Business: Sure Shot Pickleball
Address: 2244 Corporate Lane, Naperville
Phone/website: 630-566-2211, www.sureshotpickleball.com
Owners: Tim Kelly, Dean Grant, Mark Murman and Mike Nicolosi, all of Wheaton
Years in business: Opened Sept. 17
What does your business do? “We provide 11 indoor pickleball courts and the community that surrounds it. … We have a party room, too. You can cater in some food. Birthday parties. Corporate events. Rent the room and a couple courts for a few hours,” Tim Kelly, 61, said.
How was your first day? “It was a rainy day and it was full. Things have been busy here. We’ve built quite a community here. … It’s funny how many people we know by first names. It’s like ‘Cheers.'”
How did this happen? “This grew out of frustration over a lack of courts. … We had to wait 20 minutes to play, take turns. Mark and I started talking. There were less courts indoors than outdoors. (We thought) we should build indoor courts. It kind of blossomed. We stumbled upon this space. … Little did we know Mike and Dean were out looking for the same thing. We were on parallel paths.”
Is this a good location? “Excellent with (good proximity to Interstate) 88 and (Route) 59. Convenient access.”
Why is pickleball the fastest growing sport? “I think it’s a form of exercise that’s easy to learn but certainly tough to master. Not as much ground to cover as tennis. … Every day we offer free one-hour intros to pickleball classes. … Three people with an instructor. … People get hooked. It’s a combination of tennis and ping pong. It’s like you’re standing on the ping pong table. … We always tell people it’s a paddle, not a racquet. You string a (tennis) racquet. Paddles have a hard surface.”
And the ball? “It’s a (like a) Wiffle ball, 40 holes in it. It’s an outdoor ball used indoors. The indoor ball has more bounce to it. … The court surface determines the ball. This is concrete, with acrylic paint like an outdoor tennis court.”
What are your hours? “For the most part, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. We open at 6 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday. A number of people like to play before work. Friday and Saturday nights, we stay open until 11 p.m. … People play until the last minute.”
What does it cost to play? “It’s $10 for two hours if you are a guest or nonmember. Members are $5. (Memberships cost $69 per month or $449 per year.)”
How many members? “About 300. We had people signing up before we opened the doors.”
Are the rules like tennis and ping pong? “You have to serve to the opposite corner. The return has to bounce and then it’s game on. … You have to stay out of the ‘kitchen,’ which is the light blue area (beside the net).”
How old is pickleball? “The game was started in 1968 on Bainbridge Island in the Seattle area. It grew and grew. It’s big in warm weather states. Texas. Arizona. Naples, Florida, is a huge area, the outdoor capital of pickleball.”
Do you have much competition? “There’s a place that just opened up in Algonquin, called the Pickle Haus. Pretty far away. Park districts and health clubs have courts.”
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Why do you enjoy pickleball? “It’s a game I can still play. I compare it to my golf game. Sometimes you have great shots. Other times terrible. … Hit the ball where you want it. Sometimes, put spin on it.”
How much does a paddle cost? “Good ones go for $225 or $250. You can get them for $60 to $120.”
How did the pandemic impact pickleball? “People started picking it up during the pandemic. Outdoors, of course. And they got hooked playing three to five times a week.”
What do you like best? “The people are so genuinely nice.”
What’s a member say? “At my age, it allows me to be competitive and not kill myself,” said Tom Young, 71, of Yorkville.
What’s your advice for someone starting a business? “Certainly, do your homework. Get a business model. … Have a passion for it. … We’re still learning,” Kelly said.
If you know of a business you’d like to see to profiled in Down to Business, contact Steve Metsch at [email protected].
Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.