Austin Pickleball Update - Volume 11

April 11, 2024

Hello, and welcome to Austin Pickleball Update - Volume 11!

In this issue of Austin Pickleball Update, we’re covering an East Austin Pickleball Oasis, reviewing pickleball tech with the Dink Master, debuting our upgraded WhatsApp Community, covering local pickleball updates in community news, and providing (as always) a huge tournament update.

In this issue of APU you will find:

  • Play Pickleball in Austin - East 12th Pickleball

  • Pickleball Tech - Dink Master Review

  • Community News

  • New APU WhatsApp Community

  • Tournament, Event, and League Update

If you’re looking for places to play pickleball in Austin, check out our Austin Pickleball Courts and Clubs page here. 

Interested in sharing your tournament, league, product, or service with APU's engaged community of 1,000+ pickleball players in Austin? Reply to this email or DM us on Instagram and we’ll be in touch.

Let’s pickle on in!

Save 10% on Six Zero Paddles & Gear

We're excited to announce that Austin Pickleball Update is the newest Austin ambassador for Six Zero!

Looking to purchase a Ruby, Double Black Diamond, or other Six Zero pickleball gear? Use code "APU" to save 10% off your entire purchase! 

Join us for our next Paddle Demo Event this Saturday, April 13, from 10-11:30am at Pan Am Park, where we'll have the Six Zero Ruby, Double Black Diamond, and Double Black Diamond Infinity paddles available to demo.

Tournament of the Week - Polo Spring Swing

Want to get paid to play pickleball? Then come win your event at Austin’s Polo Spring Swing! Taking place April 19-21 at the Polo Tennis and Fitness Club, this tournament features doubles events with cash payouts, as well as a moneyball event on Friday. Make friends (or friendly rivals) and play at your level without waiting around. 

APU readers can use discount code “POLO” for $10 off registration. Find out more at this link or check out our tournament update below.

League of the Week - Capital City Pickle-Off

This six week league starts April 15 and runs Monday & Wednesday from 6-9pm at Waterloo Pickleball. Features 24 teams of 4 players each. Use code "Dono5" for $5 off. Learn more here, or check out our league update below.

Play Pickleball in Austin - East 12th Pickleball

East 12th Pickleball is a private pickleball court and Airbnb located at 4018 E 12th St. in East Austin. The best way I can describe the court at East 12th Pickleball is that it’s the backyard pickleball court you’ve always dreamed of having. 

The backyard pickleball court dreams are made of

The court is extremely affordable at $30/hour for private booking, which I believe is a better hourly rate than any other bookable court or club in Austin. Additionally, Austin Pickleball Update readers get half off for the month of April, bringing the cost down to $15/hour. The court is available from 9am-7pm Monday to Thursday, 9am-9pm on Friday and Saturday, and 9am-5pm on Sunday.

What I love most about East 12th Pickleball is that it makes a private pickleball experience extremely accessible and affordable to pickleball players in Austin. 

So much to love here.

East 12th Pickleball is the brainchild of Eric Ching and his partner Nicole. They started playing pickleball a few years back when the sport picked up popularity, however they quickly noticed how challenging it was to secure court space for group gatherings and scheduled play. Around the same time, Eric was also looking to build a unique Austin Airbnb experience that provided more than the conventional pool and hot tub combo.

Reflecting on the growing popularity of pickleball, the scarcity of easily accessible courts in Austin, and how to stand out in a saturated Airbnb market, Eric innovated by creating a pickleball focused Airbnb in East Austin. To maintain maximum availability of the pickleball court for players in Austin, they decided to open hourly court rentals along with their standard Airbnb booking. 

Eric and Nicole, proprietors of East 12th Pickleball and all around great people.

The court was constructed in December 2023 and opened to the public for booking and play on February 1, 2024. East 12th Pickleball has expanded their focus since launch, partnering with local coaches to provide individual and group lessons. Moving forward, they plan to collaborate with more private coaches, acquire drilling equipment for solo/partner practice, and introduce package deals for special occasions. 

Whether you're a beginner looking to learn with the guidance of a private coach, an experienced player looking to refine your skills through drilling or private games, or just someone who is interested in hosting a group event that includes pickleball, the space at East 12th Pickleball is perfectly suited for your needs. 

