Look, you can spend a LOT of money on pickleball. Ask me how I know.

Paddles. Shoes. Bags. Lessons. Overgrips. Sunglasses. Another paddle because apparently this carbon fiber is different.

At some point, you look around and realize your recreational hobby has its own monthly budget.

But the best stuff? You can't buy it.

A Great Partner

You know the one.
You accidentally hit them with the ball and instead of filing for a new doubles partner, they laugh.
They don't roll their eyes when you miss an easy shot.
They don't coach you after every point.
And somehow, after witnessing everything you're capable of, they still say:
"Wanna go again?"
Protect this person at all costs.

A Good Reputation

People aren't going to remember the score from that random Tuesday night at open play.
They WILL remember if you were an asshole.
Did you welcome the new person?
Did you laugh?
Did you make people feel like they belonged?
Or did you act like ESPN was broadcasting Court 4?
You can buy a $300 paddle.
You cannot buy people wanting to play with you.

Court IQ

Unfortunately, Visa cannot help us here.
No paddle can buy good decisions.
I know because I have tried purchasing several.
Court IQ comes from playing.
And playing.
And making the same dumb decision approximately 47 times until your brain finally goes:
"Hey... maybe stop doing that."
Growth.

The Community

This might be the biggest one.
Friends.
Road trips.
Group texts.
Inside jokes that make absolutely no sense to anyone outside pickleball.
People you never would've met otherwise suddenly become people you're planning weekends around.
You don't buy that.
You show up enough times that somewhere along the way, strangers become your people.
Honestly, that's a huge reason we createdDink & Dash. We wanted somewhere to keep track of all of it.
The courts you've played.
The people you've met.
The places pickleball has taken you.
The memories that deserve somewhere better than being buried 8,000 photos deep in your camera roll.
So we built an app for it.
And we made it free.
Because the community is the whole damn point.
Friends made. Courts played. Memories saved.

One More Game

This one hits a little differently.
You can always buy another paddle.
You can't buy another Tuesday night with the exact same people.
You don't know which game will eventually be the last game with someone.
So when somebody says...
"One more?"
Maybe play it.
The laundry will still be there.
Trust me.
That bitch isn't going anywhere.

The Bottom Line

Buy the paddle.
Buy the ridiculous bag.
Buy the shoes you absolutely swear are going to improve your lateral movement.
I support poor financial decisions in the name of recreational sports.
Just don't confuse the stuff you can buy with the reason you keep coming back.
Because years from now, I doubt you're going to remember which paddle you were playing with.
You'll remember who was standing beside you.
And hopefully...
they're still asking for one more game.

I posted about this on Instagram — go watch it

So, see you on the courts. I'll be the one with too many paddles and still not enough time.