Thursday, May 14, 2026 (Court Day #930)
After waking up about 3:15 a.m. to get to the airport and fly St. Louis, I landed about 1:30 p.m. local time. My cousin John kindly battled very long line of cars to pick me up. (The airport there is poorly designed with a massive bottleneck for picking up passengers!) I hadn’t see John since our grandfather’s funeral in 2006 when John came out to California to honor his namesake, John Lenz II. I had reached out in February to let him know that I was coming and to see if we could hang out some.
John is the GM of the private Algonquin Golf Club which also features a $3.3 million Racquet Center built in 2022 with tennis courts and pickleball courts.
I later learned that it costs $75,000 for the club initiation fee and $1,400/month for ongoing membership. ($16,800/year.) This is outside of my budget, but on the flip side, housing and the cost of living is far lower here compared to my California coast. Here, the median home price is about $250,000. The median home price in Santa Cruz is currently $1.4 million. My wife and I could buy 4-5 homes here in St. Louis for the value of our pretty average 1700 sq.ft. house on a small lot back home.
A month ago, John had connected me via text with his Director of Racquets, Brian Pillar, who is a certified coach for tennis as well as pickleball. Brian kindly said he’d find players and get a game together for me.
The Club
Next to the courts, the parking lot was pretty full. John told me that a pro-am golf tournament was going on. John took me to the racquet center pro shop and introduced me in person to Brian, then John headed off to meetings.
Brian had arranged a doubles game from 5-6 p.m. (That’s why I caught super early flight… to get in some pickleball!) There would be a little wait.
It was just Brian and myself in the pro shop for a couple hours. We were chatting off and on while he was doing work on his laptop and not answering the phone.
Brian is a super nice guy. It became clear during our discussions that his first love is unquestionably tennis.
New Arrival
About 4:30 p.m., a man named Barry Stone entered the pro shop. Brian obviously knew him and Barry was talking about getting back from a trip. Barry is not just a pickleball players, but is also a golfer.
Play Time!
At 4:38 p.m., Barry and I went out and started warming up one of the two empty pickleball courts.
The courts are beautiful. Good nets, good surface. It was warm and a touch muggy but not too bad.
Brian came out and after we warmed up for a bit, we played two on one, with me covering half of my side against Brian and Barry. I was up 8-1 when a fourth showed up, Eric. Eric is about six foot. Brian is a little shorter than I am and Barry and I are about the same average U.S. male height.
After a couple of games, Dave arrived. Brian had said earlier that Dave is a really strong player. Brian bowed out when Dave arrived.
We played a few games, rotating partners. John arrived after his meeting to check on things. John asked Brian how I was going and Brian said I hadn’t lost a game. I corrected the group that I had lost one.
The sun was getting lower in the sky but it was still a bit hot and Brian wanted to shift over to the partially shaded court. I’m not a big fan of that kind of lighting, but I’ll admit that the shade was nice.
Around 6 p.m. a few people arrived on the other court. Brian said they were having a lesson.
There was one rally with Barry on my right covering the sideline and I left a little too much room to my right and left the middle open. Eric took advantage and hit a winner. Oops. I was kicking myself. My later games were not as strong as my earlier games, which is kind of funny since I had not played right-handed for about two weeks. You’d expect my later games to be better as I got reacclimated to righty. But I may have relaxed too much also!
At 6:18 p.m, people were done. I would have played longer but one can’t play alone… plus John was patiently waiting.
It was a great group of fun guys. And I can see why everyone likes Brian!
[Later note: The evening after the trade show ended on May 19, John took me to a St. Louis Cardinals game. While there, he shared that Brian told him that I’m a good player and have fast hands. Nice to hear.]
OGs of Pickleball
In this list, I’ve met three. Kyle Yates, Ben Johns, Morgan Evans. I’ve seen Tyson McGuffin play in person. I haven’t met Jennifer Lucore, but we’ve corresponded a few times over the years. I remember being told that Scott Moore came to Santa Cruz one time to run a clinic, but that was before I started playing in 2017.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DYXS4oQEThX
Aireo and Nico
Our local Bay Area-based paddle maker, Aireo, made an appearance on a Nico the Lefty social media post of his top paddles of May 2026. That’s good exposure for them! Nico has come out of nowhere and is now a cohost on Zane Navratil’s podcast.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DYV-ybmEfic/?img_index=5
Anna Leigh Waters on NBC
Young phenom player, current #1 female player in the world, Anna Leigh Waters, continues to make appearances in the mainstream media, this time on NBC News. Pickleball is continuing to get noticed.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DYZvJb8GpC0
Tennis Elbow Advice
With me battling mind tennis elbow, here’s some good advice on how to fix it:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DYXF6bqkdV2
And here’s my article about my own experiences and advice for pickleball elbow:
https://pickleballjourney.com/pickleball-elbow-advice/
New Courts Opening Up
Glorya Jean Tate Park, down in Marina, has two new public pickleball courts that are set to open on June 6. Not that I’ll likely use them anytime in the near future, they are a little less than an hour of driving to the south of me.
Friday, May 22, 2026 (No Play)
Here’s a new story about pickleball problems in Cupertino about 40 minutes north of me:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYXlC04I-NI
“Cupertino officials are moving forward with measures to reduce noise from the city’s growing pickleball scene after nearby residents complained about constant sound from courts at parks and schools. Proposed solutions include sound barriers, restricted playing hours and possible court modifications as the city tries to balance recreation demand with neighborhood concerns.”
Pickleball Video Game
There’s a pickleball video game coming out which utilizes a special paddle with sensors.
https://www.msn.com/en-in/lifestyle/smart-living/this-company-wants-you-to-play-pickleball-from-the-comfort-of-your-home-here-s-how-they-re-doing-it/ar-AA23ELGq
Andrew MIA?
I should mention that Matt Babb kindly reached out a few days ago checking on me since he hadn’t seen me in a few weeks at Skypark. I explained that I’ve been doing a lot of traveling and I’m also dealing with a little bit of tennis elbow. It was very nice of him to reach out.
Saturday, May 23, 2026 (No Play)
Pickleball has invaded Major League Baseball! The Milwaukee Brewers installed a court during spring training!
Here’s an article about it:
https://www.brewcrewball.com/milwaukee-brewers-news/80241/how-pickleball-has-swept-up-brewers-coaches-and-keeps-them-sharp
“The game that has swept the nation over the past couple of years has swept up the Milwaukee Brewers coaching staff and is showing no signs of stopping. From the coaches to the front office, pickleball has been the way to bring the organization closer together, fuel their competitive fire, and keep their minds sharp.”
Pickleball is not a Sport!
Show this to anyone who says the pickleball is not athletic!
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYjsTg2k5ZS/
I’ve never given anyone the middle finger in my life, but here’s my version, haters!
Number of days on a court: 932
Number of total hours: 3,469
Number of paid coaching hours: 209.5
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