The Tennis & Pickleball Club Newport Beach (TTC) created a racket in the ongoing feud between pickleball and tennis fans.
As of right now, pickleball has scored an ace.
Sean Bollettieri, son of a legendary tennis coach and owner of TTC, is getting the ball rolling to upgrade the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach golf course and tennis courts to a social 9-hole golf course and 22 championship pickleball courts.
TTC has signed a 20-year ground lease for the property, and recently submitted its application for the conversion. Currently, the facility is open and active for tennis and golf.
“The change will make the facility more accessible for youngsters and create an excellent course for casual social golfing,” Bollettieri told the Business Journal.
“It has also brought added value for all TTC members at 11 Clubhouse Drive, who have reciprocal access to this facility at no extra charge.”
The project, dubbed TTC Newporter, is expected to cost around $2 million to $3 million to complete. The club has already spent $1 million on permits and legal fees for the facility. The local construction firm behind the project is undisclosed.
TTC—which has drawn memberships from notable execs, politicians and athletes including Masimo’s Joe Kiani, Matt Barkley and Mike Tyson—currently counts one location at 11 Clubhouse Drive in Newport Beach, adjacent to the Newport Beach Country Club. Its membership totals nearly 2,000, according to Bollettieri.
The club recently hosted the Association of Pickleball Players Tour – Newport Beach Open, which has now become the third-largest pickleball event in history, with nearly 2,000 registered players in attendance.
Pickleball-Tennis Tension
Getting the project off the ground was anything but a friendly game for Bollettieri.
The facility’s two owners, the Palisades Tennis Club and the Michael Rosenfeld’s Woodridge Capital Partners, LLC, reportedly butted heads amidst talk of pickleball court conversions.
A member of the Palisades club tried to block the effort to bring pickleball to the Hyatt, saying it was merely a fad. The attempt failed.
A newsletter released during the height of the battle painted Bollettieri as a mere pickleball promoter disgracing his efforts in tennis, pickleball and his family name, he said.
Bollettieri is the adopted son of late International Tennis Hall of Fame coach Nick Bollettieri, who coached the likes of Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Andre Agassi.
“I did not use the Bollettieri name for all of my tennis career as a coach because I did not want my achievements to be overshadowed,” Bollettieri said.
“However, a few years ago during my father’s visit to the club in Newport Beach, he was so happy and emotional that I would be carrying on the family name. I accepted his only wish: to use my work to help children and make a positive impact on people’s lives through tennis and pickleball.”
Bollettieri concedes that he will not have the legacy of his father, who had coached 10 players who ranked number one in the world. Bollettieri was at his father’s side when he died in 2022.
“I, nor anyone else, will likely ever achieve what my father did, but I have a chance to impact and change more lives through pickleball than perhaps he did,” Bollettieri said.
“Like me, my father was not initially excited about pickleball, but before he passed, he became very enthusiastic about the sport and believed tennis could learn many things from pickleball. I feel I have an obligation and duty to do my part in bettering tennis as well.”
The sport’s accessibility has reached players as young as toddlers to nonagenarians. He annually sponsors a First Responder Pickleball Event Tournament, saying he has a special place in his heart because he suffers from epilepsy, and they have saved his life many times.
“I receive letters and messages every month from people who say the pickleball club that I brought to Newport Beach has changed their lives,” he said. “They share how the club has improved their social life and health. These stories are incredibly gratifying, and my goal is to make Newport Beach better and share the love. I believe tennis can do the same if the two sports respect and learn from each other.”
Even with pickleball’s explosive popularity, tennis remains his first love.
“Tennis is and always will be the king of racquet sports,” Bollettieri said.
“But the king has the responsibility to raise and groom its soldiers to evolve and continue the growth of racquet sports. There’s no reason for them to compete against each other; we have a responsibility to share the benefits of these sports, providing opportunities for our members and community in both tennis and pickleball.”