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Big Pickleball seeks toehold in Gig Harbor while the sport thrives with new public options for play

Posted on July 3rd, 2025 By:

As the Washington franchisee for the nationwide chain Pickleball Kingdom, siblings John and Mara Hylton can open playing facilities anywhere in the state. Gig Harbor’s large population of diehard pickleball players makes it an attractive location, John Hylton said.

But his attempts to nail down a site here have not yet borne fruit.

At first, the anchor space in the Peninsula Shopping Center downtown seemed promising. At 25,000 square feet, the former grocery store met the Hyltons’ size requirements. In the for-profit pickleball world, repurposing older retail spaces into air-conditioned, multi-court facilities is a known route to success.

But when their realtor visited the site, it turned out “there’s some ceiling-height issues and other issues” that made it unviable for them, John Hylton said.

The Hyltons also liked Latitude 47, a shiny new business/industrial park on Bujacich Road. That one of its tenants is AGA Gymnastics Northwest, a children’s gymnastics academy, seemed to bode well for a new sports-related business setting up shop. But Latitude 47’s landlord declined to work with Pickleball Kingdom, citing zoning and parking issues.

At least one pickleball entrepreneur expressed interest in leasing space at Gig Harbor’s Latitude 47 Commerce Center, but zoning and parking issues couldn’t be worked out. Photo by Ted Kenney

Gig Harbor is pickleball country

Instead, the Hyltons’ newest Pickleball Kingdom opened this April in Poulsbo in a former OfficeMax and Big 5 Sporting Goods building. But the Maritime City is still on their radar screen, John Hylton said. “We would love to get one in Gig Harbor.”

Pickleball – a sport invented on nearby Bainbridge Island (and reportedly named after one of its inventors’ dogs) – is on a tear, growing to some 20 million players nationwide in 2024 from fewer than 5 million in 2020.

Demographically, the sport is a good fit for Gig Harbor.  Pickleball skews toward middle- and higher-income players, with 44% in the $100,000+ range, according to statistics from the Sports and Fitness Industry Association.

Pickleball is a gentler sport than tennis: its smaller court, underhand serves and heavier, hollow perforated ball makes for less strenuous play. “It’s easier to feel successful at the beginning,” said Rick Prince, pickleball pro at Canterwood Golf & Country Club.

“I think it lends itself to less-athletic people still getting exercise,” Prince said. Those same characteristics benefit older players. And the Gig Harbor Peninsula has these in abundance: residents’ median age is 46.5 years, compared to 37.5 years for all of Pierce County, according to 2020 U.S. Census data.

Even without a Pickleball Kingdom – or one of its Big Pickleball competitors, such as The Picklr, PickleRage or Ace Pickleball Club – most local players would agree that right now is the best time yet to be a pickleballer in Gig Harbor.

New outdoor courts

Pickleball playing spaces here have mushroomed. At Gig Harbor North, six new dedicated courts at the city of Gig Harbor’s Doris Heritage Park opened on June 16. That launch occurred well before completion of the park’s athletic fields. Players who take their eyes off the ball can see slash piles, heavy equipment and large mounds of dirt beyond the pickleball court fence.

The city of Gig Harbor’s new Doris Heritage Park includes six pickleball courts. Photo by Ted Kenney

Pickleballers can start their day at Doris Heritage Park as early as 6 a.m. and keep playing until lights turn off automatically at 10 p.m. Play is free, and drop-in only (no reservations).

Closer to the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, Peninsula Metropolitan Parks District opened its 58,000-square-foot Recreation Center this week, with three indoor multi-use courts that are lined for pickleball, volleyball and basketball (the three multi-use courts can be divided into nine pickleball courts). In its July schedule, the center allots 10 hours per week for drop-in pickleball play. PenMet sells books of punchbook-style passes to use the facility.

On the other side of the peninsula, PenMet’s Sehmel Homestead Park offers up to 12 outdoor pickleball courts, on space shared with tennis and basketball. There, private groups pay PenMet to reserve some of the pickleball play time for members (and in some cases, non-members).

South Sound Pickleball Club

The nonprofit South Sound Pickleball Club, probably the largest of these groups, controls blocks of three to four morning hours on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays; and blocks of two to three hours in the afternoon or evening, every day except Fridays and Sundays.

Club members, who pay $65 to SSPC for a one-year individual membership and $150 for a one-year family membership, can play during these times for free. The games are drop-in and arranged by skill level.