What’s it like to play at East 12th Pickleball?

I’ve said it already and I’ll say it again, East 12th Pickleball is the backyard pickleball court you’ve always dreamed of having, and playing there is a fantastic pickleball experience. What I appreciate most about East 12th Pickleball is that it makes scheduling private pickleball games affordable and accessible.

What more could you ask for in a backyard pickleball court?

The court itself was constructed by CourTex, and if you’re familiar with pickleball courts you know they are one of the top builders in Texas and some of the best in the business. The surface is phenomenal, lines are perfect, and the bounces is everything you’d expect from an ideal pickleball surface. The court itself is fenced in to ensure you aren’t chasing balls everywhere, and also includes lights for nighttime play. 

The court is perfectly situated in the yard of a corner lot, providing a nice blend of privacy and accessibility. The space is ideal for enjoying some pickleball with your friends and family, and is even pet friendly. 

East 12th has a huge side yard and can accommodate large groups.

I don’t think you could ask for a better private pickleball experience that is readily available to the public than East 12th Pickleball.

Looking to Build Your Own Backyard Pickleball Court?

I believe all readers of Austin Pickleball Update have a dream of having their own personal pickleball court. While myself (and I’m sure others) without homes/yards can happily settle for using East 12th Pickleball for now, Eric has some wisdom for those who are ready and interested in building their own backyard courts. 

His main tip is to ensure compliance with impervious cover regulations when determining where to build your court. Impervious coverage pertains to human-made surfaces that do not absorb water, such as concrete, and here in Austin single-family zoned homes need to follow the city's guideline of 50% or less of impervious coverage. 

See you on the East 12 Pickleball courts!

Prior to building his court Eric scheduled a call with the city to explain his plans for his backyard court to make sure it was feasible. He also suggests bringing in a survey company to help figure out if your yard has the right amount of space and coverage for a court. 

Book court time at East 12th Pickleball today with this link, or check out their Instagram @east12thpickleball for more information.

Pickleball Tech - The Dink Master

As the pickleball market grows, so inevitably does the periphery pickleball tech. Today, I’m pumped to share an overview of one of my favorite pieces of pickleball technology, The Dink Master.

The Dink Master is a pickleball training tool and practice board designed to help you practice your dinks, volleys, and shot accuracy anytime, anywhere. The board provides visual cues for the net height, shot targets, a “keep it low” line to help you hit the right height shots, and a “too high” line to let you know when you’ve hit a pop-up that a regular opponent would likely capitalize on. 

Become a dink master with the Dink Master.

The entire concept of The Dink Master is built around the idea of getting you as many touches and shots as possible, while allowing you to control what types of touches these are going to be. It is designed to improve your coordination, muscle memory, and overall gameplay by helping you hit thousands more shots each week on your own time. 

In fact, practicing on a wall yields 12 times more touches than typical gameplay, and 15 minutes of wall drilling is roughly equivalent to the amount of touches you would get in 2-3 hours of doubles play.

These stats blew my mind when I first learned them, as I used to be a player who improved solely by playing games or doing some light drilling with friends at courts before doubles play. I didn’t have an easily usable wall for drilling, and didn’t realize how much I was missing out on being able to work on my pickleball game on my own time without a partner. 

More shots is the key to improvement.

I’ve had the Dink Master for just under two months and have spent around 10 hours practicing across 8 sessions, which candidly is not that much time spent drilling. That said, my pickleball game has drastically improved from the short amount of time I have spent drilling with the Dink Master. Everything from dinks to hand speed to volleys have all gotten better from going into my garage, putting on the latest episode of the All-In podcast, and getting in time with the Dink Master. 

I am such a better player in such a short period of time because of this device that it almost feels like a pickleball cheat code. When I am in a game and I reflexively hit a shot I would have previously missed or win a quick hand battle at the net, I look at my partner and laughingly say “Dink Master hands.” 

The Dink Master sells for $399, however it’s essentially always 30% off and listed at $279.00. If you decide to get your own Dink Master and use code “APU” we would be very grateful, as you’ll be supporting the work we do here at Austin Pickleball Update while also improving your pickleball game.

My garage Dink Master setup, complete with measured 7 foot kitchen line.

