PICKLES in HANOVER, MA: DINK, DRINK & PLAY

The energy, excitement, and love for the game of pickleball was palpable October 7-8 at the APA’s (Amateur Pickleball Association’s) Cape Cod Gold Cup Tournament, hosted at PICKLES, an extremely unique indoor-outdoor pickleball club in Hanover, Massachusetts – and if you don’t believe us, just ask any one of the Club’s 6,000 registered members (and if you’re still in doubt, watch the video linked above). The comradery across spectators and players was beyond mutual admiration, to watch APA’s PICKLES tournament video is like watching the collegiate crowd at the Championship game of March Madness – these pickleball enthusiasts feel love not for the game, but for one another. 100%: Truly. Madly. Deeply.

That said, as all dedicated pickleball players know, we’re all only as good as the court you are playing in.

There’s a lot that makes PICKLES such a fan favorite across the founding fathers’ enclave of Plymouth County, MA.  With more than 6,000 registered players since the Club’s opening in March 2021, PICKLES membership is nearly 50% of Hanover’s total population (although the club draws from the entire region).

No doubt part of the club’s allure is in its fresh architecture and innovative menu of services and amenities: six climate-controlled indoor tournament-sized courts, two indoor dinking practice courts, “The Kitchen”, a specially designated dining space where members actually bring their own (food that is!!!) yet have at their disposal a full-service bar serving the fun stuff, a Player’s Lounge replete with viewing deck, and retail shop to purchase all things pickleball – place sounds more appealing than a full-service Marriott!  Add to the mix the accessibility and wide variety of services PICKLES offers, including but not excluded to individualized and group coaching lessons for beginner, intermediate, and advanced players, and the only reason for a pickleball enthusiast to go home would be to whip-up breakfast, lunch & dinner for the next day. But that’s not all, folks.

PICKLE’s a-la-carte services offer renting the venue as well (no membership fee required) for personal and professional events. There’s a tiered membership program offering discounted pricing for members who’ve paid a relatively modest one-time membership initiation fee that also waives drop-in play fees.

But alas, there’s a lot more to PICKLE’s allure than goods and services: inspired by community, for community, PICKLES facilitates authentic community connection – pickleball is the venue.  The Club’s members, the player-customers PICKLES serves, make PICKLES, well, PICKLES. 

“I think what people love about PICKLES is that it’s intimate. It’s a close-knit community. People come to PICKLES love the people. They love the camaraderie,” said PICKLES Co-Founder Lisa DeMeritt, “So many friendships have been forged through our leagues, drop-in play, and just our contact time with people.”

More than just a social hub, PICKLES provides a sense of belonging to all who visit.

“I think the thing that I was most amazed and surprised by was the outpouring of comments from members about how PICKLES saved their lives. In pickleball, there's a lot of lone wolves, as well as people no longer able to play the sports they once loved. So, when people find PICKLES, they find acceptance, involvement, and friendships, and they've shared these stories with us over and over. If PICKLES closed tomorrow, I know that we did something great for a lot of people.”

DeMeritt got her start in pickleball during the pandemic. As the work force came to a halt nationally, DeMeritt, a realtor at the time, spent less time selling houses and more time playing pickleball, where she soon realized she greatly preferred the latter. DeMeritt’s friend and teammate, Wanda Melampy, felt the same love towards the game, and the pair realized that a Pickleball Club was exactly what the community was missing. Along with the marketing talent of DeMeritt’s husband, Dustin, the trifecta set out to create New England’s premier indoor and outdoor pickleball facility with community connection at the forefront.

“We have two members, husband, and wife, who drive an hour and 20 minutes to come to PICKLES, three to four times a week. Not only are they in our Friday night league, but they’re also in our Saturday morning league. So, they play Friday night from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., followed by having dinner with their teammates before driving home and then returning at the crack of dawn just because of how much they love PICKLES.”

PICKLES is the club that keeps on giving: In the next few months, a physical therapist will be joining the club in a newly renovated upper mezzanine where members can receive a variety of spa-like services, including cupping, massages, and preventive physical therapy.

Additionally, PICKLES is increasing its roster of hosting APA Tournaments in 2024 to quarterly events booked for January, April, July, and October of 2024.

“Professional tournaments are awesome. But at PICKLES, the reality is that a majority of our members are 2.0 to 3.5 players, so the Amateur Pickleball Association (APA), is a more approachable, user-friendly, enjoyable, and accessible amateur league for most PICKLES members.”

Pickles is open 8AM-8PM on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays; 8AM-10PM on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays; and 8AM-6PM on Sundays. To reserve a court, become a PICKLES member, or learn more about hosting an event at Pickles, click here.