Remember all those articles about how obsessed Florida is with pickleball, and how we had the second-highest number of courts in the U.S. behind California?
That's old news. We're No. 1 now, according to pickelheads.com, with 1,022 pickleball courts in the Sunshine State compared to California's 1,017. More courts have been added, some courts have been expanded, more people are picking up the paddle and the thwop thwop noise can be heard across the land.
There are now more than 48 million pickleball players in the U.S., according to the Association of Pickleball Professionals. When you get that much athletic activity, you get tournaments.
The U.S. Open Pickleball Championships were held in Naples this year, with over 3,000 professional and amateur players competing from 29 countries and at least one player from every U.S. state. There's the PPA Pickleball Tour, the APP Tour, the National Pickleball Championships, the USA Pickleball National Championships ... and now there's the World Pickleball Series.
The series will host four events this fall in South Florida. Two of the events are sanctioned by USA Pickleball, which means results count toward player ratings.
Here's what's coming up.
How to play pickleball:Here are the rules and things to know before hitting the court
- What: World Pickleball Classic presented by Hospital for Special Surgery
- When: Oct. 12-15, 2023
- Where: Palm Beach Gardens Tennis & Pickleball Center, 5110 117th Ct N, Palm Beach Gardens
- Who: Pro & amateur
- Entry fee:
- Pro divisions: $80 event registration, $125 per event entered
- Skills divisions: $80 event registration, $45 per event entered
- Prizes: Prize money for the pro divisions will be up to $25,000.
- Entry deadline for World Pickleball Classic: Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023
- USA Pickleball Tier 4 sanctioned event: Yes
This is the first year for the World Pickleball Classic, which includes several age and skill divisions from age 19 up to 65 and over in men’s and women’s singles, doubles and mixed doubles. Amazon's PickleTV will run a 30-minute highlight show.
- What: Martin County Senior Games pickleball tournament
- When: Oct. 26-28, 2023
- Where: Halpatiokee Regional Park, 8303 S.W. Lost River Road, Stuart
- Who: Players age 50+
- Entry fee:
- Before Oct. 1, 2023: $40 registration fee, $20 per event registration, $5 software fee per event
- Beginning Oct. 1, 2023: $50 registration fee, $20 per event registration, $5 software fee per event
- Registration deadline for Martin County Senior Games pickleball tournament: Oct. 20, 2023
The top four in each age divisional event will qualify for the 2023 Florida Senior Games.
Why pickleball?Pickleball easy to pick up regardless of age, athleticism
- What: World Pickleball Open presented by Hospital for Special Surgery and Kolter Homes
- When: Nov. 16-19, 2023
- Where: Palm Beach Gardens Tennis & Pickleball Center, 5110 117th Court North, Palm Beach Gardens (see above for map)
- Who: Pro & amateur
- Entry fee:
- Pro Divisions (per person): $80 event registration fee + $125 entry fee per event entered
- Skills Divisions (per person): $80 event registration fee + $45 entry dee per event entered
- Prizes: Prize money for the pro divisions will be up to $25,000.
- Entry deadline for World Pickleball Open: Nov. 2, 2023
- USA Pickleball Tier 4 sanctioned event: Yes
The World Pickleball Open began in 2019 in Port St. Lucie.
- What: World Pickleball Challenge
- When: Dec. 15-17, 2023
- Where: Whispering Pines Park, 800 S.W. Darwin Blvd., Port St. Lucie
- Who: Amateurs only
- Entry fee:
- Before Nov. 1: $15 registration fee, each divisional event is $55
- Beginning Nov. 1: $20 registration fee, each divisional event is $55
- Entry deadline for World Pickleball Challenge: Nov. 30, 2023
This new event is for amateurs only and will use a round-robin format for men’s and women’s skills divisions ranging from age 19 to 60 and over. Whispering Pines Park just converted more tennis courts to get 24 dedicated pickleball courts.
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