All in on Pickleball

Easy to learn and challenging to master, pickleball offers a fast-paced mix of fun and fitness.

BY

IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR AN ACTIVITY THAT combines fun and fitness, look no further than that fast-paced sport of pickleball.

A cross between tennis, table tennis, and badminton, pickleball can be played as singles or doubles using fiberglass paddles and a lightweight plastic ball. The game begins with an underhanded serve into the opponents’ opposite square, and players then volley back and forth—known as “dinking”—taking care to avoid the no-volley zone in front of the net called “the kitchen.” Only the serving team can score a point and games are played to 11.

The Broadmoor, an early adopter of the sport, launched its pickleball program in 2017. It has since become a full-blown craze at the resort, including events like pickleball and pizza weekends. Facilities include four

.ESSENTIALS.

dedicated pickleball courts (three on-site and one at The Broadmoor’s Cloud Camp at 9,100 feet), three certified pickleball pros, and a retail shop stocked with everything from visors to T-shirts to balls and fiberglass paddles from top brands like Head and Onix.

Broadmoor Racquet Sports Director Karen Schott says the resort was also looking for more family-oriented activities, and pickleball was a perfect fit. Aside from being a fun and social sport, pickleball also provides an excellent workout. It’s relatively easy to pick up the game, especially for current and former tennis players.

“Pickleball is an easy game to learn and a difficult game to master,” Schott says. “But it’s the fun and camaraderie that keep players at every level engaged in the game.”

Broadmoor Racquet Sports

The Broadmoor’s program is rated one of the country’s Top 20 tennis resorts by Tennis magazine. Facilities include eight courts, including two Har-Tru clay courts and four pickleball courts, as well as a fully stocked Racquet Sports Shop. A bubble covers two courts for winter play, mid-October through mid-May. Visit Broadmoor.com or call (844) 361-8944 for information.

This summer, tennis enthusiasts have a rare opportunity to learn from one of the best in the game at an exclusive weekend retreat hosted by The Broadmoor and led by former world No. 1 Mats Wilander. “An Opportunity with Tennis Legend, Mats Wilander,” will take place from August 12–13 at The Broadmoor, offering fast-paced tennis drills, courtside cocktails, and an exhibition featuring Wilander. Participants will also receive ample one-on-one instruction with Wilander, a Swedish tennis player who won the Australian Open, the French Open, and the U.S. Open in 1988. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2002.

For more information about the clinic, call (719) 471-6174.