Here’s the dill: Pickleball enters business realm
Published 9:59 pm Tuesday, November 12, 2024
Brandon Shields plays a match of pickleball with friends Edis Sinanovic and Robert Allen at Diamond Pickleball on Tuesday evening, Nov. 12, 2024. The 1,600-square-foot “country club"-type pickleball facility started by Brent and Sarah Fulk features five courts for members to play pickleball, a cross between tennis and ping pong, as well as have opportunities for league play, instruction and even a video system that will allow players to replay their games on a smartphone app. (Grace McDowell/grace.mcdowell@bgdailynew.com)
A group of friends play a match of pickleball at Diamond Pickleball on Tuesday evening, Nov. 12, 2024. The 1,600-square-foot “country club"-type pickleball facility started by Brent and Sarah Fulk features five courts for members to play pickleball, a cross between tennis and ping pong, as well as have opportunities for league play, instruction and even a video system that will allow players to replay their games on a smartphone app. (Grace McDowell/grace.mcdowell@bgdailynew.com)
Edis Sinanovic (left) plays a match of pickleball with teammate Robert Allen (right) and friend Brandon Shields at Diamond Pickleball on Tuesday evening, Nov. 12, 2024. The 1,600-square-foot “country club"-type pickleball facility started by Brent and Sarah Fulk features five courts for members to play pickleball, a cross between tennis and ping pong, as well as have opportunities for league play, instruction and even a video system that will allow players to replay their games on a smartphone app. (Grace McDowell/grace.mcdowell@bgdailynew.com)
Pickleball players begin to gather to play at Diamond Pickleball on Tuesday evening, Nov. 12, 2024. The 1,600-square-foot “country club"-type pickleball facility started by Brent and Sarah Fulk features five courts for members to play pickleball, a cross between tennis and ping pong, as well as have opportunities for league play, instruction and even a video system that will allow players to replay their games on a smartphone app. (Grace McDowell/grace.mcdowell@bgdailynew.com)
An upstairs pickleball court at Diamond Pickleball is lit up as players begin to arrive to play on Tuesday evening, Nov. 12, 2024. The 1,600-square-foot “country club"-type pickleball facility started by Brent and Sarah Fulk features five courts for members to play pickleball, a cross between tennis and ping pong, as well as have opportunities for league play, instruction and even a video system that will allow players to replay their games on a smartphone app. (Grace McDowell/grace.mcdowell@bgdailynew.com)
Warren County pickleball players gather to play matches at Diamond Pickleball. The 1,600-square-foot “country club"-type pickleball facility started by Brent and Sarah Fulk features five courts for members to play pickleball, a cross between tennis and ping pong, as well as have opportunities for league play, instruction and even a video system that will allow players to replay their games on a smartphone app. (Photo provided by Diamond Pickleball President Brent Folk)
Brandon Shields plays a match of pickleball with friends Edis Sinanovic and Robert Allen at Diamond Pickleball on Tuesday evening, Nov. 12, 2024. The 1,600-square-foot “country club"-type pickleball facility started by Brent and Sarah Fulk features five courts for members to play pickleball, a cross between tennis and ping pong, as well as have opportunities for league play, instruction and even a video system that will allow players to replay their games on a smartphone app. (Grace McDowell/grace.mcdowell@bgdailynew.com)
Robert Allen (right) plays a match of pickleball with teammate Edis Sinanovic (left) and friend Brandon Shields at Diamond Pickleball on Tuesday evening, Nov. 12, 2024. The 1,600-square-foot “country club"-type pickleball facility started by Brent and Sarah Fulk features five courts for members to play pickleball, a cross between tennis and ping pong, as well as have opportunities for league play, instruction and even a video system that will allow players to replay their games on a smartphone app. (Grace McDowell/grace.mcdowell@bgdailynew.com)
Warren County pickleball players gather to play matches at Diamond Pickleball. The 1,600-square-foot “country club"-type pickleball facility started by Brent and Sarah Fulk features five courts for members to play pickleball, a cross between tennis and ping pong, as well as have opportunities for league play, instruction and even a video system that will allow players to replay their games on a smartphone app. (Photo provided by Diamond Pickleball President Brent Folk)
Warren County pickleball players gather to play matches at Diamond Pickleball. The 1,600-square-foot “country club"-type pickleball facility started by Brent and Sarah Fulk features five courts for members to play pickleball, a cross between tennis and ping pong, as well as have opportunities for league play, instruction and even a video system that will allow players to replay their games on a smartphone app. (Photo provided by Diamond Pickleball President Brent Folk)
Serial entrepreneur Brent Fulk believes he may be serving an ace with his latest business venture.
Most recently a successful insurance company executive on the West Coast, Fulk relocated to Bowling Green five years ago and is now aiming to capitalize on the pickleball craze.
Fulk and his wife Sarah Fulk have opened Diamond Pickleball, a 16,000-square-foot, five-court facility behind Jewelry Barn on Shive Lane that he hopes will be for pickleballers what country clubs are for golfers.
Brent Fulk took up the sport of pickleball, sort of a cross between tennis and ping pong, during the Covid-19 pandemic and has watched it grow nationwide.
“That (the pandemic) seemed to be the impetus for pickleball’s growth,” he said. “After Covid it just kept getting traction.
“I don’t think it’s slowing down any time soon. It’s by far the fastest-growing sport in America. I think it’ll be an Olympic sport by 2032.”
The numbers back up Fulk’s assessment. According to the USA Pickleball organization, 13.6 million people in the United States played pickleball in 2023, a 51.8% increase from 2022 and a 223.5% increase from 2020.
Those are the kind of numbers that make an entrepreneur like Fulk see an opportunity. Although the number of public indoor and outdoor pickleball courts in Warren County has exploded in recent years, Fulk sees room in the market for what he calls a “boutique, high-end facility.”
Fulk isn’t the first person to come up with the idea. “Country club”-type pickleball businesses have cropped up in larger cities, with the Chicken N Pickle chain leading the way. Now Fulk aims to bring a similar concept to Bowling Green.
“What a country club is for golfers, that’s kinda what we are for pickleball players,” he said. “The industry is really new, so everyone is trying to find a way to monetize it and make it viable as a business.
“We will lean on our 1,300-square-foot pro shop to help us stay viable.”
That pro shop — carrying paddles, grips, bags, clothing and other pickleball paraphernalia — isn’t the only attraction Fulk has developed at Diamond Pickleball.
He says the courts all have premium playing surfaces and a black background and LED lighting to help see the ball. The business will offer league play, instruction, and even a video system that will allow players to replay their games on a smartphone app.
“We’re trying to put our best foot forward,” Fulk said. “We wanted to bring something to the market that we could be proud of.”
The new business is catching on, with more than 100 members on board so far.
“We’re going to cap it at 360 members,” Fulk said. “We want to make sure we have enough court time for everyone.”
As the business grows, Fulk already has a plan for branching out. He has property next to the Q Coffee business on Nashville Road that he says could be another Diamond Pickleball location.
“I thought this would be a nice way to test the market,” he said. “If it succeeds, I may turn my attention to developing that (Nashville Road) property to give us more courts and the ability to run more tournaments.”
Fulk said Diamond Pickleball is in the “soft opening” stage now. He plans a grand opening around Thanksgiving.
