The fastest growing sport in America is definitely popular with commoners. But lately, pickleball, a cross between tennis, ping-pong and badminton, has become the limit of bougie.
Don’t expect to visit the Hamptons this summer, for example, without finding a waiting list for the three new courts at Dune Deck Beach Club, open to members only.
“If you walk into any of our clubs between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m., the courts are packed,” said Mike Meldman, founder and president of Discovery Land Company, which owns the exclusive Hamptons Beach Club Residences.
Hamptonians who don’t want to wait (or can’t afford Dune Deck’s annual membership fees) are playing at Barn in Westhampton, Sportime in Amagansett and Around the Post Pickleball, LLC, in Hampton Bays.
Pickleball is infiltrating other Tony zip codes as well. All of Discovery’s luxury resort communities, from Barbuda to Portugal, now have pickleball courts.
The exclusive Dune Deck Beach Club has not one, but three new pickleball courts.Julia Florio
And on the West Coast, country clubs are turning tennis courts into pickleball courts at breakneck speed. “Hillcrest Country Club is adding courts, Brentwood Country Club is adding courts, all the major country clubs here are adding courts,” said Matt Manasse, dubbed the “Pickleball Coach to the Stars” by Vanity Fair.
Last year, Manasse was named the first pickleball coach at the prestigious Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades in California. These days, the former pro tennis coach plays famous picklers like Larry David, Matthew Perry and Drew Brees.
Pickleball is not only fashionable among high society, it is fashionable.
Venus Williams’ EleVen is adding a dose of style to the sport. Eleven by Venus Williams
Fenix Sportier is also adding glamor to the burgeoning sport.sportier phoenix
“Outfits are definitely becoming more palatable among women of means,” Manasse said.
Its customers are almost begging the Gigi Hadi-approved luxury streetwear brand Madhappy (whose investors include LVMH and Tommy Hilfiger) to make a pickleball line. Meanwhile, Alice + Olivia welcomed the memo on the creation of WASP-like luxury whites.
“I decided to create pickleball outfits after seeing the explosive popularity of the sport during the pandemic and noticing that none of my girlfriends knew what to wear,” said Stacey Bendet Eisner, the company’s founder and CEO.
Half tennis, half ping-pong, pickleball is the must-have sport of the season. fake images
Pickleball accessories are getting fancy too.
“I loved the Tory Sport tennis bag but, in all honesty, it was too basic,” said Lauren Bruksch, CEO and founder of Fenix Sportier.
So, the former Barbie marketing director at Mattel recently launched her own collection of luxury pickleball accessories. Fenix Sportier bags are hand-sewn in the USA by a gentleman who used to work for Louis Vuitton and Balenciaga. Bruksch calls it the One Bag, which retails for $1,750, the Bentley of pickleball bags. “It takes you from winning with a drink to having a drink at the bar.”
His $150 visor is also a best seller. He has customers who buy it in various colors after realizing they “can’t live without it”.
Major mid-luxury brands are also getting into the pickleball business. Tommy Bahama is marketing its $110 IslandZone polo shirts as perfect for pickleball and “suitable for serves and volleys.” Vera Bradley is teaming up with Baddle on a collection of paisley and floral covered oars starting at $150. That may sound like a lot, but it’s a steal compared to the $333 Selkirk Labs palette that Manasse is currently considering. Now that’s a lot.
For perspective, Amazon’s #1-selling pickleball kit, which includes two paddles, four balls, and a carry bag, is just $63.
Meanwhile, at high-end resorts like Rosewood Little Dix Bay in the British Virgin Islands, it’s no longer BYOP. Like the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman and Pebble Beach in California, Rosewood Little Dix Bay pretty much buys pickleball equipment in bulk. The resort has even hired instructors to run pickleball clinics five days a week. It seems that Americans, especially the one percent, can’t get enough of the sport.
Perhaps no one knows this better than Tony Mariotti. RubyHome’s real estate agent grew up in the Pacific Northwest, where he invented pickleball in 1965, and fondly remembers his family having a pickleball court in his driveway. Currently, he represents an $85 million house in Beverly Hills.
One of its biggest selling points? An indoor pickleball court, of course.
Source: nypost.com