Nonmembers can participate during these times too, after paying a $10 drop-in fee to SSPC. The club provides a “court ambassador” during its hours at Sehmel Homestead Park to collect fees (credit cards, Venmo, or PayPal are accepted), welcome new people, and set up and take down the pickleball nets, said Sherill Taylor, club president. The club pays PenMet $10 per court/hour to rent the park’s facilities, she said.

This racket rack helps pickleball players at Sehmel Homstead Park reserve their spot in line. Players put their rackets in the pipe, and as new players rotate onto the court all the rackets are moved to the right. Photo by Ted Kenney

Taylor said she spoke with a PenMet official in early June about SSPC reserving time for members at the new Recreation Center. She was told that because the center was so new, PenMet is “not allowing any court rental times yet because they want to wait and measure traffic flow of how many people are playing there,” Taylor said.

The PenMet official “mentioned that I should check back with him in August/September to see if it would be possible for our club … to reserve some court times later in the fall and when it starts to get dark out.”

Other options

Other indoor venues are available. The Tom Taylor Family YMCA, next door to Doris Heritage Park, offers three pickleball courts, currently available for a total of 16.75 hours per week, with at least two hours available for pickleball every day. Play is first-come, first-serve. Some of the slots are for adults only.

Pickleball is on a growth trajectory at Canterwood Golf & Country Club, just north of the city of Gig Harbor. In recent years, the club has converted two outdoor tennis courts into six outdoor pickleball courts, said Paul Hoessler, director of racquet sports. It has also converted one indoor tennis court into two pickleball courts, and two of their tennis courts are now dual use with pickleball. In contrast to other pickleball facilities on the Peninsula, Canterwood offers reserved play times.

Canterwood is for pickleballers with a higher budget, with its racquet sports membership package also including access to the country club, restaurant, fitness center and pools. Membership Director Alicia Anderson declined to share the exact cost but said it includes an initiation fee that is currently in the low four-figures, and annual dues also in that range. Memberships are for entire families, she said.

The club is hosting an amateurs pickleball tournament, the Star-Spangled Blast, from July 4 through July 6. About 81 amateur players — both members and non-members — have signed up to compete. The public is invited to watch.

Pickleball courts at the new Doris Heritage Park, adjacent to the Tom Taylor Family YMCA, were crowded on a recent afternoon. Photo by Ted Kenney

Demand remains strong

If Pickleball Kingdom comes to Gig Harbor, it will also offer reserved court times, along with dedicated courts, and all-season climate-controlled play. Members will have to pay for these amenities: the Hyltons’ Poulsbo facility charges $109 per month for a basic individual membership, and $229 monthly for families.

But with all Gig Harbor’s free and low-cost pickleball venues, including the new Doris Heritage Park and PenMet Rec Center, along with the ability to play at various tennis courts like the ones in Arletta, Rosedale and Crescent Creek Park, is there a demand for more private options?

Two Gig Harborites who think the answer is “yes” are Kent Kingman and his son Austin Kingman. Their plan to bring for-profit pickleball to Gig Harbor also includes another sport, called padel, which originated in Mexico and which the Kingmans say is growing even faster than pickleball worldwide.

The Kingmans’ day job is running the family business, Minterbrook Oyster Company, on the Key Peninsula. They are also working to open Laguna’s, an oyster-house style restaurant on the waterfront in Purdy.

Padel

Austin Kingman lived and worked in Cancun, Mexico, for four years, where he was exposed to padel.  The father and son have taken steps toward opening their proposed facility on a 1.37 acre parcel on Goodnough Drive, just south of Gig Harbor’s northern border.

In June, the pair held a pre-application conference with city of Gig Harbor officials about zoning, sewer, fire flow and other issues that will affect their plan. Kent Kingman said he has obtained an option to buy the land.

The seller of this property owns several adjacent acres and has taken steps toward developing a mini-storage site there. The Kingmans’ current plan for a 30,000- to 35,000-square-foot pickleball and padel space (it would also include a gym, sauna, and washrooms) depends on the mini-storage moving forward. The Kingmans’ plan includes tying into its sewer, fire flow resource and other infrastructure.

“We’re not sure” whether the pickleball and padel venture will proceed at this location, in part due to uncertainty around the mini-storage, Kent Kingman said.

He and his son have looked at other locations for their facility in the Gig Harbor area, including Latitude 47, the business/industrial park that eluded Pickleball Kingdom’s grasp.

In fact, Kingman said, “we would prefer” to execute the project on local real estate that already has a suitable building with all necessary infrastructure. However, the problem is that no suitable location in Gig Harbor has presented itself yet, he said.