Hilton Head pickleball keeps getting bigger. Where will new indoor facility open next?

Cookie, dink, falafel, flapjack, kitchen, nasty nelson. Sit on the sidelines of any pickleball match, and you might hear these terms from the players on the court. Come December, the courts will be indoors.

Dill Dinkers , located in a portion of the vacant Sam’s Club in the Port Royal Plaza at 95 Mathews Drive, will be the first indoor facility located on Hilton Head. Back in April, the building, which had been vacant since 2017, was purchased by Hilton Head businessman J.R. Richardson , owner of the Richardson Group, for $5.8 million. About 30% of the 70,000 square foot building will be dedicated to pickling.

There are 10 additional Dill Dinkers locations on the east coast from Connecticut to Virginia, but this will be the first in the Lowcountry.

Along with eight regulation Pro-Cushion courts divided by fences, the facility will offer ball machines, a pro shop, clinics, private lessons, open play, round robins, leagues, and private events. The event space can host up to 60 people. Players will be able to reserve court spaces on CourtReserve, a tennis and pickleball-specific reservation software. Upon opening, the facility will be open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

Two Hilton Head residents, Zach Larichiuta and Dr. Wayne Johnson, signed the lease to transform the former grocery store into a pickleball hotspot. Larichuta and Johnson make up half of the Pickleball Brothers LLC., a group that plans on developing pickleball facilities from Myrtle Beach to Savannah, Georgia.

Graeme Joffe, a local pickleball pro from South Africa who has been teaching lessons for seven years on the island, will be the director of pickleball at the facility.

“I can’t wait for people to experience it,” Joffe said. The pro said that just in his time coaching, the growing love for pickleball on the island has been remarkable. Wherever you go, he said, people in the community are talking about pickleball. One of the reasons for this, Joffe thinks, is how inclusive the sport is: a seven-year-old and a seventy-year-old could be playing against each other on the same court.

Membership offerings

Players can buy an introductory single membership for $475, a couple membership for $875, or a family membership (for up to five family members) for $1,350. These memberships offers are valid for the first 200 members, and interested players can sign up for a membership now. Joffe predicts that there will likely be a cap of around 500 members.

Members pay half of the regular price to use the courts and can make reservations seven days in advance. They also get a discounts on lessons, clinics, tournaments and leagues.

You do not have to be a member to use the facility. Visitors pay full price for amenities and they can only book courts 48 hours in advance. Visitor’s court fees are $18 per person per hour and open play costs $21 per person per two-hour session.