2023 USA Pickleball National Championships Moving to Dallas; USA Pickleball, PPA Tour Announce Partnership
| July 11, 2023
Pickleball’s premier event will now take place at Invited’s Brookhaven Country Club in Farmers Branch, with an increased capacity of more than 3,500 amateur players and all of pickleball’s top pros set to compete
PHOENIX (March 9, 2023) — USA Pickleball, the National Governing Body for the sport of pickleball, and the Carvana Professional Pickleball Association (PPA Tour), today announced that the 2023 USA Pickleball National Championships will officially move from the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California to Brookhaven Country Club in Dallas. The National Championships, which will now be presented by the PPA Tour, will take place Nov. 4-12 as originally scheduled. Furthermore, top amateur players across the country will now have more opportunities to qualify due to the USA Pickleball’s addition of three new Golden Ticket events designated on the PPA Tour calendar for the first time.
The 2023 National Championships will represent the world’s largest-ever pickleball tournament and facility, serving an expanded field of more than 3,500 amateur and professional players—a 50 percentage increase over the event’s capacity in 2022—utilizing up to 65 courts. The overall 2023 prize money for professional divisions will be revealed later this year, but will exceed the 2022 total of $150,000, making it the largest prize purse in the tournament’s history. Total event attendees are estimated to reach 25,000. While the National Championships remains USA Pickleball-owned, the PPA Tour will support event operations and logistics.
“We are thrilled to partner with the PPA Tour in our ongoing efforts to enhance the USA Pickleball National Championships and further cement its position as the premier pickleball tournament in the world,” said Robert Quicksilver, Chairman of the USA Pickleball Board of Directors. “Given the PPA Tour’s proven track record of running exceptional pickleball tournaments and the added involvement of Invited—a leading operator of professional sporting events and country clubs around the world—USA Pickleball is confident that the 2023 National Championships will be the best tournament ever for our amateur and professional players, as well as for our fans, sponsors, and media partners. The move to Dallas, one of the great cities in the U.S., will make the 2023 National Championships more accessible geographically for players seeking to qualify among our membership that is more than 70,000 strong.”
“It’s been special to see the Dallas community rally around pickleball—from the city itself, to the Dallas Sports Commission, to our partners at Invited,” said Tom Dundon, Lead Investor in the PPA Tour. “Partnering with USA Pickleball to bring its National Championships to a central hub is important to us as we continue making pickleball more accessible for everyone. We look forward to working in conjunction with USA Pickleball to create an incredibly exciting and historic event that will be the biggest pickleball party in the world.”
Upgrades planned for the 2023 National Championships include designating the street outside of Brookhaven Country Club as “Pickleball Boulevard” to make space for a stage, live music, and family-friendly activities with sponsors and local businesses. Food and beverage vendors from all over the state of Texas will be on-site as part of the “Taste of Pickle” exhibit that will give tournament attendees the chance to experience traditional southwestern cuisine. Nightly musical performances are planned for the tournament, as well as various interactive events surrounding the event to make the fan and player experience unforgettable.
“After a competitive bidding process that encompassed proposals from multiple city governances, Dallas and the Dallas Sports Commission presented the best combination to take the National Championships to the next level,” said Connor Pardoe, Chief Executive Officer of the PPA Tour. “Furthermore, Invited’s Brookhaven Country Club, as one of the state’s premier golf and tennis resorts for more than six decades and situated as it is in the City of Farmers Branch, which is an inner-ring suburb of Dallas, was marked as the ideal locale to host an event of this size and prestige.”
“During the past three years, Invited has made substantial investments in pickleball facilities and programming to provide more opportunities for our members and guests to play the fastest growing sport on Earth,” said David Pillsbury, Invited Chief Executive Officer. “We are incredibly proud and excited to expand our partnership with the PPA Tour to create the world’s largest pickleball party at Brookhaven Country Club and host the historic National Championships.”
The following three tournaments on the 2023 Carvana PPA Tour will be sanctioned by USA Pickleball as Golden Ticket events and serve as qualifiers for the USA Pickleball National Championships: the Selkirk Texas Open (rescheduled to May 31-June 4), the Baird Seattle Open (July 27-30) and the Kansas City Open (August 24-27).
“It has been a privilege for USA Pickleball to hold the National Championships at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden since 2018,” said Stu Upson, USA Pickleball Chief Executive Officer. “Last year the event hosted 5,522 fans on Championship Sunday, the largest-ever pickleball attendance in history. I want to express our deep gratitude to the entire Indian Wells team for being terrific partners.”
“We have enjoyed hosting the USA Pickleball National Championships and are proud that we could play a key part in elevating the sport,” said Philippe Dore, Chief Marketing Officer at Desert Champions. “We wish USA Pickleball continued success and look forward to watching as the event continues its growth.”
More information about the 2023 USA Pickleball National Championships presented by the PPA Tour—including how to qualify—can be found here.
About USA Pickleball
USA Pickleball is the National Governing Body (NGB) for the sport of pickleball in the United States. Its mission is to promote the development and growth of the sport while sanctioning events and providing annual members with premier tournaments, educational opportunities, player rankings, official rules and other exclusive benefits. USA Pickleball is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation that is governed and operated by a Board of Directors and a national office staff, who provide the guidance and infrastructure for the continued expansion of the sport.
About Carvana PPA Tour
The Carvana PPA Tour is the professional tour of pickleball, organizing events and rankings for the top male and female pickleball players worldwide and awarding more than $5.5 million in annual prize money with equal play and pay. The Carvana PPA Tour is set to host 25 events in 2023 at world-class facilities like the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Cincinnati, the Darling Tennis Center and Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, and now, the USA Pickleball National Championships in Dallas. Inviting all to compete and “play where the pros play,” the Carvana PPA Tour offers amateur divisions of play for every level, unparalleled experiences for fans and spectators, gorgeous venues, pro player meet-and-greets, food/beverages, live entertainment, VIP upgrades, giveaways and games, shopping, vendors, and more. Founded in 2018 and based in Salt Lake City, the Carvana PPA Tour is operated by parent corporation, Pickleball.com. For more information, go to www.ppatour.com. See Pro Player Profiles and follow us on social: Twitter Instagram YouTube Facebook LinkedIn.
About Invited
Since its founding in 1957, Dallas-based Invited has operated with the central purpose of Building Relationships and Enriching Lives®. The leading owner-operator of private golf and country clubs, city and stadium clubs in North America, Invited is relentless in its pursuit of providing extraordinary experiences, meaningful connections, shared passions, and memorable moments for its more than 400,000 members. With approximately 20,000 peak-season employees and a portfolio of 200 owned or operated golf and country clubs, city clubs, sports clubs, and stadium clubs in 29 states, and seven BigShots Golf locations. Invited creates communities and a lifestyle through its championship golf courses, workspaces, handcrafted cuisine, resort-style pools, tennis and pickleball facilities, golf lounges, fitness centers, and robust programming.
Marquee Invited properties include: Firestone Country Club (Akron, Ohio); Mission Hills Country Club (Rancho Mirage, California); The Woodlands Country Club (Houston, Texas); and The Metropolitan Club (Chicago, Illinois).
USA Pickleball Media Contacts:
Melissa Zhang ║ Director of Communications & Content ║ mzhang@usapickleball.org
Chuck Menke ║ Chief Marketing Officer ║ cmenke@usapickleball.org
PPA Tour Media Contact:
Hannah Johns ║ Director of PR & Content ║ h.johns@ppatour.com
Invited Media Contact:
Mary Jane Orman ║ PR Specialist ║ ormanm@gmail.com
