Your Weekly San Diego Clubs Update: January 22, 2024

Dear Member,

Monthly Mentions

Hello, 2024!
For those new to The Quad, welcome to our weekly newsletter that shares everything happening at the Bay Club and then some. This week, I decided to partner up with my pal, TK, our head of Athletics, and talk about the sport of the year, pickleball! If you haven’t joined in the fun yet, now is the time!

A Little History – Flashback to 1965, when a group of friends in Washington State returned home from a round of golf to, you guessed it, their children bored at home. Lucky for us, those bored kids helped spark the creation of Pickleball–first through a combination of misfit equipment (a lowered badminton net, a perforated plastic ball, table tennis paddles) and a driveway. By the early 1970’s, pickleball was becoming a fully formed sport, with a corporation created to protect its integrity. Soon to follow would be organized tournaments, and with competitive play came the first official rulebook in 1984, created by the US Amateur Pickleball Association. In 2005, the USA Pickleball Association was established, and the rest is history. You’ll hear various opinions on whether the sport was named after the creator’s dog, Pickles, or the dog after the sport, but however it came to be, we’re thankful to have it as part of our racquet sports culture.

Is Pickleball for Me? The best part, no previous racquet sports experience is needed, just a willingness to have fun! If you’ve ever played ping pong, you’ll find pickleball to have a very similar feel, using a paddle that’s slightly larger than ping pong but far smaller than tennis. This smaller paddle makes it easier to control, which leads to consistent contact with the ball much more quickly as you learn. Rallying (successfully hitting the ball back and forth over the net) comes naturally, and within minutes, you’re chasing the ball around the court, having a blast!

What do I need to play? – You don’t need much. Wear comfortable clothing and non-marking athletic shoes. We have all the rest of the gear you’ll need at the Club. If you would like your own paddles, check out recesspickleball.com.

Courts Galore – Did you know we have over 100 courts across the Clubs, and growing!? We are working hard to keep up with the growing demand.

Fundraising – We just booked a school fundraiser: “Pickleball + Prosecco” at Courtside. What a fun way for parents to get together and have fun for a good cause! Contact your local club and they will get you all the information you need.

In health,

Tracy L Cioffi
Chief Marketing Officer
The Bay Club Company

Bird’s Eye View

Nick Diciaula
Executive Vice President of Southern California
San Diego Campus