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Happy July 11, the day we’ve all had marked on our calendars, when a thirsty nation comes together in support of a delicious common cause: Free Slurpees at your local 7-Eleven.

When the brain freeze wears off, swap it for some tasty pickleball news instead, like our conversation with golf legend Sir Nick Faldo or the plight of a Colorado community that blew $140,000 on unplayable pickleball courts.

In This Issue:
— Sir Nick Faldo joins the PicklePod
— How to beat two bangers
— Anna Leigh’s ESPN moment

One XL blue raspberry, please.

Skittles-loving former Seahawks running back (and future Hall of Famer?) Marshawn Lynch debuted his new paddle collab with JOOLA — a 10mm widebody, sold as a set for under $100 on Amazon. Who’s buying this?

The Beer City Open in Grand Rapids, MI, has grown from 350 participants with $12,000 in prize money to well over 1,000 battling for $200K. Since 2024, it’s also become home to a marquee MLP event, the Mid-Season Tournament. The Dink writer Erik Tice explains why it’s become such a hit.

We hit the court with five of pickleball’s most popular shoe models to decide once and for all which kicks reign supreme. While offerings from major brands like Nike and New Balance have their strengths, it was a lesser-known pair that ultimately took our top spot.

It seems like every paddle brand is pushing the bounds of power these days. But we want to hear from you: What are the three most powerful paddles in pickleball right now? Let us know below — we’ve got something fun planned with the results.

How do you quench the firepower of an opposing team with two bangers?

That was one of the many questions Zane Navratil answered in this week’s PicklePod. And his answer might surprise you: You don’t.

Beating bangers begins with a mentality shift; then you need to back it up with your positioning and your paddle. Zane explains…

✅ "People think you need to slow down a banger in order to get them to stop banging,” says Zane. It’s a natural instinct; they’re so aggressively on offense, so you should focus on defense, right? Nope. Your mentality should really be the opposite.

✅ If you continuously reset against a banger — that is, just blocking the ball back every time they drive — it shows them you're not a threat. Worse still, it keeps giving them attackable balls that are bouncing at waist-level. You need to break this cycle.

✅ Instead, it’s better to fight power with power from the very beginning of the match. Don’t reset their drives, punch them back with force. Or, slide step and hit a drive right back. You know what’s coming, after all, so get your paddle in front of your body and get ready to attack rather than defend.

✅ Mentally, this puts a team of bangers in a pretzel. They want to sit at the baseline and swing their hearts out. If you counter with pace, they’ll learn quickly that this isn’t going to be that type of game. You’ve tipped the scales to your advantage.

✅ Better yet, you’re not giving them meatballs anymore. You’re punching the ball hard back at their feet — and a banger simply can’t bang a ball that’s bouncing down at their ankles.

👉 Hear it from Zane.

We told you about the SLK ERA Power a few weeks back. After more time with it, we’re still impressed.

It’s quick in the hand, easy on resets, and carries just enough weight to keep your drives and counters feeling heavy. The textured surface helps add spin without feeling overly gritty, and the elongated shape gives you that little bit of extra reach that ends up mattering more than you'd think.

It's lightweight, responsive, and has enough pop to handle the hands battles. For players who want control but don’t want to give up power, it’s a strong option.

Sir Nick Faldo has been at the pinnacle of professional golf, winning six major championships (including three Masters) and achieving a world No. 1 ranking for a whopping 97 weeks.

A home training session in 2020 helped him cross over into the world of pickleball. Struggling with a challenging exercise, he threw on a pair of SQAIRZ golf shoes and instantly felt a performance boost from the wider toe box and more stable outsole. Now he’s a brand ambassador alongside Zane Navratil (you can peep Zane’s signature shoe here).

Sir Nick has lived it all in pro golf, including the drama that surrounded LIV vs. the PGA. When asked how pickleball could start to cement itself as a major spectator sport, he was quick with some perspective.

Golf has hundreds of years of history, don’t forget, so pickleball will need to continue focusing on big events and practice some patience in the meantime "You can't buy competition," he said. “These things take time.”

More than all that, though, pickleball needs its own version of a Tiger Woods character, someone whose skillset is undeniable but who can flex some villain energy when required: "You need some crazy superstar to come along and antagonize people,” said Faldo.

More from this week’s PicklePod:

👉 Watch the full episode.

Aurora, Colorado’s Willow Ridge neighborhood had its heart in the right place when it endeavored to convert 40-year-old tennis courts into a fresh pickleball surface for all to enjoy.

Unfortunately, the execution left a lot to be desired.

According to CBS, the town hired a Texas-based playground installation company in 2022 to install a plastic tile surface over the existing tennis courts. In the beginning, everything seemed fine. But soon, some serious cracks in the surface began to appear.

The courts were unplayable, residents quickly complained. Balls weren’t bouncing properly, and rifts in the tiles were causing players to stumble and trip.

The real rub: Apparently, the project never had a formal contract in place. “When questioned, the company claimed it didn’t know the court was intended for pickleball, despite having striped it for that purpose,” reported CBS.

Ultimately, the $140,000 investment was all for nothing. And just recently, the neighborhood’s HOA admitted final defeat, paying $3,600 to rip up the tiles and have them hauled off to the trash.

👉 Read the full story.

We’ve been talking about ways to make pickleball more sustainable. Maybe that means riding an e-Bike to the courts. Or better yet, playing with a ball that doesn’t leave plastic behind.

That’s where Komodo’s BioBall comes in.

It’s biodegradable, lasts longer than most, and even in the middle of summer it hasn’t gone soft on us. We’ve used the same ball for over 15 games and it still plays like game one.

If you want a ball that plays hard but breaks down gently, this is it.

Grab a pack and use code THEDINK for 15% off.

ESPN touched down in Grand Rapids, MI, yesterday as part of its “50 States in 50 Days” tour highlighting the best sporting events our country has to offer.

Host Christine Williamson sat down with Anna Leigh Waters — a big moment for the young face of America’s fastest-growing sport.

Not surprisingly, ALW comported herself extremely well, keeping things light and humble despite her utter dominance as the world No. 1 women’s player.

The two covered a range of topics, like the vibes at a pro pickleball tournament (“Immaculate,” ALW said) and why the sport should set its sights on the Olympics (“For pickleball, I think it would be huge”).

Of course, Williamson couldn’t keep it all fun and games: What does Anna Leigh Waters say to those who question pickleball’s legitimacy as a real sport?

"This is a real sport," Anna Leigh said. "It takes athleticism. It takes hard work. I would say to those people, 'Just get on the court and try it for yourselves.'"

👉 Watch the full interview.

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