Dill Dinkers to open second metro Atlanta location in Kennesaw

The latest: Dill Dinkers said in a press release it will open a club at 2500 Cobb Place Lane NW in Kennesaw next month.

Zoom in: The Cobb County location will feature 10 indoor courts, allowing players to compete in a climate-controlled environment all year long. There will also be opportunities for lessons, leagues, clinics and structured play sessions.

• Paddles and balls will be provided, and you'll be able to make reservations to use courts.
• There will also be conference room space, and areas that can be used for social events.

What they're saying: Will Richards, who co-founded Dill Dinkers in 2022 with wife Denise and opened the first Atlanta location last year in the West End, said they are "thrilled" about expanding to Kennesaw.

• Daniel and Laura Hardeman, who are Dill Dinkers' Atlanta metro regional developers, will lead the new location.

Zoom out: Since launching in 2022, Dill Dinkers has opened 32 locations in 15 states, the company said.

State of play: Pickleball has become integrated into Atlanta culture with hospitality spots like The Painted Pickle in Armour Yards and our own Major League Pickleball team, the Bouncers.

Context: According to research by the Trust for Public Land, the pickleball boom in Atlanta seems to have started in 2023 — the same year the city's parks department opened its first dedicated courts in Southside Park.

• The city went from 9 pickleball courts in 2023 to 49 in 2024, TPL notes.
• The court count dropped to 41 last year, but rocketed to 73 for this year, or 1.4 courts for every 10,000 residents — the 12th-highest percentage among large U.S. cites.