The Dink Master also comes with a catalog of drills, viewable online, to take the guesswork out of how to work on different types of shots. It is portable and adjustable, allowing you to practice different drills by adjusting the angle of the rebounder.

While the Dink Master is a meaningful investment, I would be hard pressed to recommend a better value to quickly and noticeably improve your pickleball game. I promise you that spending $250 to get the newest paddle (I know many, many players who do this) will do far less for your pickleball game than the Dink Master.

If you already have a smooth, useable wall for drilling at home then I’d highly recommend picking up the Dink Pad for $40. This adhesive decal isn’t portable, but has the same layout as the Dink Master, and using code “APU” still supports our newsletter.

Could you also use a wall and tape to set up your own drilling space? Absolutely. However, if you’re like me and you don’t have convenient access to a wall and want to practice your dinks, resets, and improve your hand speed, then the Dink Master is an invaluable tool to have in your pickleball arsenal.  

The Dink Master is Gus Fring approved.

Interested in trying the Dink Master in person? Register and join us for our paddle demo event this Saturday, April 13 from 10am-11:30 am at Pan Am Park, where we’ll have our Dink Master available to check out and use.

Austin Real Estate Perfect for Pickleball

Looking to buy or sell property in Austin? Look no further than Vince Mathon, Austin, TX Realtor® and Founding Partner of Revel Property Group. Vince is your go-to expert for a personalized, professional, and uncomplicated real estate experience. He also plays pickleball nearly every day, which means he can show you the best properties for pickleball in the city, in addition to talking pickleball shop as he shows you around. 

Vince Mathon, pictured right, after winning a pickleball tournament.

If you're looking to buy or sell a home or land, discuss investment opportunities, or lease an apartment or house, text or call Vince at 737-267-5585. Learn more at www.vincemathonATX.com.

Community News

Founders League gets a new CEO

Founders League, one of Austin’s top pickleball leagues that caters to entrepreneurs and CEOs, has hired Andrew Kaluza as the league's new CEO. In addition to running the ongoing league in Austin, Andrew will be expanding Founders League to more cities this year. We’re excited to see Founders League grow into a national brand under Andrew’s leadership! 

Local Pickleball Pro Ties the Knot

Zane Navratil, Austin local, professional pickleball player, and all around awesome guy, tied the knot and married his long time partner and high school sweetheart Jenny on March 30th. Keeping things on brand, the wedding festivities included a Friday night pickleball event at Austin Pickle Ranch. Congratulations Zane and Jenny! Wishing you both happiness, health, and connection on your new adventure together!

The Texas Ranchers Saddle Up for the MLP Season

The long delayed and much anticipated MLP Draft took place on Tuesday, April 2, and Austin’s local MLP team The Texas Ranchers drafted a stellar squad helmed by none other than Christian Alshon. Alshon is a tennis pro turned pickleball player, and is known for his trick shots and great court skills. Rounding out the team are Etta Wright, Tina Pisnik and Pablo Tellez.

Texas Ranchers draft card.

These four players will become synonymous with the Texas Ranchers and subsequently Austin pickleball, as drafted players are committed to teams for at least three years. 

Check out the full MLP Draft results here, and stay tuned to Austin Pickleball Update for news and match results for our local team, The Texas Ranchers!

The Austin Pickleballers ball no more

Two Challenger Level MLP teams, the ATX Pickleballers and Milwaukee Mashers, were sold back to the United Pickleball Association (UPA), the recently created governing body that oversees the PPA Tour and MLP. 

The teams were first purchased in 2021 for $200-500k per team, and according to The Dink’s sources, the UPA will attempt to resell the teams for the 2025 season for an estimated $15-20 million. A 40x investment over 4-5 years is not too shabby, and shows how much pickleball has exploded during that time. 

It’s a bummer to lose The Austin Pickleballers, as I was very much looking forward to having two local MLP teams to cheer for and follow. 

Top 10 Veolia Austin Open Plays

Check out the top 10 highlight plays from the Veolia Austin Open.

Austin Pickleball Update WhatsApp Community

One of the cornerstone’s of the Austin Pickleball Update community is our pickleball players WhatsApp group. This group was created to easily help Austin pickleballers find people locally to play with, and it has grown to over 300 Austin Pickleball players since inception. 

