Anyone up for an afternoon of pickleball – at the mall? That’s right, CNN Business ran an online article on May 13th, in which it reported that pickleball is coming to malls, replacing shuttered Bed Bath & Beyond, Old Navy and Saks off 5th Avenue stores. I guess it makes sense. Afterall, with online shopping driving more retail stores out of business, why not shift gears by catering to the legions of folks who’d rather play pickleball inside than in the great outdoors. Think of the convenience. Who wouldn’t want to stop at the mall to buy that much coveted new frying pan, a hot new thong bathing suit or the latest iPhone charger to replace the one inadvertently left in a no tell motel in Alabama, and while there play a few games of pickleball?
Not me. Personally, I’d rather chew off my right arm than go to a mall, and do so only when there is no alternative. Somehow the click of the ball as it impacts the paddle is fine when outside. But echoing within the confines of Oglethorpe Mall, combined with ambient mall noise? I don’t think so.
That said, the concept of indoor pickleball might be an intriguing idea for The Landings Club. As we all know, the rumor mill grinds nonstop inside our gates. Take the Oakridge Club house. Hardly a day goes by without a rumor of yet another makeover spreading across the community like a plague. I have no idea which, if any, of the rumors are true, but just for fun let’s start one. How about turning Oakridge into an indoor pickleball facility? That’s right, keep the bar and The Spirit Shop and Spirited Gourmet intact, and leave the pool table where it is, but convert the dining room and kitchen into pickleball courts. We could easily fit four or five new courts, safe from Mother Nature and within easy reach of a post-match beer. Or several. Membership needn’t worry about depleted revenues with the elimination of the dining room. After an adrenaline fueled match, followed by the requisite bout at the bar, who wouldn’t stop in our own retail space, and take home a crisp Chardonnay, savory Bordeaux, or twenty-year-old bottle of Scotch? What a way to cap off a perfect rainy day round of pickleball.
While the concept seems far-fetched, it just might be worth considering. Remember, the first person who proposed the wheel was probably laughed out of the cave.
On a more serious note, a nod to 12-year-old Charlie Fox. I watched Charlie play in open play on Mother’s Day. He held his own admirably against competition his grandparent’s age. Clearly Charlie inherited the pickleball gene from his father, Alex Fox. Way to go Charlie, you are an inspiration.
