Want $50k for your dream court?

This open play story hit a nerve. The 2-on-1 drill that rewards bullies.

April 16, 2025

This is not a drill: USA Pickleball is giving two communities $50,000 each to fund the public pickleball courts of their dreams. Winning applications must be submitted by a local organization with ties to the community (might be time to get the Neighborhood Watch back together).

More details on this below. But before you go, take a second to tell us what’s ailing you:

Where do you feel the most aches or pain when playing pickleball?

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In This Issue:

  • USAP could fund your neighborhood dream court

  • Bully your opponent in this 2-on-1 drill

  • If you hear something, say something

Let’s get into it.

Our Picks ☝️

📈 Surge: The Dink MiLP Goes Big

The Dink Minor League Pickleball is surging in global popularity: Already this year, more than 5,000 players have hit the court at a tournament near them—nearly double the number from this time last year.

🎗️ Support: Gronk Smash Cancer

Patriots legend Rob Gronkowski is hosting a pickleball fundraiser outside of Boston next month in support of the Gronk Nation Youth Foundation and Dana-Farber's Jimmy Fund. Register here.

📢 Noise: Vocal Pickleballers Get it Done

Angry pickleball players in Ocean City, NJ, inundated city councilors with calls decrying a proposed 275% annual court fee hike. Guess what? They got their way.

✈️ Fun: ‘Pickleball in the Danger Zone’

Kenny “King of the Movie Soundtrack” Loggins is hosting a pickleball fundraiser in Santa Barbara, CA, to benefit victims of the LA wildfires—400 people signed up, quickly selling it out.

Bully Ball: The 2-on-1 Drill for Better Partner Communications

So you’ve got a court booked for four, but Jimmy is running late. What now? You could kill time and dink aimlessly like always.

Or—and bear with us here—you could actually drill to improve your game. Shock and awe, we know.

Before you ask the obvious, we’ll cut right to it: Here’s an advanced drill designed for three people—and how to get the most out of it.

📌 Play to 11, rally scoring. The single player always serves; both teams switch sides with each point just like a normal game. The plot twist: Whichever side of the court the serve is returned to is the side the remainder of the point must be played in.

This small tweak opens up a world of tactics and strategies. Here are three to focus on from the doubles side of the net.

✅ Precision serve returns — In this scenario, pushing your serve return deep is imperative, but placement plays a key role, as well. Your opponent is all alone—play to their weaker side and you’ll be in the driver’s seat.

✅ One-two shot combos — This is a great time to work on speedups and counters at the kitchen line, since your attack options are limited. Pepper your opponent’s paddle side, from hip to shoulder—then be ready to put away whatever comes back.

✅ Partner communication — Use hand signals to tell your partner to switch or to stay, but also what side of the court to send their return. Play the bully by pushing your opponent all over the court.

The best part? Everything you just worked on will translate to a full doubles game. Jimmy won’t know what hit him.

Your Spring Fit? We Already Picked It

Outfit stress? We handled it.

Kamryn Blackwood’s repping the Kamryn Cropped Tee and Tulip Compression Shorts — clean, comfortable, and made for movement.

For the guys, the Chevron Tee and Echelon Shorts are a no-brainer. Court-ready without trying too hard.

Call it sporty. Call it stylish. Either way, it works.

Dink fam gets 20% off with code THEDINK — because looking good shouldn’t cost extra.

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

USAP Wants to Build a $50,000 Pickleball Court in Your Neighborhood

In the spirit of National Pickleball Month, USA Pickleball is feeling generous: they’re giving out $100,000 to build pickleball courts for two communities in need.

Yesterday, USAP announced the “Play It Forward” Grant Program, the first monetary grant offered by its charitable arm, USA Pickleball Serves. And it’s a real doozy.

Two community organizations in “underserved communities and heavily populated player communities” will receive $50,000 each to fund a pickleball court installation or conversion.

