New Trend in Miami Condo Luxury Amenities: Pickleball Posted on March 15, 2022March 20, 2022 by Sarah Elles Boggs Over recent months, we’ve noticed a new amenity being promoted in new buildings across South Florida. Pickleball. The new St. Regis Miami in Brickell will have courts, as will The Standard Residences in Wynwood, Cipriani in Brickell, Vita at Grove Isle in Coconut Grove and The Perigon in Miami Beach. These are all projects that have been released in recent weeks and albeit very different properties, they all share this characteristic. Pickleball is the new ‘it’ amenity. I admit, I haven’t heard about pickleball since high school. Growing up in the Midwest (suburbs of Chicago), we had so many strange gym class requirements…like square dancing, parachute billowing (for those who know, you know what I am talking about) and the amazing ‘ping-pong meets mini-tennis’ game of pickleball. Pickleball is not new, it was actually invented back in the mid-60’s in Washington State. A former congressman and his buddies apparently came home from golfing and were bored, so decided to play badminton. They did not have the necessary equipment, so improvised with a wiffle ball, made some paddles from barn scraps, lowered the net and VOILA! A new sport is born. Being included in so many luxury condo buildings, the name does not necessarily connote the feelings of ‘luxury.’ There is no telling the amount of libations that were enjoyed during the round of golf on that fateful day in the 60’s to lead to a new sport called pickleball. When I think of pickles, I think of cheeseburgers or Cuban sandwiches. I do not think of a sport that can be found at many country clubs, tennis clubs and luxury condo buildings. Some say that the name comes from the fact that the founder’s dog at the time was named Pickles, but that is not verified. Whatever the origin, seeing this trend was so confusing to me at first. For those out-of-the-know, pickleball is a sport that sort of blends tennis, badminton and ping pong. The court is smaller than a tennis court, allowing the players to engage in more trash talking during the game (something that is commonplace). The smaller court is also less strenuous on your knees, making the sport more popular for those of us who are no longer 20 years old. Rather than rackets, players use paddles to volley the ball between one another and the ball is a wiffle ball. Very interesting. During the pandemic, pickleball experienced a surge in interest with the younger crowd as well. It is a great alternative to indoor activities, allows for some playfulness and is not a rough sport. There are now tournaments hosted around the United States and South America, with Larry Ellison co-hosting The U.S. Pickleball National Championships in Palm Springs. I am certainly no expert on the sport, but will likely find myself at a local club soon to remind me of my high school days. It’s a curious sport.