The Sandy Pickle, a pickleball and sand volleyball spot at The Village in Dallas, will celebrate its grand opening Saturday, Oct. 21. The venue will offer six pickleball courts and six sand volleyball courts, as well as a food truck and bar.
Pickleball and sand volleyball courts can be rented by the hour for $40 during peak hours and $30 during non-peak hours. Intramural and league contests will be hosted at The Sandy Pickle for those interested in organized competition.
The Sandy Pickle has an app so you can reserve courts and enter your pickleball skill level on a scale from one to seven. Each level has a description to help you choose where you belong.
For example, if you’re a beginner just hoping to make contact with the ball, you might choose 1.5: “Has limited experience and is still working primarily on getting the ball into play.” You can use your skill level to match up with other players of a similar skill set.
Weekly drink deals might not help you keep the ball in play, but they will help you laugh off a whiffed serve. On Mondays, The Sandy Pickle will host cornhole tournaments, with the winner receiving a free pitcher of beer. Tuesdays are “Bump & Brew,” with $2 drafts all night. Wednesdays are “Dink & Drink,” with half-off cocktails. And when it rains, the bar will serve dollar wells, a dangerous proposition.
The food truck menu offers simple American options: a burger, chicken wrap, loaded hot dog, salad, veggie burger, fries and, of course, fried pickles (sand not included). The prices match the nostalgic vibe the venue is going for, with each item priced between $4 and $8.
The bar sells a variety of domestic beers and seltzers, as well as classic cocktails like Aperol spritz, negroni and French 75. The menu also offers three pickleback shots, which include a shot of liquor (Jameson, vodka or tequila) meant to be chased with a shot of pickle juice. The pickleback shot has been around since 2006 and has since popped up on bar menus across the U.S.
If you feel like you’re seeing pickleball spring up everywhere, you’re not crazy. Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in America for the third straight year, according to the 2023 Sports & Fitness Industry Association’s Topline Participation Report. Over a three-year period, pickleball participation has grown by 159%. There are over 10,000 pickleball locations in the U.S., with 130 new locations added each month.
The newest one is at The Village, a community east of Central Expressway and south of Northwest Highway, with homes, restaurants, a country club and a golf course. The area sits on a 300-acre property with miles of trails, gardens and a lake.
Saturday’s grand opening event begins at 7 a.m. and continues all day through midnight, with entertainment and activities for all ages.
The Sandy Pickle, 5683 Village Glen Drive. Sunday – Thursday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Friday – Saturday, 7 a.m. – midnight.
