State-Of-The-Art Pickleball Club To Open In Gowanus

BROOKLYN, NY —A new pickleball club called PKLYN is set to open its doors later this month in Gowanus.

The new club will include five large courts and several lounge areas featuring food and beverages from local purveyors.

The idea for the club started a few years ago, when the club's founder, David Friedman, played pickleball almost daily with fellow enthusiasts at Brooklyn Bridge Park's Pier 2 handball courts during the pandemic, bringing their own nets and tape.

As Friedman's pickleball-obsessed group grew into the thousands and ran out of room at the pier, he realized Brooklyn needed a specialized pickleball hub to accommodate the growing sport and started planning.

"PKLYN is a third place — not your home, not your office, but a place where you can unwind, spend time with friends, improve your pickleball game, all at the same time," Friedman posted on the club's Instagram.

Now complete, the new club, designed by pickleball players for pickleball players, features purple walls and asphalt court floors for optimal visibility and indirect light from the strategically placed skylights on 23-foot-high ceilings.

PKLYN will host group lessons, private sessions, court rentals, leagues of all levels, tournaments, and social mixers to get everyone involved in the fun.

The club will also have a full-service bar and a selection of snacks and sandwiches from New York-based purveyors like Alidoro, the longstanding Italian sandwich shop from SoHo. Once open, the owner said the club would host more food pop-ups to fuel its players.

PKLYN is located at 80 4th St., between Hoyt and Bond Streets, and will be open Sunday through Thursday from 6 a.m.-10 p.m. and Friday through Saturday, 6 a.m.-12 a.m. Private court rentals start at $100.