join the game and begin playing in tournaments , they mix their love of RV travel with tournament play all over the country , thereby exposing more people to the great game of pickleball . Many RV resorts host their own tournaments or participate in ones nearby . The Coeur d ’ Alene Classic pickleball tournament , now in its third year and attracting
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Want to learn more ?
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Check out a few of our favorite places to play :
Palm Creek Golf and RV Resort , Arizona www . palmcreekgolf . com
“ Palm Creek ’ s 55 + community hosts over 2,000 RV and vacation home sites on 350 acres of fun and entertainment . With nearly every amenity imaginable , our residents describe us as a yearround summer camp . Of course , our 32 lighted pickleball courts are the highlight of the resort . The courts drive occupancy and add tempo and enthusiasm to our thriving , healthy community .”
— Stephanie Martin , Marketing Director for Sun RV Resorts
Outdoor Resorts , Indio , California www . orindio . com
“ Since pickleball was introduced to Outdoor Resorts Indio ( ORI ), it has grown into the largest sports / social club at the resort . As many as 200 active pickleball players are here in a very active season ! There ’ s evidence that at least a couple of our owners would not have bought if we didn ’ t have pickleball . We also have testimonials that 20 percent of owners considered the availability of pickleball to be a positive factor in their decisions to buy an RV lot . Many of our owners / players travel to various RV tournaments throughout the U . S . and Canada .”
— Chuck Le Blanc , President of ORI Pickleball Club
Most RV parks with pickleball courts offer lessons — and many more now offer professional help with the “ LevelUp ” program , which features high-level players giving all-day or multiday lessons with excellent oneon-one coaching . If you want a more in-depth experience , try the LevelUp training camp . Visit www . leveluppickleballcamps . com for clinics in your area .
RiverBend Motorcoach Resort , Labelle , Florida www . riverbendflorida . com
“ Did you hear that explosion ? It was pickleball ! And exploded it has . We started out at RiverBend in a parking lot with a net between two golf carts , and now it is part of the RV resort pickleball explosion . If you have an RV resort and you don ’ t have pickleball courts , you ’ re missing out . RiverBend currently has more than 100 active pickleball players on eight beautiful courts .”
— Jerry Rea , Former President and Founder of the RiverBend Pickleball Club and a major influence on pickleball growth in southern Florida .
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