Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. – BallenIsles Country Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. unveiled its new seven-court pickleball complex with a ribbon cutting ceremony and pickleball exhibitions on Wednesday, December 22nd. The $1.3 million complex was completed in early December and features the latest LED lighting, drink stations, comfortable seating areas, and beautiful landscaping which complements the entirety of the BallenIsles community. The seven new courts expand the club’s pickleball offerings from two to nine total courts.
After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, to celebrate the opening of the new complex, pickleball exhibitions were held featuring, Leigh and Anna Leigh Waters, and JW Johnson, winner of the APP Next Generation Masters and the best player in the world under 23 years old. The mother and daughter tandem of Leigh and Anna Leigh are the current No. 1 ladies team in the world.
Even though the sport was invented in 1965, pickleball’s popularity has exploded in recent years as many resorts and private clubs have modified tennis courts to meet demand. BallenIsles’ new pickleball complex complements one of the top tennis programs in the country.
“Pickleball is here to stay and we are ensuring our pickleball facilities meet and exceed our member’s expectations,” said BallenIsles’ Director of Racquet Sports Gary Henderson. “We see ourselves as leading the way in the country club industry with the opening of our new dedicated complex, which adds to our incredible tennis facility and program. We’ve already received rave reviews and praise from the membership.”
“The new pickleball facility is outstanding,” said BallenIsles member and active pickleball participant, Steve Rosner. “The quality and details of the overall complex just have members so excited. We are very much looking forward to the continued growth of our pickleball community at BallenIsles, and this complex is only going to add to the growing excitement of the game.”
For more information on BallenIsles Country Club visit www.BallenIsles.org.
About BallenIsles Country Club
In 1963 legendary Florida developer John D. MacArthur and the PGA of America teamed up with golf course architects Dick Wilson and Joe Lee to design a championship-caliber golf facility. Over the next ten years, BallenIsles, then called PGA National Golf Club, hosted numerous major tournaments like the PGA Championship and PGA Seniors Championship and was home for the Professional Golfers’ Association of America. The Club was also the host site for the original PGA TOUR Qualifying School and held the inaugural PGA Merchandise Show. When the MacArthur/PGA of America agreement expired in 1973, the Club was renamed the JDM Country Club for John D. MacArthur. For the next 15 years, the prestigious local country club hosted many celebrities and professional golfers and staged many events on the three golf courses on the property. In 1988, the three golf courses and surrounding property were sold by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and renamed BallenIsles Country Club. A multi-year and multimillion dollar plan to develop a private country club community was unveiled. Since the early 2000’s, BallenIsles Country Club has been consistently ranked as one of the Top 100 Clubs in America.
A $35 million clubhouse renovation was completed in November 2018, featuring 115,000 square feet of luxurious space; three championship courses with 54 holes of golf; a world-class 21-court tennis and 9-court pickleball complex; and a state-of-the-art Sports Complex with a full-service Cosmo & Company salon and spa, fitness center, Pilates & spin studios and resort-style swimming pool. For more information visit www.BallenIsles.org
MEDIA CONTACT:
Becky Collison
BallenIsles Country Club
Director of Marketing & Communication
561.249.5818
bcollison@Ballenisles.org