To be considered, the pickleball court(s) must be:

  • located within the United States

  • dedicated to the sport of pickleball

  • permanent and public

  • installed and open for play within 12 months of receiving funds

  • decked out in USAP branding

One potential hurdle to consider: Organizations applying must “have a physical office or presence in the local giving area”—meaning, you and your buddies aren’t getting 50-large for a fresh court at the bottom of your cul-de-sac.

Finally, winning applications must align with one or more of these core values:

  • Court enhancements

  • Youth programming

  • Inclusive play

Applications close Tuesday, June 3. The winning grant recipients will be announced on National Pickleball Day, August 8.

What are you waiting for? Apply here.

Paddle Obsessed? This One’s for You.

If you’re the person everyone asks about gear... Royal Pickleball’s Ambassador Program might be your new thing.

You can run demos, help players find their perfect paddle, and even earn from every sale—plus score up to 15% commission, exclusive deals, and build your demo bag at up to 80% off.

They’ve already got over 350 ambassadors and 600+ demo spots running. So yeah, it’s growing fast.

Passionate about pickleball? Might be time to make it official.

PPA Flaunts 2025 Ticket Sales, Attendance Records

With the MLP season opener on the horizon, the PPA (we’re guessing) felt compelled to flex its muscles a bit. Just take a minute to remind everyone what’s up.

So the league sent out some numbers for our consideration: Through the first seven events of 2025, attendance is up 16% and ticket sales are up 29% when compared to the same timespan from the previous year.

Gross ticket sales so far this year are north of $1.7M—an impressive 147% increase compared to Q1 of 2023.

Already, this year has produced the top three PPA Tour events ever in terms of gross revenue: The Carvana Mesa Cup, The Veolia North Carolina Open, and the Veolia Cape Coral Open 

“The first events of the 2025 Carvana PPA Tour have been absolutely electric—we’re breaking records at nearly every event and showcasing the best players in the world to more fans than ever before,” said Connor Pardoe, Founder and CEO of the PPA Tour.

There’s no denying the crowd atmosphere at PPA events this year has been on another level. Next up: the Veolia Atlanta Pickleball Championships, May 18.

‘I Feel Like My Comfortable, Happy Place Was Violated’

“I’m a 4.0+ female player. This means a lot of times I play with mostly men due to the lack of women at that level in my local area. Last night, my mixed doubles partner and I went to open play at a gym we frequent. As a woman who plays with a lot of dudes, I’m used to and even enjoy the shit talking and banter. Last night, one of the regulars, who’s probably 30 years older than me, started in on some uncomfortable talk while we were on the bleachers.”

We’ve seen this post making the rounds on Reddit this week, and honestly—it’s not surprising. We’ve witnessed this behavior ourselves. Stories from friends. From women at our local rec nights. You’d hope a sport built on community and accessibility would be different—but sometimes, it’s not.

When a night of open play leads to a statement like this, something is seriously wrong: “I feel like my comfortable, happy place was violated.”

Yes, sports have long been male-dominated. And yes, sexism comes with that territory more often than it should. But pickleball is a little different. We play up close. We play co-ed. There’s a lot of interaction—often with total strangers—and the social side is a big part of the draw.

That makes it even more important to be conscious of how we show up for each other. (A point reinforced by many in the post’s comments section.)

What’s also unique? A lot of people playing pickleball right now didn’t grow up in sports. They didn’t have a coach telling them what’s acceptable behavior, or a locker room culture to calibrate social norms. That’s not an excuse—it’s just part of the dynamic.

We’re still building the culture of this sport in real time. That’s the cool part. But also the tricky part.

So yeah—pickleball’s still finding its groove. That’s part of the charm. But if we’re gonna keep growing, let’s do it with a little more awareness and a lot less weirdness.

If you see or hear something, say something. We can shape what pickleball becomes. Let’s make sure it’s something everyone actually wants to be part of.

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