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SALT LAKE CITY — The pickleball craze is far from over. In some places, it's just heating up — Salt Lake City proper will be getting its first large-scale indoor pickleball facility later this year.
Utah-based pickleball franchise The Picklr announced three new locations in Utah, which will open over the next six months.
Each location will feature at least eight indoor courts, a full pro shop, private event space, unlimited league play, tournaments and open play, according to a press release.
The three new spots in Salt Lake City, Weber and Utah counties will add to six existing locations in the state. The Salt Lake City location will open in early fall, and the company anticipates opening its Farr West, Weber County, location and another location in the Lehi area in Utah County in late fall.
"Expanding in Utah is particularly meaningful for our company, as it's not only our home state but also where The Picklr began," said Jorge Barragan, co-founder and CEO of The Picklr, which has its headquarters in Kaysville.
The company was co-founded in 2021 by two friends who went to high school together in Ogden. It started with six Utah locations (Logan, Sandy, Uintah, Kaysville, St. George and West Jordan) and since switching to a franchise model, it's blown up around the country — in just 11 months, the company sold more than 300 pickleball locations.
But the founders aren't forgetting their Utah roots. After all, Utah takes some of the credit for making pickleball a nationwide sensation.
"Pickleball was founded outside of Seattle, Washington, but true pickleballers will say that pickleball was grown in the state of Utah," said Kathryn Bullough, chief marketing officer at The Picklr.
In 2022, more professional pickleball players came out of Utah than any other state, Bullough said. The state also has relatively temperate weather, allowing both professional and novice players to hit the courts up to nine months out of the year.
Utah has done a good job of building and maintaining free outdoor courts, too, she said.
But these first-come, first-serve outdoor courts aren't enough to keep up with pickleball demand, Bullough said. And they have their issues: wind, sun, long lines and tricky upkeep.
"The experience indoors is so much nicer to play because it is always the same experience," she said. "Court availability is a massive problem in pickleball … as a member, you book your court."
The Picklr has some competition with other indoor pickleball sites in Utah County, an area which Bullough described as a pickleball "hotbed."
Their plan? To move full steam ahead.
"We absolutely love being in Utah and being from Utah," she said. "I would anticipate a few more locations in 2025."
