Luxury Club Serves Pickleball

Desert Highlands adds two courts for fast-growing sport

BY BRIDGETTE M. REDMAN

Whether you are 8 or 88, the game is on at Desert Highlands.

The luxury golf club and community in North Scottsdale christened two pickleball courts last month, adding the fast-growing sport to its racquet club.

The sport, especially popular among the 55-and-older set, is hailed for being a social game that is low-impact and easy to learn.

The club hired Brandon Hearn as a racquet sports pro, spending his time focused on pickleball, a sport that turns 55 this year. Invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island near Seattle, the game is played with rectangular paddles and a plastic ball with holes.

It’s a game Hearn has played since his childhood in the 1980s.

“In my backyard, we had a sport court and it was the official game of the sport court,” Hearn says. “This is 20 to 25 years before it picked up in popularity.”

Fast forward to a few years ago, when a childhood friend contacted him about getting involved in pickleball. Hearn was matched against a professional East Valley player and once again found himself immersed in the sport.

He soon became certified to teach it, played it professionally and then found himself presented with the Desert Highlands opportunity.

“When I first applied, I didn’t know pickleball was coming to Desert Highlands,” says Hearn, who applied as a tennis professional.

Desert Highlands tennis director Eric Anderson says he knew immediately that Hearn would be “a perfect fit to take us through this new opportunity with our new facility.”

Popular game

According to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association’s 2019 Pickleball Participant Report, 3.3 million people play pickleball in the United States. The game, which can be played as doubles or singles, has grown by 29.1% over the past three years. Most core players (64%), defined as those who play eight or more times per year, are 55 or older.

As for its name? Legend has it that the game’s inventors had a dog named Pickwww.LovinLife.com

Desert Highlands presold 60 paddles and 80% of those buying them were not tennis players. (Photos courtesy Desert Highlands)

les, who ran off with the balls.

Gordon describes pickleball as a drop-in game where you can just show up and mix with whomever is there.

“You play an intense 20-minute game, sit for 20 minutes and then play again with new players,” Gordon says. “You’ll be meeting members you haven’t met, and we’ll be bringing back people who can no longer play tennis and no longer play golf but want to play a sport that is relatively easy to be competent at. We’ll probably have couples events in the evening with some wine and cheese type of things or maybe some beer and pizza. It’s a really good social gathering place.”

Monty Becton, Desert Highlands’ general manager and chief operating officer, says the sport is definitely picking up.

“We are excited about the tournaments and other fun events our residents will enjoy at these courts,” Becton says.

As part of the construction, they installed a state-of-the-art ball machine for complimentary use. Members can book the court and use the machine any time the court is available.

Desert Highlands’ two courts are outdoors with a 6-foot fence around them and a 4-foot fence between the two. There are waiting and seating areas next to the entry gates with the Racquet Club’s locker rooms and amenities easily accessible from the courts.

Desert Highlands member Rob Gordon is thrilled his sport is coming to the club. He is a former tennis player who gave up the game after a right shoulder injury. Be

cause pickleball requires an underhand serve, he can still play the game. He also appreciates the friendliness of the players.

“You are on a small court, so you are not as far away as tennis,” Gordon says. “With (tennis) doubles, if you yell, you disturb people on other courts. You’re restricted to ‘Good shot.’ In pickleball, you can have a whole conversation without disturbing others. It’s a very social, fun game with a lot of banter.”

Hearn agrees with Gordon, pointing out that compared to tennis, pickleball is lower impact and there is less court to cover.

“People over 50 are over and done with cut-throat competition,” Hearn adds. “They are looking for something active where they can go out and compete but have a good time together.”

Even before the courts opened at Desert Highlands, the interest level was high. They presold 60 paddles, according to Anderson, and 80% of those purchasing them were not tennis players. The club expects to see new people coming into the racquet club.

“We will have more activity with these new players,” Anderson says. “It will be an opportunity for both sports to prosper. The relationships that are going to be built will be really great here.”

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