Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

What does pickleball do to a marriage? Today, we'll check out the pros and cons of pickleball for your marriage, take a trip Down Under to see a pro pickleball tournament at the Australian Open, learn how to become a 5.0 player, and a whole lot more.

Let’s go! 👇

Pickleball and marriage. First, let's take a look at some of the positive impacts that pickleball can have on your relationship.

For starters, pickleball generally makes people happy and puts them in better moods. Happier people are great partners because they are less stressed and more pleasant to be around.

A second reason is that pickleball builds friendships and communities. It gives people a "thing," which isn't just something to do, but something to look forward to. And it can be nice to have your own separate thing that you do apart from your partner.

Alternatively, there's the possibility that you and your spouse play pickleball together, which can offer another way to spend time and have fun with one another.

OK, now let's look at some of the possible negatives. Let's go with the setup where one partner plays and the other one doesn't. And let's say that the pickleball partner plays a lot.

While pickleball is tons of fun, the non-pickleball spouse might feel a bit neglected, or very neglected, like one woman who anonymously wrote to Carolyn Hax in her Washington Post advice column.

According to the woman, her husband plays more than 20 hours a week! He no longer does his household duties, regularly skips family dinners, and when he does have the kids, he brings them with him to the courts past their bedtime on school nights. 😱

Now let's look at the arrangement where both spouses play together. Of course, one partner will inevitably be a little better than the other. Does that make the weaker player feel jealous or threatened when the better one wants to play with higher-skilled players? It certainly could.

When it's all said and done, there's no way of knowing whether pickleball is good, bad, or simply neutral for your particular marriage. But as long as you're respectful of each other and play in moderation, then we're guessing that 9 times out of 10, it's neutral or positive.

Make Adjustments!

Always analyze what your opponents are doing well and identify what’s causing you to lose points. Once you recognize these patterns, building a winning strategy becomes much easier. Many players stick to a single plan and refuse to change it, even when it isn’t working. The best players, however, constantly adapt — tweaking their strategies based on what’s effective and what isn’t. Remember: high-level pickleball is like chess — every point is a strategic move.

The leaning-backwards, down-the-line, backhand drip is generally reserved for GOATs. 👇

When you show up to the courts, there are quite a few things you need to bring with you. For starters, you'll need your paddle and some balls. Plus, you'll probably have some overgrips, sunblock, a snack, and perhaps protective glasses. And that's on top of your water bottle, wallet, and keys. So you'll definitely need something called... a BAG!

JOOLA, the premier pickleball brand that makes the best paddles in the world, also makes the most stylish and effective bags — specifically designed for pickleball. From backpacks to sling bags and totes, JOOLA has every pickleball bag you'll ever need.

Welcome back to the section where we define a word or term that is widely used in the pickleball world…

Twoey (noun)

A twoey simply refers to a two-handed backhand. The shot is becoming more and more popular, especially when used as a dink up at the kitchen line because it allows players to dink more aggressively with topspin.

When you think of Australia, what comes to mind? Kangaroos? Cool accents? "Shrimp on the barbie"? Or Crocodile Dundee?

OK, how about the Australian Open? We assume you're thinking about the city of Melbourne and the sport of tennis. Well, not so fast.

The 2026 Australian Open Pickleball Slam took place in January at the site of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne.

Twenty-eight players from around the world participated in the tournament, many of whom play on the PPA Australia Tour and the American APP Tour, including Sofia Sewing, Megan Fudge, Zack Taylor, and Ryler DeHeart.

As you can see above, the setup featured two pickleball courts together in one of the stadiums on the grounds of the Australian Open.

From the pool of 28 players, six teams were created, each one cleverly named after some of Melbourne's most well-known streets.

The players competed for their share of $100,000 in total prize money, and in the final, Team Hardware narrowly beat Team Hosier.

It was the second annual Australian Open Pickleball Slam, following last year's tournament, which was the first-ever pickleball tournament featured at a Grand Slam tennis event.

We tried to tell you, but you just wouldn’t listen. 😉

If you own a pickleball facility and you are constantly at maximum capacity such that you don't want anyone new to ever discover your facility since you are permanently sold out, then you don't need help with marketing and should stop reading this.

But if you're like most facilities, then you sometimes have courts that you would love to fill with new players. That’s where CourtsApp comes in, the first AI-powered court marketing platform connecting racket sport facilities with players by showing them in real time where there are available courts in their area. It provides immediate exposure, and it's absolutely free because CourtsApp only makes a commission on the courts it books. So sign up here, and don’t let any more of your courts stay empty.

Becoming a 5.0 player is extremely impressive — it's like being a scratch golfer or a black belt in a martial art. Not all of us will get to this level, but if you can get to a 4.0 or 4.5, then there are just a few important things you need to do to get you past the finish line. Well, we've got one of the best players in world, James Ignatowich, with 5 tips to become a 5.0. 👇

These days, with the ease of filming and broadcasting on various platforms, it doesn't matter as much where an event actually takes place in terms of its ability to attract eyeballs. With that said, there is something to be said about attending an event in person. The Business of Pickleball took a look at the announced 2026 tour stops for Major League Pickleball (MLP), the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) Tour, and the Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP) Tour, and placed them on a map of the United States. 👇

As one might expect, many tournaments will be held in the big and warm states of California, Florida, and Texas. But what might come as a surprise is that there is only one stop in the entire Northeast (albeit in the region's largest population center of New York City) and one in the Northwest — while the Midwest will host nearly 10 events.

Hope you enjoyed the read. See you next week!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

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