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As pickleball’s popularity exploded across the U.S., facilities naturally popped up on seemingly every street corner in hopes of cashing in. Some have thrived. Many have not.

Now, we’re in the midst of a very real valuation reset. More and more facilities are going up for sale, and learning the hard way that they might not recoup the millions they put in... if they can find a buyer at all. Industry expert David Johnson gives us the inside scoop below.

In This Issue:
— Avoid this: the revenge speed-up
— Selkirk reimagines the pickleball bag
— No, padel is not the new pickleball

It’s a juicy one. Hope you’re thirsty.

Thomas Wilson was a PPA gold medalist before a medical condition sent him down a new path. Now, he’s making a different kind of comeback: launching his own paddle brand, Witness Pickleball. Here’s a teaser — full story coming soon.

If you’ve ever wondered anything about the paddle industry, you’re in luck: Rafael Filippini, founder of Gearbox, is currently hosting an AMA on Reddit. Nobody knows more about the tech behind your favorite paddle, or where the industry as a whole is headed, than this guy.

The next time you plan to hit the court, get there 15 minutes early and try this pro-tested and proven warmup routine, courtesy of Connor Garnett. Trust us: your body will thank you later.

After months of quiet due to battling a bad back, the #1 paddle reviewer in the game, Chris Olson, is finally back to the airwaves. He and brother Aizec put out their first podcast in a long time. Tune in and welcome them back.

We've all been body bagged or lost a long rally and felt the urge to exact immediate revenge by playing fast and dumb instead of smart and deliberate.

“An enormous part of improving your pickleball level is strengthening the mental side of the game,” says pro Eric Roddy. “And for amateurs, this crucial mental maturation is often as simple as overcoming one shot: the frustrated speed-up.”

Here are three common scenarios where this dreaded shot typically rears its ugly head, and what to do instead, according to Roddy.

🔥 The revenge body bag. Getting body bagged, especially if it is intentional, can make even the calmest person’s blood boil. Pause. Consider the moment and what’s at stake. Focusing solely on retaliating in this moment will lead to poor decision-making, which will lead to more unforced errors, and more points for your opponents. Is that really what you want?

🔥 Losing the point after a long rally can be heart-breaking and immensely frustrating. What often happens on the next point is a story as old as time. You or your partner takes one of the first couple shots and tries to force a speed-up to make up for losing the epic point before. Wrong, wrong, wrong. You were in the fight. That’s what matters. Now go win the next one.

🔥 Your opponents go on a big run. Instead of feeling like you need to close the gap quickly, try to refocus and remind yourself that pickleball is a game of runs. If you are down 4-9-1, you don’t need to score five points immediately by trying to play overaggressive. Try to get a point or two each time you are serving and hyperfocus on preventing your opponents from scoring. Chip away, don’t try to manufacture a run of your own.

The common thread here? Be deliberate rather than impulsive. Mistakes compound quickly in pickleball. One lost point can turn into several in a hurry if you try to force the result you want rather than the one you’ve earned.

➡️ Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.

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For two years, pickleball facility listings across the U.S. have told a consistent story: optimistic asking prices, thin financial disclosure, and long days on market.

But, says David Johnson of the Business of Pickleball, “over the past 10 weeks, nine pickleball facilities around the country listed for sale cut their asking prices. Not by a little. The typical reduction was 39%.”

We are undeniably in the midst of a reset for facility valuations.

Competition has grown fierce. Prime real estate is harder to find. A sense of community is proving just as important as fancy, well-lit courts.

“If your club isn't producing strong, steady profit, you'll struggle to find a buyer,” says Johnson. “And the one you find will likely offer less than you put into the walls, courts and lighting.”

The sky isn’t falling. But the clouds are parting to reveal what consumers actually want out of their monthly pickleball memberships.

Here’s the upside: the clubs that do survive will have to operate like smart small businesses. And that’s a win for the consumer.

➡️ So, what’s your favorite facility really worth?

About two years ago, Selkirk’s Head Designer of Accessories, Taylor Hooker, received an assignment from the company’s top brass.

“The brief was we need new bags, no joke,” he told The Dink.

What followed was a two-year immersive mission to rigorously rethink the pickleball bag — surveying players, visiting courts, testing prototypes and digging into the small frustrations that come with carrying shoes, paddles, balls, water bottles, and so much more.

The result wasn’t more pockets simply for the sake of more pockets. It was a reimagined system built around some basic needs pickleball players kept bringing up: easy access, paddle protection, thoughtful organization, hydration, ball storage and comfort.

Selkirk’s new Pro Line 2.0 bag series just debuted and so far, everyone is loving it (all of us here at The Dink very much included):

They are purpose-built to be the last pickleball bag you’ll ever need.

➡️ Take a closer look.

The fastest-growing group in pickleball right now isn't Gen Z. It's players over 60, and a lot of them are logging five days a week on court.

And there’s a reason this sport is so well suited for all ages.

The court's about a third the size of tennis. The serve is underhand. The whole game rewards placement over power, which is exactly why it's holding up on joints that other sports have already worn down.

Real cardiovascular, social, and cognitive benefits, without the wear and tear.

We went deeper on what's actually happening under the hood, the cardio numbers, the injury patterns that show up when players ramp up too fast, and the specific parts of the game that get better with age instead of worse.

Read it before your next session.

Padel is having itself a moment.

Celebrities are playing it. Luxury brands are pouring in. New clubs are popping up. And this week, The Hollywood Reporter published a splashy feature on the sport’s rise, noting new SFIA data that shows padel growing 14.5%, compared with just 1.3% for pickleball.

There’s just one problem, according to DUPR President and CEO Tito Machado: Percentage growth doesn’t tell you how big something actually is.

Machado, himself a padel player and believer in the sport’s future, took to LinkedIn to push back on the growing “fastest-growing sport in America” narrative.

“Padel may be producing one of the fastest growing percentages in sports, but it is growing from a very small base,” he said.

And the difference in scale is enormous.

That means pickleball currently has roughly 23 times as many U.S. participants.

“If you go from one player to ten, you have grown 900%. Incredible percentage. Still ten players,” he noted.

We can root for padel’s success. And we do. But let’s not conflate growth rate and participation scale.

➡️ “Love padel. Believe in its future. Just do not BS the data.”

A review from the Dink Fam...

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