St. Cloud Country Club Adds Six Pickleball Courts

(KNSI) – St. Cloud Country Club is in quite the pickle, and it couldn’t be happier.

Trying to tap into one of the nation’s fastest-growing sports, the club will be debuting pickleball courts on Saturday. Gene Windfeldt was the driving force behind adding the new asset, encouraged by his wife, Sheelah, who is an avid player. He says having options like pickleball, a revamped clubhouse and dining experience, and other off-course options is a boon to the club.

“The truth is there’s a lot of activities that take place in a country club. It’s really a social place for people to gather and see their friends. And the golf is one of the things that you do at a country club, it’s not a golf club, it’s a country club.”

The club has four types of memberships. Its social tier allows access to amenities like the new pickleball courts. An online reservation tool makes booking a time to play simple.

General Manager Denise Lenaghan says there will be opportunities for open play, but also a range of leagues and lessons. “So, this first year is really going to be a little bit of trial and error. We’re going to feel it out. We do have a pickleball professional that is working with us. She is scheduling all kinds of programming for us. From ladder leagues to men’s play, women’s play. We’re going to have junior clinics, she’ll have lessons.”

Right now, it is exposed to the elements, but plans are underway to fully enclose the space and make pickleball possible year-round.

There’s also a pool used mostly by young parents and children, giving the club a generational appeal. Additionally, the upper level of the clubhouse was renovated in 2022, and a revamped lower level, with new locker rooms, an expanded pro shop, and a golf simulator, debuted this year. Everything has come together to revamp the overall experience.

Everyone was on hand Thursday for the ribbon-cutting ceremony on the pickleball courts.