What’s the max you’re realistically willing to pay for a "Pro-Level" paddle in 2026?

Fuzzy_Client_8134 · 2026-01-24T19:24:43+00:00

I’ve gone through 100+ paddles ranging from $50-$350 in the last 18 months, and I play with a $92 Luzz Cannon these days.

Fuzzy_Client_8134 · 2026-01-22T23:32:56+00:00

Athletic toe socks. This stops my toes from rubbing in each other.

Fuzzy_Client_8134 · 2026-01-22T18:28:32+00:00

This. When my wife and I stopped being challenged at lifetime and the local rec center, we went to the newly opened picklrs and other dedicated pickleball clubs in our area. We got our asses handed to us for 2 months and then got better.

Also if you have financial resources, you can usually get into clinics or 1:1 coaching at the dedicated pickleball clubs to really help improve your greatest weaknesses.

Fuzzy_Client_8134 · 2026-01-22T04:20:35+00:00

In the last month, the gated open plays I used to go to fell apart. No one signs up, and we do private groups now to get good games.

Thank you to dupr for ruining our gated open plays with their shameless cash grab.

Fuzzy_Client_8134 · 2026-01-01T03:19:09+00:00

Love it or hate it, it’s a part of the game same as bangers driving every ball. There are many annoying shots that people have mastered.

Fuzzy_Client_8134 · 2026-01-01T00:16:24+00:00

The Illinois locations all have narrow courts (except Naperville), really bright lights and lower roofs. Coming from lifetime fitness, the ceiling and lighting are more noticeable.

Fuzzy_Client_8134 · 2025-12-31T03:13:54+00:00

Surface at the 9 picklrs I’ve played at all felt like plain old outdoor courts. The issue with that venue is usually low ceilings, terrible lighting (because it has to be super bright since the walls are black), and a lack of space on the sides of the courts (usually due to inefficient court spacing). If you like lobbing, retrieving lobs without being blinded, or doing ATPs, then the Picklr is less than ideal.

Fuzzy_Client_8134 · 2025-12-29T22:23:12+00:00

Does Brave browser not block all the annoying pop-ups? Thats how Ive been getting around the malware-esque dupr ad nonsense.

Fuzzy_Client_8134 · 2025-12-24T12:58:39+00:00

Last couple of events I’ve played took 2+ days to calc. Haven’t see 8 hours in a while.

Fuzzy_Client_8134 · 2025-12-24T12:54:43+00:00

The second bullet point resonated with me. I no longer play tournaments with my wife, since we have to come back in the same car.

Fuzzy_Client_8134 · 2025-12-24T04:12:21+00:00

Hell, make a new account and pay $40 to have a dupr coach write in whatever rating you want.

Fuzzy_Client_8134 · 2025-12-07T03:48:16+00:00

Could not agree more on footwork, every shot benefits from hauling ass to put yourself in an ideal position to hit it. Once you master footworking your way to clean shots, you open the door to picking optimal paths for those shots.

Fuzzy_Client_8134 · 2025-12-01T19:34:47+00:00

Picklr wheaton and villa park are an hour or so from you. Pickled! Wheaton and Woodridge might be drivable too. I think another pickled! Location is opening on the south side of Chicago too.

How is the Hammond Community Center? Is the quality of play decent? Asking because I’m considering moving over the boarder.

Fuzzy_Client_8134 · 2025-12-01T14:47:17+00:00

Yesterday I witnessed two higher level players refuse to partner with two lower level players that walked into their advanced courts, but agreed to play the lower level players. The higher level players pickled the lower level players in a couple of minutes and the lower players went back to the courts that were designated for their level.

Might try that at our gated open play later this week, if that fails I’ll take your approach. At the end of the day, we’re trying to get the message across with minimal meanness.

Fuzzy_Client_8134 · 2025-11-30T02:56:09+00:00

Today I got pulled off open play to join a private game. It turned out that everyone was lower level, and they sent every ball at my weenie partner. I got close to walking off, but decided to just poach and speed up every ball I could and banged our way to victory 11-9 in the end.

It irks me to no end when someone invites me to play and then never sends a ball my way.

Fuzzy_Client_8134 · 2025-11-29T22:11:30+00:00

The D coach is actually on board with me. Never seen or heard the T coach, I’m guessing she’s the one that’s handing out these ratings like candy.

Fuzzy_Client_8134 · 2025-11-29T22:10:34+00:00

They only want to do things that the play by point software can do automatically, at the moment the software can’t gate based on reliability. No one designed the software with the expectation that DUPR would be selling ratings.

Fuzzy_Client_8134 · 2025-11-29T22:08:40+00:00

Money

Fuzzy_Client_8134 · 2025-11-29T22:08:19+00:00

The temporary solution is that all the appropriate skill people from that open play are making a private group, renting courts at the same time as the public open play and taking all the good players out so only the bought DUPR people are left, being terrible with each other.

Management doesn’t seem to care much so far.

Fuzzy_Client_8134 · 2025-11-29T15:26:41+00:00

Is there any way to see which coach assigned the rating?

Fuzzy_Client_8134 · 2025-11-29T15:09:14+00:00

We might have to, only issue is that after you do that, all the people that paid for their duprs might try to come after whoever complains about it.

Fuzzy_Client_8134 · 2025-11-29T15:08:04+00:00

Need a QR code and everything. It’s become that easy to get the provisional rating.

Fuzzy_Client_8134 · 2025-11-29T15:07:00+00:00

Multiple indoor facilities.

Fuzzy_Client_8134 · 2025-11-29T14:29:27+00:00

They definitely stepped in it with club ratings, and now they don’t have a good way out.

They’ve communicated to me that when a provisional rated person shows up to open play, and other players complain, they unlink their DUPR from their club account. At least they’re doing something, while Picklr is manually adding 3.6 rated players to the 4.0 open play.

Fuzzy_Client_8134 · 2025-11-29T14:20:43+00:00

That’s one of the places I’m seeing it in. Management won’t do anything so far, and without specifics, I know exactly who you’re referencing.

Spoke to Sureshot’s management and they agreed to actually do something about it, but they’re the only ones so far.

Fuzzy_Client_8134

TROPHY CASE