Black Barn Pickleball’s new facility at 4740 Linden Ave. will allow people to play America’s fastest growing sport inside, protected from the discomfort or wrath of inclement or scorching hot weather.
Mike Bettencourt, co-founder of Black Barn Pickleball, said the original plan was to build some outdoor pickleball courts but ownership ultimately decided against it.
“We decided at the end of the day, while it would be nice to have, it’s better to have all indoor because then you can use them year-round,” he said. “We decided to dedicate that space to indoor instead.”
Black Barn Pickleball has constructed a 24,000-square-foot facility on a 13-acre site that was once home to Smiley’s Golf and Baseball Center.
The building offers eight fenced-in pickleball courts, with seating and tables going in nearby. The building has 32-foot ceilings, indirect lighting and massive ceiling fans. The building will have a pro shop, front desk where people can rent paddles, plus restrooms and a conference room.
Bettencourt said the next phase of the project will be to construct a 50,000-square-foot facility that will have 14 to 18 additional courts, as well as a bar area and a pro shop. He said that building hopefully will be completed in the spring of 2026.
The first building has eight identical “professional quality” courts, while building 2 will have several championship-style courts and courts of varying sizes for different skill levels, Bettencourt said.
“The higher the skill level, the more room space you need, for bigger serves, bigger returns, around-the-post shots and fun stuff like that,” he said.
One of the largest indoor pickleball facilities in the nation is the Pickle Lodge in West Chester. It has 17 indoor fenced-in courts, plus half a dozen outside. Black Barn plans to be bigger, with more indoor courts.
“We do think there is demand in Dayton for that many courts,” Bettencourt said.
Bettencourt said he hopes that other vacant sections of the property around the pickleball buildings can be redeveloped, potentially into uses like restaurants.
Right now, some indoor tennis centers across the Miami Valley offer pickleball play, but games are played on converted tennis courts. However, a couple of new indoor pickleball facilities are under development in local communities.
Pickleball Kingdom plans to open 13 indoor courts at 985 S. Main St. in Centerville, which was a Restoration Hardware outlet. PickleRage plans to create nine indoor courts and two outdoor courts at 359 Miamisburg Centerville Road in Washington Twp.
At Black Barn Pickleball, people can play by buying memberships ($99 or $59), or by paying per visit ($10 per hour for walk-ins).
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