Pickleball will soon be added as one of the featured aspects at The Yards in Ponte Vedra Beach.
The Yards has put an emphasis on pickleball, and it is evident by facility upgrades, which includes the construction of an entirely new pickleball complex.
The complex will be highlighted by various courts that will be painted in various colors, with each color signifying differing competitive levels.
According to The Yards Pickleball Director Maria Nili, the colors will allow players to know which courts are designated as beginner, intermediate and advanced.
The goal is to have the painting on the courts finished by the end of April and have the club ready to fully open at some point this summer once the finishing touches are added to the complex.
Nili played tennis in college and spent years as an official at some of the largest events in professional tennis and admits that she was not sure what to make of pickleball when she first saw the sport.
However, it only took one time of playing it before she was hooked and fell in love with the game.
One of the things Nili has come to love about pickleball is the fact that it allows for people of varying ages and skill levels to play alongside each other and allow for competitive fun to still be had by all.
“They (tennis and pickleball) are very similar, but at the same time they are so different,” Nili said. “The ball bounces completely different, and it will need a little bit of adjustment, but I promise you that every single tennis player is ready for the intermediate play right from the start.”
Other differences between tennis and pickleball include a smaller paddle and a smaller court size.
The smaller playing surface means a lot of fast-paced action for everyone involved.
“You can play singles, but the majority of pickleball is played as doubles,” Nili said. “You think it’s not going to be the workout and require the same fitness as tennis, but when we checked to see how many calories we were burning, it was easily comparable to tennis. It’s really crazy when you think about it, because you run a lot less, but it’s just a constant movement.”
Not only will The Yards introduce an option to play pickleball, but they will also offer classes for beginners to learn the rules of the game as well as some proper technique.
“Whenever I teach beginners, I have seen that one hour is enough for them to hit the ball back and forth to each other and really start having fun,” Nili said.
According to Nili, there is such a family atmosphere surrounding the pickleball world and it is something she has really come to appreciate since she began playing.
A mixture of competitions and social events is what Nili sees as the plan for the pickleball club at The Yards once it opens.
“That is what I envision from a pickleball club,” Nili said. “We’ve had about 10 to 15 people driving by and stopping in everyday just wanting to know what’s going on. The majority want to join and just be a part of it.”
