Arizona Pickleball Adventure

DAY 1

We meet after lunch at Phoenix International Airport and shuttle the one hour, 45 minutes to Prescott. Upon arriving we check into our suites at the Hassayampa Inn and then gather for happy hour. We'll meet each other and hear from Diana and Carl Landau, co-authors of Pickleball for Dummies. Diana and Carl will relate the crazy history of pickleball, discuss the all-important pickleball social scene, show how to find courts anywhere in the the world, demystify the "Kitchen" rules, and share the Ten Common Pickleball Mistakes and how to fix them. We'll then gather in the hotel's Peacock Dining Room for our first taste of delicious Southwestern cuisine.

DAY 2

This morning after breakfast is our first pickleball session. We shuttle the short distance to our dedicated pickleball courts at Espire Sports and meet our pros. This morning is about getting to know each other on the court. We'll have some instruction from the pros as a group, some instruction when we break into smaller groups based on ability level, and then finish with for-fun games. We'll set the tone this first day, making sure everyone is having fun and getting the exercise they want without the stress they do not need. It is then back to our hotel with time to shower and eat lunch on your own in Prescott. In the afternoon we'll do a short shuttle to Watson Lake with an option to either kayak on the lake with its surreal, beautiful landscape of granite boulders surrounding the deep blue of the lake. Or you can choose to jump on an e-bike and bicycle on a gravel path with stunning views of the lake as you cruise through the northern Arizona landscape. This evening we'll have a tapas dinner at El Gato Azul with an optional after-dinner drink at the Palace Saloon on historic Whiskey Row, which with a founding date of 1877 is both the oldest operating bar and business in the state.

DAY 3

This morning we have pickleball session number two. Again we'll meet up with our pro instructors but this time we'll focus more on playing games, having the instructors integrate into games to give us live on-the-spot coaching while not reducing the fun. By the end of the two-hour session you will very likely have improved your game - regardless of where you started - while deepening your appreciation for why pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the country. Again we'll have time to return to the hotel and shower. After this we will shuttle 1.5 hours to the famous and exotic town of Sedona, home to red rocks scenery (made of sandstone) and equally famous (or infamous) spiritual vortexes. You will have time to eat lunch on your own and in the afternoon you'll have four options: stroll and shop the streets of Sedona, participate in an Art Gallery Walk, hike at Red Rock State Park, or do an off-road jeep tour through the red rocks canyons. In the late afternoon it is back towards home with a stop in Cottonwood, for a wine or beer tasting followed by dinner at Merkin winery's Trattoria.

DAY 4

After breakfast at the hotel we are off to our third session of pickleball. This time it is just fun and all games as we play a rotating schedule of games. Most of our games are doubles, and so we can easily place people on teams that balance out. You'll get to partner with and play against everyone over the course of the week. (Note we generally don't keep couples together the whole time.) You will also have the option to try singles pickleball, which is a much bigger workout but also lots of fun. We'll then return to the hotel for showers and lunch on your own in Prescott. In the afternoon you can choose to stay in town and optionally join an historical walking tour of Prescott or drive south to the Granite Mountain Hotshots State Memorial State Park, where you can do a 1.5-mile or 5.7-mile hike to the fascinating memorial to wildfire fighters who lost their lives here. In the evening we'll enjoy our final dinner, at delicious Farm Provisions restaurant, which focuses on using local Arizona products.

DAY 5

We have a final morning together with a final pickleball session. This will be a for-fun tournament in which we divide our group into teams that balance skill levels. So if you are a novice player (or just still improving) we'll pair you with a more experienced player. Winner gets ... bragging rights! It is then back to the hotel to shower, change, and grab a quick early lunch before heading back to Phoenix airport.