SARASOTA — One of the fastest growing sports in the United States is expanding at a rapid rate in Southwest Florida.
Pickleball is a sport that people of all ages are becoming more and more interested in.
The sport itself — a cross between tennis, ping pong and badminton — has added millions of participants across the country over the past few years, and the growth isn’t expected to stop anytime soon.
The popularity of pickleball continues on the west coast of Florida, but the demand severely outweighs the supply.
A couple of people hoping to relieve some of the high demand are Tim and Heather Dull.
Sarasota residents since 2021, the Dulls became avid pickleball players during COVID as a way of getting fresh air and exercise.
“The tennis courts were locked up, so we started playing pickleball on our driveway,” Heather Dull said. “We really enjoyed it, and we’d play almost every day. That’s when we really started getting hooked on it.”
Maryland residents for a majority of the 2000’s, the Dulls became familiar with an up-and-coming company that prides itself in providing the highest quality indoor pickleball experience for all ages and skill levels.
That company is Dill Dinkers.
Founded by Will and Denise Richards, Dill Dinkers opened its first location in Columbia, Maryland in 2022. Since then, the company has continued to grow at a fast pace.
Last year, the company started a large expansion initiative and the Dulls jumped at the opportunity.
“My tennis friends invited me once to play at Dill Dinkers there in Columbia when I was back for the holidays,” Heather Dull said. “It was a lot of fun. Everyone was so sociable, people of all ages and skill levels were playing together. I just thought it was really cool. Even past the holidays, I stayed up there and played a lot.”
After returning to Sarasota, Heather thought how cool it would be to have the same type of indoor pickleball facilities accessible year-round in Florida.
“It’s nice to play outdoors, but you have the heat and the rain during the summer,” Heather Dull said. “Right now, there’s not a lot of courts you can reserve and play as much as you’d like. We wanted to bring the fun and joy of being able to drop in at anytime and play with your friends to Sarasota.”
In October, the Dulls became regional developers for the company, committing to the development of 10 different locations across the Gulf Coast of Florida.
Cities that the Dulls hope to expand to include Sarasota, St. Petersburg, Bradenton and Venice.
“Right now, we have plans for two locations in Sarasota and Bradenton,” Heather Dull said. “We’re putting all of our focus on those two locations for now, and we’re hoping to have the first one finished by the fall of 2024.
“We hope to find a place down in Venice soon, because I know the demand down there is high. Whenever I play with people from Venice, I feel like they are always ready to jump on me.”
The locations are expected to feature 9-to-12 separate indoor courts that’ll be open to members and non-members.
The facility will be open seven days a week and will include additional amenities like a pro shop, rentable ball machines, private event spaces, large bathrooms and online court reservation systems.
Visitors will have the ability to become members and pay a monthly fee or drop in and out whenever they want as a non-member.
Dill Dinkers will also offer the chance to compete in leagues and to receive lessons for beginners.
The company plans to have around 30 open facilities by the end of 2024, with more than 150 locations now in the works across the country.
The pickleball industry is starting to boom in the Venice area, with Dill Dinkers being the second indoor facility to confirm plans for development within the city.
The Pickleball Club is building a facility — one that will boast 14 indoor courts — that’s expected to be completed this summer.
“The pickleball community is very inclusive,” Heather Dull said. “This isn’t meant to be just about the super fit people playing all the time. We want people to feel welcomed when they come to a Dill Dinkers facility. It’s fun and quirky, but it’s very competitive at the same time.”
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