With this growth comes the need for streamlining group communications in order to make the information and posts most relevant to what players are looking for. With this in mind, we are excited to announce that the group has been changed into a WhatsApp Community.

The new Austin Pickleball Players - APU Community is made up of sub groups that are tailored around specific interactions and levels of play. All sub groups have descriptions explaining what the group is used for and how to interact there. The goal is to ensure you only receive the most relevant information for you around pickleball in Austin.

The new community will include groups for:

  • General Chat

  • Pickleball Marketplace - Buy/Sell/Trade

  • Community Events

  • Women Pickleballers

  • Beginner 1.0-2.9

  • Intermediate 3.0-3.8

  • Advanced 3.9-4.4

  • Expert 4.5+

You can join the Austin Pickleball Players - APU WhatsApp Community using this link, and can access the community at any time in WhatsApp in the Community Tab. 

Thank you for helping us grow and evolve our community to better serve pickleball players in Austin!

Upcoming Events, Leagues, and Tournaments

Community Events

APU Paddle Demo Event

Interested in checking out and demoing some of the latest, high-end pickleball paddles? Join us for our next Paddle Demo Event this Saturday, April 13, from 10-11:30am at Pan Am Park. Register for the free event here and check out our website to see the paddles available at our paddle demo events, including the Six Zero Ruby 16mm.

Use code "APU" for 10% off all Six Zero paddles and gear purchases, including the Ruby and Double Black Diamond paddles!

Zane Navratil Pickleball Clinic

Local pro Zane Navratil is running upcoming pickleball clinics for 3.5-4.0 players, co-hosted by Austin pro Jack Munro. The clinics take place at Eastside Paddle Club on Monday 4/15 and Dreamland on Tuesday 4/23 from 6-8pm. $140 per person, with 16 people max per clinic. Use code "APU15" for a 15% discount on the Dreamland clinic!

Austin Pickleball Leagues

Dreamland League - April 30-June 4, 2024

  • Location - Dreamland, Dripping Springs, TX

  • Overview - Six week DUPR leagues starting in May, running one day each week. Leagues include beginner-2.5, 3.25-4.0, and 4.0+ mixed doubles, as well as 4.0+ singles.

  • Price - $90 per league

Capital City Pickle-Off League - April 15-May 27, 2024

  • Location - Waterloo Pickleball, Austin, TX

  • Overview - Six week league running weekly on Monday & Wednesday from 6-9pm, featuring 24 teams of 4 players each. Teams will be formed at the season's start, with players randomly assigned within skill brackets.

  • Price - $80, use code "Dono5" for $5 off, which will be donated to a local charity.

Eastside Paddle Club League - April 24-June 6, 2024

  • Location - Eastside Paddle Club, Austin, TX

  • Overview - Seven week non-DUPR league for Mixed Doubles (Thursday), Men’s Doubles (Wednesday), and Women’s Doubles (Thursday) at the Intermediate/Advanced skill level from 8-10pm. Players sign up in teams of 2, with priority sign-up for members starting on April 9, and general availability for sign-up on April 15.

  • Price - $160/member team, $210/member + non-member team, $260/non-member team

Austin Area Pickleball Tournaments

Polo Spring Swing - April 19-21, 2024 - TOURNAMENT OF THE WEEK!

  • Location - Polo Tennis And Fitness Club, Austin, TX

  • Overview - Round Robin scramble tourney with payouts for winners. 3.0-5.0 skill brackets with age brackets. Moneyball coed doubles event on Friday. 5 game minimum.

  • Price - $35 + $10 per event

    • Use code “POLO” for $10 off your registration

  • Location - Texas School for the Deaf, Austin, TX

  • Overview - Round robin co-ed scramble doubles format. 2.5-4.5+ skill brackets. Registration deadline April 13th. 3 game minimum. 

  • Price - $45, with 100% of the profits going to Texas School for the Deaf class of 2024

  • Location - Hidden Falls Golf Club, Meadowlakes, TX

  • Overview - Third annual charity tournament. Round robin team play, open with social & competitive divisions with gender doubles and mixed doubles. 

  • Price - $150 per team

  • Location - Austin Tennis Center, Austin, TX

  • Overview - Round Robin format with 3.0-5.0+ skill brackets. Must register with a partner. 6 games to 11 or 4 games to 15 guarantee.

