Susannah Barr’s Pickleball Community Club: Professional pickleball player Susannah Barr, along with fellow pro Nick Peterson, opened The Flying Pickle in late 2023 in Meridian, Idaho, near Boise. The goal: to create more than just a pickleball club, but a welcoming space where players of all levels could feel at home.
Turning an Idea into Reality
Susannah Barr and Nick Peterson had long wanted better pickleball options in Boise.
“Myself and one of the other pros in town, Nick Peterson, we were always talking about the fact that we needed better pickleball options specifically in Boise, I’d pull up real estate just out of fun, but really we didn’t know how to start something — we’re the pickleball players.”-(Susannah Barr )
The two met Paul Starita, now CEO of The Flying Pickle, who had plans to open a facility in the area.
“We knew what was going to make a successful club as far as bringing in players and members and events, And as soon as we met it got going pretty quickly and then it was just a matter of finding the right location and dealing with the permits and all the other things that go into actually opening a club.”-(Susannah Barr )
After a year of planning, finding the right building, and managing permits and funding, The Flying Pickle finally opened its doors in late 2023.
A Membership-Based Club
The Flying Pickle operates on a membership system. Although non-members can occasionally play, court time is mainly reserved for members.
“We have leagues going all the time. We have open play every day. There are some things that members are going to pay for that are extra: tournaments, leagues, clinics, things like that. But because it is a membership-based club, we do try to provide a lot of fun opportunities for our members. Our main focus is on building that community and making it their home away from home. We definitely want to make sure that our members come first and that they have a really great experience.”-(Susannah Barr )
The club has 18 courts and has already reached full membership capacity.
A Place to Stay, Not Just Play
Barr believes that community is built when people feel comfortable staying after they play.
“You want it to be a place people want to stay even beyond their pickleball experience, I’ve been to so many indoor clubs where it’s great to play your pickleball there, but then you want to leave because maybe it’s too loud or the lighting isn’t great or they don’t have other amenities. And so really you don’t have a sense of community.”-(Susannah Barr)
The Flying Pickle was designed with this in mind. It includes a full restaurant, lounge areas, and locker rooms.
“People will stay and they’ll watch their friends play and they’ll get something to eat or something to drink or they’ll play cards upstairs or they’ll use our meeting room So it’s just pretty neat to see that it’s really more of a true community hangout place rather than just purely ‘get in and play your pickleball and get out.’”-(Susannah Barr)
Welcoming Beginners and Supporting Pros
One of the biggest challenges for Susannah Barr has been balancing the needs of beginners and pro-level players. Still, she prioritizes making new players feel welcome.
“Because in my experience, if you give them a great first experience, then they become your most loyal members — because it’s their home. It’s where they’ve always played. It’s where all their friends are, I know some people might find that surprising being that I’m a pro player and you think I’d be like, ‘Oh no, how are we going to cater to the highest level?’ But I actually don’t really believe that. We try to cater to both. We have some really high-end courts. We have a lot of technology in our club. You can stream and record all your matches.”-(Susannah Barr)
She explained that pro players usually take care of their own match play, while the club focuses on offering events, cash games, and tournaments.
“It is really the beginners, the 3.0s, the 3.5s that make up the largest portion of our membership,”-(Susannah Barr)
The Flying Pickle team continues to focus on helping those players grow.
“I feel like if we can create that kind of generous spirit, it helps our club feel more like a community. But also it helps us to be a little bit more humble in our approach to ‘where’s the right place for me to play?’”-(Susannah Barr)
News in Brief: Susannah Barr’s Pickleball Community Club
Professional pickleball players Susannah Barr and Nick Peterson opened The Flying Pickle in late 2023 in Meridian, Idaho. The club runs on a membership model and aims to build a strong community for players of all levels. With 18 courts and added amenities, the club offers a welcoming space beyond just the game.