BOZEMAN — Good news to all you pickleball players in Bozeman—pretty soon you’ll be able to hit the courts year-round!
I met up with Elliot Marcille, the man behind the indoor pickleball phenomenon.
“Bozeman Classic Pickleball Club is Bozeman’s first indoor pickleball facility with dedicated outdoor court material. There are other places that you can play pickleball inside, but pickleball players are not the priority at those places,” says Elliot.
Elliot grew up playing competitive tennis, but it wasn't until 2017 that he found his love for pickleball. He tells me the first time he played?
“I got beat by some older folks. You know, I wasn’t expecting it to happen like this. And that’s when I realized pickleball is such a fun, approachable game.”
Elliot moved to Bozeman in 2009 to become a Bobcat. He moved away after college but always dreamed of coming back. Now he’s living that dream while also trying to make a name for himself in the pickleball community.
“You know, I noticed that the pickleball scene was just blowing up in Bozeman. Since the City of Bozeman repositioned the tennis courts at Bogart Park into pickleball courts? There’s now seven outdoor pickleball courts there. It went from kind of being like a sleepy park to maybe the most popular place to be when the weather is nice,” says Elliot.
But the Bogart Park pickleball courts have their fair share of problems.
“The courts are so popular that there's usually a line of people waiting to play. And the residents nearby have started to kind of have an uproar because there's so much noise and competition for courts."
Which led to the park district reducing the hours, causing even more chaos. You also can’t play in the winter. Bogart's final day was Friday, Nov. 1, which is perfect timing for the grand opening of Bozeman Classic Pickleball Club.
“Bozeman Classic Pickleball Club has four indoor heated courts in a massive warehouse on Bozeman’s northeast side,” says Elliot.
A warehouse that used to be a wine storage building, located right between Mountains Walking and Live From the Divide. Owned by Outlaw Realty, Elliot has been working with them throughout the process and is grateful for their help on the project.
Elliot tells me over the last few months he’s been surveying local picklers to see what they wanted out of the indoor facility. He began selling memberships two weeks ago and already has a number of folks signed up.
“We’re excited to play during the winter!” one local pickler named Sara tells me.
And another pickler named Terry said, “The relationships that we’ve formed here are carrying over to the club. We know six regulars here from the courts that are also already signed up."
Elliot's been working hard to get this indoor facility ready for these eager pickleball players and tells me he couldn’t be any prouder to be a part of that community.
“Bozeman is a really special place. And pickleball players are a special part of the Bozeman community. I’d say it’s truly an honor to be the person to help bring people inside in the wintertime to play pickleball,” says Elliot.
The grand opening for Bozeman Classic Pickleball Club is Sunday, Nov. 3 at 10 a.m., and anyone is welcome to come play.
For more information on Bozeman Classic Pickleball Club, such as hours, membership prices, and how to reserve times to play, visit their website: https://www.bozemanpickleballclub.com
