Club bowled over with pickleball courts success

PICKLEBALL on the peninsula has taken a huge step forward, with the Drysdale/Clifton Springs Pickleball Club officially opening its dedicated outdoor courts.

The eight courts are located on a disused bowling rink at the Clifton Springs Bowling Club, and the area was cleaned and resurfaced at the pickleball club’s own expense.

Club publicity officer Fiona Bond said members originally played pickleball indoors at the Drysdale Primary School hall but only had access outside of school hours, and the enormous growth of the club from 14 members to more than 170 members in its first year spurred the search for new courts.

She said the first pickleballs were hit on the new courts about a month ago, on November 19, when 80 members came for a tryout, a sausage sizzle and birthday cake.

“We were all impressed with how well the ball bounced on the surface, and then the amazing backdrop of the bay behind us just topped it off.”

On Monday this week, the club held its official opening ceremony, inviting Bellarine MP Alison Marchant to cut the ceremonial curtain of pickleballs.

Other noted guests included City of Greater Geelong councillor Elise Wilkinson, Pickleball Victoria president Mark Taylor, and major sponsors Chris Niven from Community Bank Bellarine and Luke Campbell from Neville Richards Real Estate.

Drysdale/Clifton Springs Pickleball Club president Viv Daniels said the club was now the sport’s second-largest in Victoria.

“It’s really exciting to be in that space.

“The unique arrangement around how we’ve come to be here in that we’re playing with a bowls club on a bowling surface has been identified probably as one of the first, I guess, in Australia.

“Ultimately, people are watching what’s happening here, especially in the pickleball world, and I imagine in the bowling world as well; people will be looking at this.

“We’ve had a few people make contact with us already to see how it’s working and what’s going on.”

Clifton Springs Bowling Club president Eddie Kostrz said the opening was a significant milestone for his club.

“The benefits stemming from this collaborative venture are very encouraging.”One of the most thrilling prospects lies in the potential cross-pollination between our two beloved sports – we anticipate that our dedicated bowlers may discover the unique joys of pickleball, and conversely, the pickleball enthusiasts may be enticed to try their hand at bowling.”

A combination of tennis, table tennis and badminton, pickleball is widely cited as the world’s fastest-growing sport.

Ms Bond said the Drysdale/Clifton Springs Pickleball Club already had the debut tournament planned for its new courts: the Bellarine Big Bash, to be held on on February 4.

“It was booked out in days, with players coming from as far afield as Sale, Shepparton, Warrnambool and Sorrento.”