Your Guide to Pickleball in Miami

Miami pickleball isn’t just a fast-growing sport. It’s one of the most popular sports in the area. The city’s mix of ideal weather and active people have created a thriving pickleball community. Hotels and resorts with pickleball courts in Miami abound, but, throughout the city, you can find plenty of public courts and pickleball clubs, too. Here are some of the best and most convenient destinations to play pickleball in Miami.

What Is Pickleball?

Pickleball is a paddle sport played on a hard court about a quarter of the size of a tennis court with a net in the middle. 

Each point begins with an underhand serve of a hard, plastic ball (it looks like a wiffleball) that the receiver must let bounce in the service box before hitting it back. The return must also bounce once, and the rally continues until one player hits it out, hits the net or lets the ball bounce twice.

Games are played to 11 points, and only the serving player can score. Most people play doubles, but singles matches are popular, too.

Much like tennis or basketball, you can play pick-up games on courts around Miami or get into more structured leagues, in which players are rated by their skill level. There are even professional pickleball leagues with ticketed tournaments. 

Miami Beach Pickleball Courts

In Miami Beach, you’ll find courts at the Miami Beach Golf Club on Alton Road, as well as the Miami Beach Tennis Center on 72nd Street.

Many other public parks in Miami Beach also have courts, including Polo Park on Michigan Avenue, Normandy Shores Park and Fairway Park. Courts are also available at Haulover Park north of Bal Harbour.

And if you’re looking to play pickleball at night, Flamingo Park in South Beach has lit-up courts that are open until 10 p.m.

Pickleball Courts In Miami

Miami pickleball is quite popular, and you’ll find public courts all over the area. In Edgewater, just north of Downtown Miami, Margaret Pace Park offers pickleball right by the bay.

You’ll find similar water views at the courts in David Kennedy Park in Coconut Grove. Douglas Park near Coral Gables now has its own pickleball courts, as well, with four courts open to the public.

Near Westchester, Miller Drive Park and Tropical Park also offer pickleball. For something a little more structured, head to Doral and Doral Legacy Park, where you’ll find pickleball events and tournaments.

Further south, Suniland Park in Pinecrest has four dedicated pickleball courts.

Miami Pickleball Clubs

Pickleball in Miami isn’t limited to pick-up games on public courts. Those looking for a more upscale or social experience can play at one of the destination’s pickleball clubs. These clubs offer more-structured environments, where players can compete in tournaments, take lessons, book courts and play games according to their skill level.

The largest pickleball club in Miami is at David Ensignia Tennis Academy in Kendall. With 17 dedicated courts, David Ensignia Tennis Academy is the best option for serious players who want a regular place to dink. The facility is open to the public, so no membership or initiation fees are required, although court time, lessons and tournament entry fees still apply.

In Doral, the Doral Pickleball Club runs clinics, corporate events and tournaments all year. On Tuesday night, the club hosts six amateur teams for league play at Champions Padel Club, with playoffs and a championship at the end. The Miami Shores Tennis and Pickleball Club also hosts teams, clubs and league play all year.

If you’re looking for indoor pickleball in Miami, the Dinko Pickleball Complex in Little Haiti has four indoor courts that are open to members and non-members alike.

For more social dinkers, Sip and Pickle in Wynwood has a full bar, and regular Pickleball Socials, which are more like cocktail parties with pickleball games. It sits inside the Wynwood Marketplace, and its five courts are surrounded by colorful shipping containers for a fully immersive Wynwood experience.

When your schedule doesn’t always line up with traditional pickleball court times, The Yards at Amelia in Hialeah is your best bet. Its courts are open from 7 a.m. to midnight every day of the week, and during most hours they have food trucks onsite to fuel you up. On some nights, The Yards even offers live music as a soundtrack to your matches.

Pickleball Events In Miami

Perhaps you’re a casual player, but want to watch the best players in the world to gain some inspiration. Miami hosts world-class pickleball events with competitions that are open to spectators.

The Major League Pickleball Showcase is part of the annual Miami Open tennis tournament, taking place every March. Carnaval Miami, also held in March, has its Pickleball Showdown featuring top players from around the region.

RacquetX is a racket sports convention held at the Miami Beach Convention Center in March, and features players, businesses and all kinds of industry professionals in pickleball and other related games.

Pickleball On The Water

For a uniquely Miami pickleball experience, boat rental and charter company Boatsetter offers a floating pickleball court, so you and your crew can dink right atop Biscayne Bay.

The court is offered as an add-on when guests book a charter aboard the Jericho, a 94-foot, four-bedroom yacht that comes with a waterslide, underwater scooters, jet skis and other water toys.

As soon as the boat anchors, you can set up the court and enjoy an afternoon of pickleball with the Miami skyline and glimmering bay as your backdrop. Just try and keep the ball on the court – retrieving out-of-bounds shots can get splashy.