Boston’s new pickle ball facility is providing a more premier experience by helping players from all backgrounds experience first-of-its kind technology, impressive space and dedicated service.
Boston Pickle Club opened its 20,000-square-foot space in Hyde Park at the end of February and has been gaining traction ever since.
“The interest in tournaments and round robins and things like that every weekend is getting more and more busy from all levels,” Stephen Mitchell, co-founder of BPC and a platform tennis professional, told MassLive at the facility Tuesday. “It just keeps growing. It’s super exciting.”
With more pickleball programs than other facilities in New England, BPC is dedicated to solely providing a premier pickleball experience for all players in the Boston area, according to BPC’s website.
Whether you consider yourself a pickleball professional or are just getting started in the sport, BPC will meet you at your level. More experienced players can take advantage of BPC’s state-of-the-art ball machine that will automatically dispense balls and help improve their stroke. If you need some extra practice before stepping on the courts, you can use one of the facility’s interactive walls to work on your hitting accuracy.
BCP’s staff can also cater to every skill level, going head-to-head with other high-level players or dialing it down to help those who are just getting started.
“I think at first people thought we were just a facility for high-end players … which is obviously not the case,” Mitchell said. “We’re here for any level play. Anybody that wants to play is more than welcome to come in and try it out.”
The facility hosts lessons, leagues, tournaments and more. Players can reserve a court, book lessons and check in either online or by using BPC’s app. They can also walk in to reserve a court, but might not always be guaranteed one the same day. Members can also view the court availability schedule up to 10 days in advance.
More about Boston Pickle Club’s facilities
BPC’s courts are also the highest-quality in New England, according to the facility’s website. All seven court surfaces are made with a special mat that is intended to be gentler on the body. Mitchell said this “is huge for people, especially in the pickleball area, because people play so much.”
“It’s a more expensive surface, but it’s definitely worth it,” he added. “We think it differentiates us.”
The facility’s lights were custom-designed to provide the highest-possible projection of lumens for an indoor racket facility environment, according to co-founder Steven Hauck, who said, “No one complains about the lighting in here.”
“The biggest compliment we get is when people walk in here and they talk about how incredible this looks,” Mitchell said. “It really does look good, and it is good, and the surface is great, the lighting’s awesome and the playability is perfect.”
On top of having a lounge, pro shop, snack bar and injury prevention area, BPC’s mission is to create a new category of pickleball.
“As much as we’re trying to differentiate ourselves, we’re also trying to innovate within the sport,” Hauck said. “Our vision is to deliver what we believe lacks in the Boston area for pickleball. It’s competitive league play that we think again all ages all levels will be interested in.”
“We just want to be dedicated to pickleball because I think that’s what the pickleball players have been missing in this area,” Mitchell said. “There are multi-sport places, which are all great, but we are dedicated to just pickleball and that’s our focus.”
Boston Pickle Club helps pickleball players from all experience levels work on their skills with first-of-its kind technology, an impressive space and dedication to service.David Cifarelli
How BPC started
BPC was founded by Hauck‚ Mitchell and Johan du Randt, another platform tennis professional. Mitchell and Randt met Hauck while playing platform tennis in the area. Last May, Mitchell and Randt came to Nantucket for a camp and stayed at Hauck’s home.
During their stay, the trio talked about opening a premier pickleball facility. By the end of the summer, the group was scoping out properties and eventually landed on the warehouse at 91-B Sprague St. in Hyde Park, which used to be a Sky Zone Trampoline Park.
“These guys actually found this facility, and then looked at a couple of other ones, but this kind of came together as a lease right about the time we decided to high five and go into business with each other,” Hauck said.
What set the warehouse apart from the other facilities was the ceiling height and lack of columns, according to Mitchell. Once Hauck got to work raising the money and getting the proper permits, BPC opened a few months after.
Now as pickleball continues to grow in popularity, the facility is looking to cater to the growing demand in the Boston area while creating bonds among players.
“We’re about pickleball. We’re about people meeting, making friends, all levels, all genders, all ages, and creating a community that is really connected through pickleball,” Hauck said.
BPC will host its grand opening at 91-B Sprague St. in Hyde Park at 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 27. Guests can take advantage of open play, round robins, tournaments and more.
BPC will otherwise be open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. More information can be found online or by following BPC on Facebook and Instagram.
