Pickleball center breaks ground in Bigfork

Bigfork is embracing the popular sport of pickleball in a big way.

To meet the growing demand for the sport, a group of local investors and pickleball enthusiasts, Third Shot Partners, has pooled its resources to bring an indoor pickleball center to Bigfork. The Jewel Basin Center, located east of the Montana 35 and 83 intersection, will soon be home to a 12,000-square-foot building that will house four indoor and four outdoor pickleball courts, with room for expansion.

The facility will be the home base for the newly founded Two Rivers Pickleball Club, named in honor of the Flathead and Swan rivers. And although design/build firm R Porch Construction has yet to break ground on the Jewel Basin Center, founder Jim Lafferty said the club is already taking off.

Love of the sport was evident on the pickleball courts at Bigfork’s Montana Athletic Club last week.

Dozens of players rotated about the courts, stopping to chat between matches, their conversation interrupted only by resounding thwacks as the pickleball flew back and forth across the net.

Pickleball can be played with doubles or singles on courts about a quarter the size of a tennis court. Players use small paddles to hit a plastic ball over a net and newcomers can usually pick up the basic rules of the game in a matter of minutes. It’s accessible, affordable — and growing rapidly.

According to the United States Pickleball Association, participation has grown by a staggering 650% over the last six years with an estimated 3.1 million players nationwide. The Flathead Valley has witnessed a similar boom in the sport, growing from 50 local players six years ago to between 300 and 400 today, certified pickleball coach Steven Michaud said.

“You play it once and you just fall in love with it,” he said. “Tennis players always give us a hard time because we’re so loud and laughing.”

Lafferty reiterated the growing interest, noting “just from a powerpoint — nobody’s seen a building yet — as of this morning, we have 111 members.”

THE JEWEL Basin Center will feature amenities such as showers, a kitchen, conference room and a second floor observation room, but the real showstopper is the northern wall of the building, which can be hydraulically elevated to reveal a gorgeous mountain view. The courts were designed for quick take down so the venue can easily host events like weddings, reunions or banquets.

“We’re going to have a great pickleball facility, it will primarily be for pickleball players, but at certain times of the year there will be blackout times on the pickleball calendar where there might be an outdoor event,” Lafferty explained.

The Jewel will have capacity to seat over 500 people inside and can also accommodate smaller groups in two rooms, which will also be available for rent.

“We’re hoping that it adds value to the whole valley,” he added. “We’ve studied the different event centers, and there’s some pretty ones, but there’s nothing that can handle the types of events that we could handle here.”

Lafferty recently received the go-ahead to begin working on the site and a groundbreaking ceremony was held Wednesday. He estimates the Jewel will be open for play in the late winter or early spring and has already received interest from organizations such as the Super Senior International Pickleball Association and Pickleball Trips, a travel company, about using the facility.

“We have people all over the world cheering us on already,” Lafferty said.

Learn more about the Jewel Basin Center and Two Rivers Pickleball Club by visiting www.tworiverspickleball.com or search for the club on Facebook. Contact club president Jill Rea at trpc.pres@gmail.com

Reporter Mackenzie Reiss may be reached at 758-4433 or mreiss@dailyinterlake.com.