Ben Johns' new paddle setup

MLP's late-night Phoenix schedule. This Airbnb has a basement bonus.

May 28, 2025

The GOAT has spoken. Ben Johns graced us with a paddle setup video and we are here for it. If you’ve ever wondered how and where to add weight to your weapon, look no further. It could have you feeling like a brand-new player.

Speaking of starting fresh, singles powerhouse Grayson Goldin is leaving the APP Tour and taking his talents to the PPA. We’ve got the exclusive story, below.

In This Issue:
— Full predictions: MLP Phoenix
— Ben Johns’ perfect paddle setup
— This Airbnb has a bonus in the basement

Locked and loaded.

Our Picks ☝️

🍎 Court Style: APP NYC’s Best Dressed

You just know when the APP Tour came to NYC, the court style was going to show out. From matching pink bubble dresses to a vein-popping cutoff tank, here are the looks we loved the most.

🔥 Heat Check: MLP Austin Recap

Five Premier MLP teams battled through blazing temps and 90% humidity in Austin over the weekend. The Dallas Flash went 4-0 and remain undefeated on the season. Challenger made its debut, too. Here’s what else you missed.

🤠 Save the Date: MiLP Nattys Do Dallas

The 2025 The Dink MiLP National Championships will be hosted at The Pickler Universe from December 3–7. That’s five days of top-notch, team-based competition at one of the country’s premier venues. See you in Dallas.

💍 It’s Official: OG Pickle Pair Gets Engaged

Two of the sport’s OGs—Lauren Stratman and Julian Arnold—just made their engagement IG official. From Hayden Patriquin to Anna Bright to Parris Todd, the comments section is a who’s who of today’s top pros.

The New Ben Johns Paddle Setup, Explained

Adding weight to your paddle can dramatically improve its performance, from increased power to a widened sweet-spot. It’s why you see so few pros playing with a fully stock paddle.

But knowing how much to use and where to put it can feel like a guessing game.

Here’s a solid place to start: Ben Johns just dropped a four-minute video explaining how he sets up his JOOLA Perseus Pro IV. If it’s good for the GOAT, it’s worth a try.

Let’s get into it.

✅ Ben uses a JOOLA overgrip and prefers to wrap it fairly high up the throat, hitting just below the Ben Johns signature on each paddle face (nothing to see here). This helps give him a better grip on two-handed backhands.

✅ Unlike previous setups using lead tape, Ben now prefers tungsten tape, which is safer to handle than lead. If you find yourself tweaking your paddle setup often, it could be the better option.

✅ Ben adds a 5.5-inch-long strip of tungsten tape to each side of his paddle. Each strip is half an inch wide and weighs .5 grams per inch. That means he’s adding a total of 5.5 grams to his paddle, bringing its playing weight to around 8.5 ounces.

✅ Each strip starts about an inch above the grip and extends around the bottom corner and a few inches up the paddle’s side (zones 3 and 2 above). This improves stability and moderately increases power without impacting swing weight or hand speed. (For more on how weight location affects performance, watch this.)

Note that Ben doesn’t add weight to the top third of the paddle—a top-heavy paddle will increase power and plow-through, but feel slower to swing. Many pros prioritize hand speed above all (maybe you should, too).

Also, he gets free paddles by the truckload, so he does not need to add protective edge guard tape. Your mileage may vary.

Make That Paddle Your Own

Just finished our “Up Your Game” segment? Here’s your next move.

You just saw how a pro dials in their paddle setup. Now grab a paddle that’s built to handle it. The Franklin C45° gives you a solid base to start from—T700 carbon fiber laid at a 45 degree angle, double thermoformed for structure, and ready for whatever tweaks you throw at it.

Add lead tape, swap grips, fine-tune the feel. The C45° is built for that kind of tinkering. And the best part? It already plays like a dream right out of the box.

MLP Phoenix Predictions: A Late-Night Scorcher in the Desert

Just days after wrapping up in Austin, Major League Pickleball gets underway in Phoenix for its fourth event of the 2025 season.

From Thursday to Sunday, seven of the 16 Premier level teams will go head-to-head at Edward Jones MLP Phoenix (Challenger teams are not playing this event).

Here are a few storylines to keep an eye on:

✅ The Phoenix Flames are the host team, so it’s on them to add their own signature twist and flair to the affair. On the court, they’re hoping to crack the top 10 and get into the playoff hunt.

✅ The Dallas Flash are 8-0 so far and looking to keep their undefeated season intact. They’re the heavy favorites, but matchups against the Brooklyn Pickleball Team and LA Mad Drops could prove tricky.

✅ The entire event’s schedule is pushed into the night to give the players a reprieve from scorching temperatures seeing daytime highs in the triple digits. The final matches on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday won’t start until 11:30 PM EDT.

Sponsorless Singles Specialist Signs PPA Deal

Weeks after securing a singles gold medal at APP Cincinnati and appearing on the PicklePod, Grayson Goldin has secured the bag, so to speak.

In an exclusive interview with The Dink, Goldin revealed that he signed a UPA contract over the weekend. That means he’ll be competing in the PPA Tour for the rest of the year and is now eligible to be claimed by an MLP team.

"That was my goal – to be on the PPA," Goldin said. "I didn't know how I was going to get there. It was a grind. I'm definitely happy."

On the PPA Tour, Goldin is ranked 23rd for singles, 69th in men’s doubles, and 74th in mixed doubles.

His future in MLP is unclear. It’s possible, if not likely, that he’ll be claimed during MLP Challenger's only Waiver Wire period of the season on June 11. From there, a Premier Team could opt to trade for him.

“He’s obviously going to be a beast in Dreambreakers, and his mixed game is good,” one MLP league executive told us. “What he lacks in results on the doubles side, I think he makes up for in his hunger to be great and the level of energy he brings.”

What’s Your Health Rating?

We’re all about helping you up your game & DUPR rating. But what about off the court? That’s where Superpower comes in.

100+ lab tests. A deep dive into your blood, gut, and everything in between. You get real results, a personalized plan, and expert support to help you feel better, move better, and play better.

It’s the kind of health insight we didn’t know we needed — until we tried it. Now we’re all in.

When the HOA Said No, This Airbnb Owner Got Creative

Stop us when this list of Airbnb amenities makes your pulse quicken:

  • Six bedrooms

  • Movie theater

  • Game room

  • Hot tub

  • Fire Pit

  • Indoor pickleball court

That’s right: In an effort to differentiate itself from the competition, the owner of one Airbnb property wanted to add an outdoor pickleball court.

When the HOA said no, they got creative, installing a mini version in the basement instead, complete with vibrant court colors and a seating area for onlookers.

You can’t play full games down there, but you can get some reps in at the kitchen. And let’s be honest, that’s where we all need the most work. Take our money.

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