Pickleball News
Dallas' indoor pickleball scene gets a new facility in Farmers Branch
Thwak.
There’s apparently always room for more pickleball in the pickleball-happy Dallas-Fort Worth market. Enter DFW Indoor Pickleball, nickname DIP, a new facility under construction in Farmers Branch, at 4801 Spring Valley Rd. in a strip center just northwest of Galleria Dallas, where it will offer 28,000 square feet of pickle bliss.
According to Erik Corley, a partner in the endeavor, the facility will open in late November.
Corley, who has worked for the Richardson Police Department for 18 years, is a displaced racquetball aficionado who turned to pickleball when the pandemic shuttered indoor racquetball courts.
"I used to play racquetball all the time, but COVID closed the courts and they took their time opening up," he says.
Pickleball's origins as an outdoor sport made it a viable alternative. "That's when pickleball started getting big and we started to play," he says.
The sport is widely popular because it can be tackled by all ages.
"There’s a learning curve to pickleball, so you can't just go out and be competitive at your level right away," Corley says. "We went out and there were 70-year-old women on teams that could beat us."
Although outdoors was the initial hook, this facility will be indoors, to avoid the vagaries of Texas weather. It'll also be "organized open play," meaning that games will match up players of similar skill levels.
"Most of the current indoor games you find at rec centers where people of any level can jump in, and that can be frustrating for both sides, both for the newcomer and for the experienced player who can't get a competitive game," Corley says.
The space they're taking over is a former wedding gown shop that moved next door. It will be outfitted with nine courts, plus a few amenities including lockers, three shower rooms, and a warmup area. Memberships start at $98 a month. DIP will also offer lessons for a variety skill levels.
“We’ll also get people who are taking the game seriously,” Corley says. “I’m starting to see 10 and 12-year-olds out there, whose parents are looking to the future. But we want people no matter what skill level they are at.”
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