New state-of-the-art pickleball facility opens in Wake Forest
Pickleball players filled all seven indoor courts on a Monday morning in early November at the new Pickles and Play club in Wake Forest.
Owner and founder Lane Ethridge said he wasn’t surprised to see the 18,000-square-foot facility packed even though it had been open for a little over six weeks at 740 Merritt Capital Drive in Wake Forest.
“People have been craving this for a long time,” Ethridge said. “The thing I’m more surprised about is the level of skill we have at our club.
“I think because members have been waiting for this for so long, it’s attracting really high-level players.”
On Nov. 6, players ranged from ages 8 to 73.
Pickleball combines elements of tennis, badminton, ping-pong, racquetball and volleyball. Players hit a perforated, hollow plastic ball with paddles over a 34-inch-high net until one side is unable to return the ball or commits an infraction.
The sport is played by teams of two or four, and courts can be either indoor or outdoor.
Pickles and Play opens Wake Forest location
Pickles and Play has five membership options ranging from $89 per month for single players to $199 per month for families. There is also a $100 initiation fee for people who want to become members.
Ethridge said the Wake Forest location is almost already at member capacity.
“It just shows that the sport is growing,” Ethridge said. “A lot of the public courts are overcrowded. People are looking for a really welcoming place to play where they don’t have to wait 45 minutes to an hour to get out and go play pickleball.”
People who aren’t sure whether they want to become members can pay a $20 fee for drop-in play.
“You can stay as long as you want,” Ethridge said.
Free introductory classes are offered on Thursdays, Ethridge said.
“I have found that this sport changes people’s lives in ways that they don’t understand that it can,” Ethridge said.
Beth Clement said she plays pickleball every day. She started playing seven or eight years ago.
“Sometimes, I take the weekends off, but [on] weekdays, I’m here every day,” Clement said.
Clement said she used to play at public parks and recreation centers before Pickles and Play opened.
“It didn’t used to be really crowded, but now since COVID, it seems to have picked up the crowds,” Clement said.
Fellow pickleball player Shawn Johnson said he started playing the sport two or three years ago.
“I try to get out here a couple times a week,” Johnson said. “I enjoy playing inside.
“[It’s] a lot easier on the joints, and I get in a good workout.”
Johnson also likes how Pickle and Play uses an online court reservation system so players never have to wait to play.
“I felt like it was going to open up opportunities to play,” Johnson said. “As pickleball is growing, sometimes it’s a little harder to get onto the court outside because a lot of families will come.”
Because Pickles and Play is an indoor facility,the courts avoid the wear and tear from rain and snow. Also, players don’t have to account for wind.
Ethridge said he and his partners focused on creating the best possible courts for players.
“We have clients here who literally, they say after they walk off the court, they’re not sore,” he said. “They don’t have knee pain. They don’t have hip pain. They don’t have joint issues like they normally would if they go play at a normal place.”
Johnson echoed the same sentiments.
“It’s a lot easier on my body,” Johnson said of playing indoors.
Ethridge said Pickles and Play’s courts have nine millimeters of cushioning beneath the court surface to help with absorption and avoid dead spots on the court to ensure the ball bounces properly.
Also, Ethridge said he has a member who is older than 70 years old who says he can continue playing pickleball for longer than he expected because of the tournament-grade courts.
“He was hesitant of joining, to be honest, and after day two, he talked to me and was like, ‘Man, I think I’m going to be able to probably play three or four years longer than I expected just because I don’t have the issues that I have where I play other places because of the quality of the courts you guys have,’” Ethridge said.
Ethridge also said it was important to provide players with perfect lighting, climate control and permanent netting.
“One of the things we focus on is for any reason and every season,” Ethridge said.
Among his goals are helping people stay healthy, and allowing them to meet others to compete in leagues.
Clement, 69, said she likes playing pickleball indoors because she can play year-round.
“Last year, before this opened, I was playing – it could be 38 degrees and I’d be outside playing,” she said.
Lane Ethridge’s background in pickleball
Ethridge remembers when he first started playing pickleball four years ago, losing to a 78-year-old man.
“The first time I played, I was a little frustrated and fired up,” Ethridge said.
Ethridge is certified through Pickleball Coaching International and the International Pickleball Teaching Professional Association [IPTPA]. He comes from an athletic family. His dad played football and baseball at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. His oldest brother was a member of the Duke crew team and his other brother played football.
“We just were around sports all the time,” Ethridge said. “So, I do have a sports background, but it doesn’t really matter.
“[There are] people here who have no background whatsoever in sports, let alone racquetball … and they come pick this up so fast.”
Ethridge previously served as the director of pickleball and lead pro instructor at Northridge Country Club and Lifetime Fitness of Raleigh.
“I just took everything that I thought was good and bad about each of them,” Ethridge said.
Future Pickles and Play locations
Ethridge said he targeted Wake Forest because of its growing population. U.S. Census Bureau data shows the town has 51,113 people as of July 2022. In April 2010, Wake Forest had 30,117 people.
“I’ve been looking for land to do a buy and build, and we pivoted because we realized it’s going to take longer than we wanted, more expensive than the numbers would justify just to sustain a really good facility for the customer,” Ethridge said. “And so, we partnered with Merit Capital.”
Ethridge said Merit Capital has experience with commercial-use properties, and helped get the facility rezoned for recreational use through the Wake Forest Business and Industry Partnership.
In January, Ethridge said Pickles and Play plans to open up a second facility at 7310 Millhouse Road in Chapel Hill. The Chapel Hill location is a new build, Ethridge said.
The Chapel Hill location will be about three miles from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus. Last year, the school’s pickleball club won the 2022 DUPR [Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating] Pickleball Collegiate National Championship.
“It’s going to be a Division I sport soon,” Ethridge said.
A third location is also planned for western Wake County, according to Ethridge.
“One of our big visions for this company is we can provide opportunities to people to be able to have their lives enhanced and improved in ways that hopefully they get to enjoy for a long time,” Ethridge said.
