Secret Pickle Pickleball Club Lynchburg: Lynchburg entrepreneur Tim Dantas is preparing to launch The Secret Pickle, a private indoor pickleball club, at 3200 Carroll Avenue later this year. The facility will feature exclusive membership, 24/7 access, and advanced training technology, offering a new space for the city’s growing pickleball community.
From Paving to Pickleball
Tim Dantas, a Liberty University graduate, first built his career in medical sales before launching his paving company, Mr. Pave, during the COVID-19 pandemic. That business expanded across Virginia and led him to purchase land near his Carroll Avenue headquarters.
“About two years ago, I started buying everything, all the empty lots and land,” Dantas said. “This is actually the oldest industrial zone in the city. Nobody had really done anything with it. So I started developing what’s now called The Work District, a place for small businesses, trades and training.”
Idea Behind the Club
Dantas explained that the inspiration came from his friends who struggled to find places to play during bad weather. “I have a ton of friends that play pickleball,” he said. “I started asking them questions, what do you do when it rains, when it’s too cold? And they all said, ‘We try to find somewhere, but there aren’t many options.’”
He modeled the concept after The Secret Pizza in Las Vegas, creating a word-of-mouth pickleball club with no signage or public advertising. “Let’s do The Secret Pickle,” he said. “We’re not going to put signage, no social media, none of that. It’s going to be word of mouth, a limited membership. Almost like a private little pickleball club.”
Features and Membership
The club will offer three indoor courts and one outdoor court, along with lounges, lockers, showers, and towel service. Membership is expected to cost between $99 and $110 per month.
“It’s not going to be open to the public,” Dantas said. “You’ll be a member, you’ll reserve your courts online, and you’ll have key fob entrance. There’ll be towel service, a lounge, showers, lockers, it’s meant to feel high-end.”
Players will also have access to training tools such as the Titan training machine and PB Vision, which provides game recordings and analytics. “There’s a machine called a Titan training machine, it shoots pickleballs at you so you can practice,” Dantas said. “We’ll also have PB Vision, a camera system that records games and sends players analytics. People will geek out over that.”
Community Interest
Interest in the project has been strong. Dantas said, “I spent $200 over eight days, just me in the warehouse saying, ‘Hey, I’m building a pickleball club in Lynchburg.’ We had about 80 people fill out a 20-question survey. Ninety percent said they’d join. And since pickleball is mostly doubles, that could easily mean 240 potential members.”
New player Sarah LaFrance shared her excitement. She quoted Helen Keller, saying, “alone, we can do so little. Together we can do so much.” She added, “Pickleball will do exactly that. Make our community even better.”
LaFrance also praised the flexibility. “[I like] the ability to go when it fits your schedule and the convenience of [the club being open] 24 hours a day,” she said.
Progress and Next Steps
Construction of the building is already complete, and city approval for the club has been secured. “The building is complete and the city has approved us for the pickleball club,” Dantas said. “We just need a conditional use permit from city council, but I’ve spoken with members and they don’t foresee issues.”
If the permit is granted, the facility could open by the end of 2025. “Once we get approval, it’ll take me 30 to 45 days to finish,” Dantas said.
Broader Impact
The Secret Pickle is part of Dantas’ larger project, The Work District, which supports small businesses and training programs. He has also provided free space to Legacy Employment Readiness, a nonprofit helping high school students prepare for jobs. “We’re actually allowing them to have a whole bay for free,” he said.
Looking ahead, Dantas is considering expansion. “If this works out here, the thought is to maybe do another one in Forest,” he said. “If you have one here and there’s a waitlist, you open a second location where members can access both.”
Dantas is confident about the future. “Pickleball is exploding,” he said. “In 2023, 30 million people in the U.S. played. In 2024, it doubled to 60 million, that’s more than 10% of the population. It’s crazy.”
News in Brief: Secret Pickle Pickleball Club Lynchburg
Lynchburg entrepreneur Tim Dantas is launching The Secret Pickle, a private indoor pickleball club at 3200 Carroll Avenue. The facility will feature courts, lounges, and advanced training tools, with memberships costing $99–$110 monthly. If approved by city council, the club could open by late 2025.
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