Pickleball in Newport Beach.

Newport Beach is the rare city where a single venue defines the pickleball identity, and that venue is the Tennis and Pickleball Club at Newport Beach at 11 Clubhouse Dr. TPC was the world’s first private pickleball club when it added courts in 2020, and it now has 31 dedicated pickleball courts (with LED lights and a stadium court) alongside 12 tennis courts (including a European red clay court, the only one in Orange County). The club has 800+ pickleball members (pricing shared only on a tour) and hosts every major tour: the PPA Newport Beach Open in early March (next: March 1-7, 2027), the PPA Challenger in early April, the APP Newport Beach Classic in May, and the MLP Playoffs in mid-August. The old Newport Beach Shootout branding was last used in 2023. The facility started as the Irvine Coast Racquet Club, was annexed by the storied Balboa Bay Club (a Hollywood elite hangout for Lauren Bacall, Johnny Carson, and John Wayne), and has since become Sean’s transformation project into a world-class racquet destination.

For non-members, the Newport Beach pickleball scene is smaller but real. The City of Newport Beach runs free dedicated outdoor courts at Bonita Canyon Sports Park (4 lighted courts), plus dual-line tennis/pickleball at San Joaquin Hills Tennis Center (1550 Crown Dr), and 3 indoor plus 6 outdoor courts at Newport Coast Community Center for a small drop-in fee. Newport Dunes Resort has been listed with 4 courts on the Back Bay for paid play, though the resort’s site no longer mentions pickleball, so call first. Big Canyon Country Club adds 4 private member courts. About 10 minutes inland in Costa Mesa, OC Pickleball Club runs classes, clinics, and open play on 4 outdoor courts at Halecrest Park; confirm it is operating before you go. For premium indoor, Pacific Athletic Club in Thousand Oaks (90 minutes north) has 9 temperature-controlled acrylic courts with DUPR-rated tournaments.

The Newport Beach pickleball calendar is one of the most pro-tour-heavy in the country, with three major tour stops (PPA, APP, MLP) typically running at TPC across the year. The PPA Newport Beach Open in March is the first major SoCal Open-level event of the year after the PPA Masters Slam in Palm Springs in January. The APP Newport Beach Classic in May is one of APP’s signature events and is often called a favorite among APP pros. Fall visitors arrive after the pro season has moved on, which makes September and October the easiest time of year to actually get on a court here. Local pros include the Johnson siblings (Jorja, Hunter, JW), who won their first PPA partnership title at this venue in 2023. For a city of about 85,000 residents, Newport Beach hosts a remarkable share of professional pickleball, making it a year-round destination for serious amateurs who want to play where the pros play.

This is a working guide to where to play and what’s on the calendar. If you spot something wrong or out of date, send a note to letsplay@dinkin.app.