  • Price - $40 per player

  • Location - Texas School for the Deaf, Austin, TX

  • Overview - MLP format team tournament, with teams consisting of two men and two women (nonbinary players can take any spot in the team). Skill brackets for combined team DUPRs of 12, 14, 16 and 18. Captains responsible for registering and paying for the team. 3 game minimum.

  • Price - $145 per team

Cedar Park Paddle Battle - May 8-12, 2024

  • Location - Austin Tennis Center, Austin, TX

  • Overview - Round Robin format with 2.5-5.0+ skill brackets events. Must register with a partner. 6 games to 11 or 4 games to 15 guarantee. 

  • Price - $40 per player

Onion Creek Picklefest - May 18, 2024

  • Location - Onion Creek Club, Austin, TX

  • Overview - Round robin men’s and women’s doubles tournament with 3.0-4.5 skill brackets. 2 game minimum.

  • Price - $80

002 Spring Classic - May 17-19, 2024

  • Location - Horseshoe Bay Resort, Horseshoe Bay, TX

  • Overview - Round robin tourney with double elimination singles and gender doubles and round robin mixed doubles. 3.0-4.5 + open division skill brackets with age brackets. 3 game minimum.

  • Price - $75 for first event, $25 for each subsequent event

  • Location - Austin Tennis Center, Austin, TX

  • Overview - Round robin tourney with singles, mixed doubles, and gender/nonbinary doubles events. 2.5-5.0+ skill brackets. 4 game minimum.

  • Price - $40 per player

  • Location - Dreamland, Dripping Springs, TX

  • Overview - Round robin tourney with singles, mixed doubles, and gender doubles events. 2.5-5.0 skill brackets with age brackets. 5 game minimum.

  • Price - $75 for first event, $45 for second event

Greater Texas Area Pickleball Tournaments - Dallas, San Antonio, Houston

002 Lone Star Shootout - April 12-14, 2024 (this weekend)

  • Location - Waco Regional Tennis & Fitness Center, Waco, TX

  • Overview - Round robin tourney with singles, mixed doubles, and gender doubles events. 3.0-4.5 skill brackets with age brackets. 3 game minimum.

  • Price - $70 for first event. $25 for each subsequent event

Minor League Pickleball - April 20, 2024

  • Location - Oasis Pickleball Club, Rockwell, TX (outside Dallas)

  • Overview - MLP format team tournament, with teams consisting of two men and two women. Skill brackets for combined team DUPRs of 14, 16, 18 and 20. Team and individual registration available. 3 game minimum.

  • Price - $70 individual, $280 for teams.

  • Location - PALA Pickleball, Houston, TX

  • Overview - Round robin tourney with singles, mixed doubles, and gender doubles events. 3.0-5.0 skill brackets with age brackets. 8 match guarantee.

  • Price - $90 registration + $35 for singles events and $50 for doubles events.

  • Location - John Newcombe Country Club, New Braunfels, TX

  • Overview - Round robin money pickleball tournament with singles, mixed doubles, and gender doubles events. 3.0+, 4.0+, and open skill brackets. 3 game minimum.

  • Price - $45

  • Location - Oasis Pickleball Club, Rockwell, TX (outside Dallas)

  • Overview - Pool play tournament featuring singles, mixed doubles, and gender doubles events. 3.0-5.0 skill brackets with age brackets. Games to 15, win by 2. 3 match guarantee.

  • Price - $160

Austin Pickleball Update Social Groups

Follow Austin Pickleball Update on Instagram for pickleball content and local news, follow our Facebook group to learn about upcoming demo days and events, and join and use our 300+ person WhatsApp community to find Austin players to play pickleball with.

Share Austin Pickleball Update

Know someone who plays pickleball in Austin? Please forward and share this newsletter with them so that they stay updated around everything pickleball in Austin! 

Previous volumes of Austin Pickleball Update:

If you have any Austin pickleball news, tips, or topics that we should cover or may have missed, please reach out! We're always grateful to hear from our readers.

Look out for Austin Pickleball Update - Volume 12 on Thursday, April 25, 2024!

See you on the courts!✌️

Phillip & Kylee Klugman - Austin Pickleball Update