You could call it a pickleball paradise.
Bash Pickleball Club in Warren opened what is the first pickleball-only facility in metro Detroit last week, offering 10 professional-grade courts under bright lighting, a pro shop, locker rooms, lounge areas, a coffee station with beverages and snacks, and a party room for large gatherings.
Located at 6881 Chicago Rd., the 30,000-square-foot club features open-play, tournaments, coaching for all levels, free lessons for beginners, court reservations, mixers, and skill-based events.
The pro shop is impressive, with dozens of paddles from eight companies, balls, grips, backpacks and apparel.
Pickleball, which is a fun and dynamic hybrid of tennis, ping-pong, and badminton, is the fastest-growing sport in America and attracts players of all ages.
Bash Pickleball Club co-owner Sam Brikho says he and his brother Kevin Brikho decided to open a pickleball complex after falling in love with the game last summer at Borden Park in Rochester Hills. Like many outdoor courts in metro Detroit, they were often full, with people waiting to play.
“I would go almost every day after work, and more and more people would show up,” Brikho tells Metro Times. “All eight courts would be full. I could see that there was a demand for it, and I asked the players where they would play [when the weather got colder], and they all said there really aren’t many places.”
Brikho also said people were looking for organized play so they could compete with others at comparable skill levels.
The Brikho brothers say it wasn’t easy finding a large facility to lease because owners were hesitant to work with a start-up company. But then they found their current location, which was originally a former General Motors Plant that later served as a sports storage facility, peanut shop, tennis facility, and volleyball club.
“The landlord here was a pickleball guy, and he wanted it for the community, so he was willing to work with us,” Brikho says.
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Steve Neavling
Bash Pickleball Club has dozens of paddles from eight companies, balls, grips, backpacks and apparel.
Over the weekend, the club featured its first mixer, a popular event at indoor pickleball facilities that allow players to compete against new people and develop new skills. About 100 people turned out for drinks, food, music, and raffle prizes, including two paddles, a backpack, and a private lesson.
“It was such a good turnout,” Brikho says.
The club is open to everyone. Memberships range from $397 to $697 a year. Although paid memberships aren’t required, they provide discounts, advanced bookings to reserve courts, and free entry into open-play. Until May 15, the club is offering 15-month memberships for the price of 12 months.
The club offers three open-play sessions each day from Monday through Friday, and two sessions each on Saturday and Sunday. The cost for open-play without a membership is $12.
Lessons are available for players looking to strengthen their skills. Head coach Dr. Nick Hernandez, a licensed pharmacist who is taking a break from his profession to pursue his pickleball passions, is a friendly, skilled player who won gold medals in singles, mixed doubles, and men’s doubles at the Royal Oak Classic Pickleball Tournament last year.
If all goes as planned, the club will expand, with an additional 24,000 square feet available for another six to eight courts. The goal is to build a championship court to lure sanctioned pickleball tournaments to Warren.
“The tournaments are phenomenal,” Hernandez says. “The atmosphere is great. Some of them can get about 1,000 to 2,000 players.”
Brikho says pickleball has become very popular because it brings people together and is easy to learn, but is incredibly difficult to master.
“It’s a very social sport,” Brikho says. “It can be competitive or it can be very friendly. It’s great for all ages. Anyone can learn to play in a couple of hours. Every day there are new people coming in. We make them feel comfortable.”
During a recent open-play, players of various skill levels were there, and they were cordial and welcomed new competitors, making it a fun way to interact with new people.
For newbies, the club offers free lessons to teach the basics of pickleball. The club offers paddles for those who don’t have one.
Once beginners start playing, Brikho knows many of them are going to catch the pickleball craze and return.
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Bash Pickleball Club
A lounge area with a TV that plays constant pickleball matches at Bash Pickleball Club.
Metro Detroit has a few indoor pickleball facilities, but they also share space with other sports. One of premier facilities in the area is Court4, a combo tennis-pickleball complex in Detroit that is inside a large, well-lit dome.
In Pontiac, more than a dozen indoor pickleball courts are available for open play and reservations at UWM Sport Complex, which also hosts a variety of other sports.
The closest pickleball-only facility to metro Detroit is Ann Arbor’s Wolverine Pickleball, which has beer on tap, 12 indoor courts, and large ceilings with bright lighting.
