Brookhaven Country Club prepares for national championship
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Pickleball is all the rage among young people now too. Photo: Courtesy of Clay Hayner/Invited
Thousands of athletes and fans will flood Farmers Branch next week for the 2023 USA Pickleball National Championships.
Why it matters: Brookhaven Country Club went through a $5.3 million renovation to prepare for the tournament and add new permanent pickleball courts for members.
- The scope and scale of this year's national championship reflects pickleball's increasing popularity — 135 professional players and over 3,500 amateurs have signed up to play. There's capacity for up to 25,000 fans.
Context: The national pickleball championships used to be held in Indian Wells, California. USA Pickleball and the Professional Pickleball Association chose Brookhaven as the tournament's new site starting this year because it's centrally located in the country.
- The move has allowed organizers to increase the tournament's capacity by 50% compared to 2022, per USA Pickleball.
State of pickle play: Brookhaven had four outdoor pickleball courts before starting its championships prep. The club now has 30 pickleball courts, six new tennis courts and two courts for the Spanish sport Padel.
- The club plans to temporarily convert tennis courts to pickleball courts for a total of 78 pickleball courts.
How it works: Players will be sorted by skill level, age group and type of pickleball for their matches.
- The amateur group includes a surfer, retired NBA player, two former college basketball stars, and Tiger Woods' former golf coach.
- The total prize money across all of the pro divisions is over $275,000.
- Brookhaven's Pickleball Boulevard will have food and beverage vendors, merch, live music and activities for families.
What's happening: Opening ceremonies are on Sunday. Pro matches start on Nov. 6.
- On Nov. 7, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Romo, John Isner, Tyler Seguin and Jason Kidd will compete in a Celebrity Pickleball Showdown that's open to ticketed spectators.
- American Idol winner Phillip Phillips performs on Nov. 10.
- Brookhaven's other facilities will still be in operation during the tournament. Pickleball participants will be shuttled to the club.
Meanwhile: Dallas-based Invited, which owns Brookhaven, hopes the club's new permanent pickleball courts will drive new memberships, appeal to a more diverse audience and encourage members to come to the club more often.
- "The intention is to fill these pickleball courts all day, every day," Jonathan Fralick, who oversees Invited's racquet sports, tells Axios.
Go deeper: Check the tournament schedule and buy tickets ahead of time if you plan to go.