3 easy tips to land more lobs

Bouchard big-game hunting in 2025. Beer sales fund pickleball complex in Kalamazoo.

January 10, 2025

The sports world we knew twenty years ago is gone. These days baseball has a pitch clock, football no longer glorifies getting ‘Jacked Up’, and golf is played indoors.

The TMRW Golf League (TGL) premiered on ESPN on Tuesday night. TGL is the new team-based league founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy where matches are played indoors on a massive simulator screen and undulating green.

The format allows for every hole to be played in front of a stadium crowd with mic’d-up players. This unique concept is a testament to how sports entertainment is constantly changing and gives inspiration for how pickleball can carve out a place in pro sports over the next twenty years.

In This Issue:

🤝 Easy tips for more successful lobs
🏆 Men’s doubles field a mystery at PPA Masters
🍺 Beer sales fund pickleball complex in Kalamazoo

First work week of the year, complete.

Our Picks ☝️

📓 Time is Running Out: Vote Now for The Nike Dink Awards

The votes are rolling in for The Nike Dink Awards for the 2024 season. Help your favorite players, content creators, and college teams celebrate their success and potentially earn a $1,000 grant.

🏟️ Farm System: MLP St. Louis Shock building out minor league teams

The St. Louis Shock are adding depth to their organization. The team announced they will form multiple teams to compete in The Dink Minor League Pickleball events. They have also hired John Kleinschmidt to oversee their development program and operations.

❌ Notice: PPA Tour Cancels Veolia Southern California Open

Due to guidance from local authorities regarding the threat of fires in the region, the PPA Tour announced the cancellation of the upcoming Southern California Open scheduled for January 21-26. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those affected by the fires.

🎾 Davis Cup: Kyrgios - Sock Partnership Squashed

The pickleball world was looking forward to the debut of a Nick Kyrgios/Jack Sock partnership at the PPA Australia Open later this month. Unfortunately, that will have to wait as Kyrgios was selected to represent Australia in the Davis Cup on the same weekend.

UYG

3 Easy Tips to Land More Lobs

Attempting a lob is a risky move in pickleball. The short court makes it tough to get the ball over your opponent but still land it inside the baseline.

In a new video series, paddle reviewer John Kew is working to level up from 4.0 to 4.5 with the help of pro coach Scott Fliegelman. In the latest episode, Scott provides some easy tips to improve your chances of landing a successful lob.

  1. Right-side advantage - Lobbing from the right side (against two right-handed players) is less risky than lobbing from the left. Whether you’re aiming down the line or crosscourt, It is easier to avoid the forehands of the opposing players.

  2. Take it out of the air - It is easier to disguise a lob hit as a volley than off of the bounce. On a low volley, you’re already crouched down to get under the ball, the ideal body position to send up a lob. Plus your opponents have less time to prepare, a bad lob can still be successful if it catches your opponent off guard.

  3. Use Topspin - Topspin is your best friend on a lob. The spin helps create the perfect trajectory to get the ball over your opponent but have it drop quickly inside of the baseline.

Bonus: If you catch a righty-lefty team with two backhands in the middle there is more freedom to lob. Fliegelman even suggests a third shot lob down the middle to put your opponents into a pretzel.

Half Price? Yes Please!

Selkirk Labs is kicking off the new year with a deal too good to ignore—50% off their Project 003 paddles! Yes, you read that right, half off, but only while they last. And with the Invikta shape already sold out, you know these paddles are sprinting off the shelves.

Still up for grabs are the Epic and S2 shapes. The Epic offers a longer handle for versatility and a standard face that's ideal for those dipping their toes into the pickleball waters for the first time. The S2's shorter handle and larger face create the largest sweet spot, boosting your consistency game after game.

Remember, once they’re gone, they’re gone for good. Grab Your Project 003 paddle now and take advantage of this incredible start-of-the-year steal!

Men’s Doubles Shake Up at PPA Masters

The change of partnerships at the top of the men’s doubles game has led to some substantial upsets at the PPA Masters.

Upsets for 3 and 4
JW Johnson and Dylan Frazier ended their long-time partnership in the new year. They might be missing one another after both players were upset yesterday.

Johnson and Gabe Tardio fell to Rafa Hewett/Noe Khlif 7-11, 7-11. Frazier and his new partner Pablo Tellez, were dropped by Julian Arnold/Hunter Johnson. The Johns Bros sit atop the bracket and could win gold in their final tournament together.

The Return of Julian Arnold
Speaking of Julian Arnold, the 33-year-old is getting the job done in singles as well. He beat Quang Duong and Noe Khlif to reach the quarterfinals. He’s joined by Gabe Joseph who upset Hunter Johnson and is always dangerous to make a run in singles.

Bouchard’s Breakout
Genie Bouchard is putting the women’s game on notice. She upset the 2-seed Brooke Buckner yesterday in singles. Is she the player who can finally gain some ground on Anna Leigh Waters?

There is plenty more to come from Palm Springs over the weekend. Find a full preview of what’s on deck and predictions for Championship Sunday here. Tune in at 1 pm ET for quarterfinal action on PickleballTV.

🤔 Newsletter getting clipped? Click ‘view entire message’ or click here to read online

The Johns Bros' Fallout and Nike Dink Awards Predictions

Jim Kloss is known for hot takes in the world of pickleball. He provides his 25 predictions for 2025 (some of which have already come true) and outlines his expectations now that the Johns Bros split.

Later in the episode, Zane and Jim cast their votes for the Nike Dink Awards. Find out who they select for Player of the Year, Most Improved Player of the Year, Best Beef, and more. Catch the new episode here.

Let BELAY Do the Heavy Lifting

Ever feel like your to-do list is running circles around you? Yeah, us too. But here’s the thing: you don’t need to handle everything yourself. Seriously, that’s what BELAY is for.

BELAY doesn’t just offer help—they offer solutions. Like U.S.-based Virtual Assistants who actually know what they’re doing. Accounting pros who won’t make you second-guess your numbers. And Marketing Assistants who don’t think “posting on Instagram” counts as strategy.

The result? You get to stop spinning your wheels and focus on the stuff you’re actually good at.

And if the idea of delegating gives you the sweats, don’t worry. They’ve got a free ebook, Delegate to Elevate, with tips to help you hand off the busywork like a boss.

Brewery Owners Donate to Build $7M Pickleball Complex

A new $7 million pickleball facility, the Latitude 42 Pickleball Complex, is set to open in June at Western Michigan University’s West Hills Athletic Club. Funded in part by a private donation from Ruth and Mike Stoddard, owners of Latitude 42 Brewing Co., the 37,000-square-foot indoor facility will include 13 championship courts, a lounge area, bathrooms, and an outdoor patio.

The addition will expand the club’s total number of courts to 21, making it one of the largest pickleball venues in the area. The new courts aim to address space conflicts between tennis and pickleball players at the club, according to general manager Betsy Sell, and will accommodate the sport’s continued growth.

Headlines & Quick Hits

Highlights

Missed a recent issue? We've got you covered

A review from the Dink Fam...

What did you think of today's newsletter?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

Share The Dink Newsletter, Get Rewards

Share the best newsletter in pickleball with your friends and we’ll give you free stuff. What’s not to like?

You currently have 0 referrals, only 1 away from receiving 20% Off The Pickleball Box.

Copy & Paste this link: https://newsletter.thedinkpickleball.com/subscribe?ref=PLACEHOLDER

Want to advertise with us?

If your company is interested in reaching an audience of active pickleballers, you may want to give us a shout.

Reply

or to participate.