Pickleball in Grand Rapids.

The outdoor scene runs through Belknap Park and that is not an exaggeration. 21 dedicated lighted courts, all free, organized into open play (courts 1-2, all levels, 2-on/2-off), advanced 4.0+ play (courts 3-6), general open play (courts 7-15), and foursome reservations (courts 16-21). Restrooms, water, bleachers, windscreens. Mornings and evenings are packed, midday quiets down. The whole operation exists because the Grand Rapids Pickleball Club built it: ~1,800 members today (up from a handful in 2012), $35/year, the city owns the land and the club funds and maintains everything you see. Friday Night Lights, ladder leagues, club championship, first-timer tournaments all live here. For private outdoor, MVP Crahen has 6 courts plus a turf area inside MVP’s 17,000 sq ft pickleball facility (members + $35/mo All-Star upgrade), and the Amway Grand Plaza rooftop has 4 courts on the 4th floor of the downtown glass tower — more of a destination than a daily play spot, but unmistakably photogenic.

The free outdoor footprint stretches well beyond Belknap. Bicentennial Park in Byron Center has 12 dedicated courts that fill up most mornings, and Hudsonville runs another 12 about 15 minutes west of downtown — those are the two biggest free options in the suburbs. Pinery Park in Wyoming adds 8 more (inside a bigger rec park with disc golf, basketball, and tennis), Courtland Township has 8 up near Rockford, and Cascade Township Park (6), City of Walker (6 behind Central Elementary), Old Farm Park in Kentwood (4 dedicated with a Thursday 6pm 3.5+ drop-in), Alpine Township Sports Park (4 in Comstock Park), and Ada Park round out the township network on every side of the metro. Combined with Belknap, that’s well over 80 free dedicated outdoor courts inside the GR commuter ring — one of the deepest free public pickleball footprints anywhere in the Midwest.

Indoor pickleball has built up fast over the last two years, driven by the West Michigan winter and how solidly the GRPC seeded the demand. All In Pickleball Gym in Byron Center was the first dedicated indoor facility in the area: 5 premium courts plus 2 training courts, 16-foot containment nets, AC, industry-leading lighting, players lounge, open 5am to midnight seven days with key code access, book through Court Reserve. A second All In location is up the road in Cedar Springs. Grand Rapids Racquet + Fitness anchors the NE side with 8 indoor courts and hosts the Grand Rapids Pickleball Academy (it’s the Beer City Open’s weather-backup venue). Dinks & Dingers in SE GR has 6 indoor courts plus wiffle ball and a full restaurant for the social end of the spectrum. Ace Pickleball Club in SE GR runs capped-membership pro-grade cushioned courts with strong beginner programming. Broad Leaf Brewery + Spirits in Kentwood was Michigan’s first indoor pickleball restaurant — 2 courts inside the taproom. Pickle & Pin on West Leonard pairs 3 pickleball courts with 3 golf simulator bays and a full bar.

The tournament calendar peaks with the Beer City Open in early July: ~1,000 amateurs and ~200 pros, $250,000 prize purse, all hosted at Belknap. It also doubles as a Major League Pickleball mid-season stop, with select matches broadcast on ESPN and Pickleball TV. Around that, the GRPC Earth Day Open in April (round-robin powered by Revolin Sports, all Belknap courts reserved), the Meijer State Games of Michigan in June (statewide multi-sport games, pickleball at Belknap), and the PPA Amateur Michigan State Championships in summer (also Belknap) round out the year. Fusion Sports runs leagues and tournaments across Grand Rapids, Byron Center, Lowell, Wyoming, and Ada through municipal partnerships. Two big additions are landing through 2026: the Meijer Sports Complex is adding 20 outdoor courts as part of a $13.5M expansion, and Great Lakes Pickleball Club is opening 4 courts inside a renovated NE GR movie theater. Between the outdoor capacity at Belknap, the indoor density across All In / Ace / Dinks & Dingers / GR Racquet / MVP Crahen, and the tournament calendar headlined by the Beer City Open, Grand Rapids has quietly become one of the best year-round pickleball cities in the country.

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 and it lands in our inbox.