The Santa Monica Pickleball Center initially started as a robust tennis business. In October 2022, the facility began experimenting with a hybrid approach to incorporate the fast-growing sport of pickleball. Then in December of that same year, the business took over the retail property next to the Pro Shop, multiplying it five times over. Expanding their Pro Shop inventory was extremely successful and encouraged the team to move more towards pickleball. Owner Jon Neeter, says, “transitioning completely to pickleball was a tough decision for us. We had many great tennis clients that we wanted to accommodate as much as possible. At a certain point the numbers were just undeniable.” Fortunately, the facility attained the opportunity to rent courts hourly from the city of Santa Monica, which allowed them to keep a significant portion of their tennis programming going.
Neeter used his skills to earn a tennis scholarship at the University of Maryland, an NCAA Division I program. There, he played #1 Singles and Doubles in the Atlantic Coast Conference and, after graduation, was offered an assistant coaching position for both the men’s and women’s tennis teams at the same university. He also coached at several other locations, including the world renown Junior Tennis Champions Center which is often used as a training facility for USA Olympic Athletes. He has played with and assisted several celebrities including Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Owen Wilson, and more.
Even with its profound success, the transition wasn’t an easy task. Neeter explains, “I initially discussed pickleball programming at our facility in 2018 with our director of pickleball, Julio Rivera. We had a serious discussion about it in March 2020- the day before Covid restrictions started in California. So we tabled that discussion until we reconnected in 2022.” It was not until September of 2023 that the pickleball transition was fully complete.
For the Santa Monica Pickleball Center, pickleball was a force multiplier. After the pandemic, there was a really high demand for pickleball courts in the area. This gave them even more incentive to transition. Neeter says, “when we fully resurfaced the courts [in September of 2023] a lot of people started telling us that we had the best courts in LA. That coupled with one of the best shops in the country made for a great combo.”
With what is arguably the largest selection of any retail shop in the nation, The Santa Monica Pickleball Center has solidified their success by offering a curated selection of paddles to accommodate all levels of players and demand. People come from all over to shop popular brands like Selkirk, Joola, and CRBN. As far as paddle models go, some of the best sellers are the Selkirk Halo, Joola Perseus, and the Selkirk Luxx.
Since it’s a smaller facility, there are a lot of regulars who have made the SMPC a part of their lives. There is great charm and a welcoming energy that makes it all the more inviting. Neeter credits the success to the amazing team that has developed at SMPC. He says, “without Julio and the staff of coaches he put together, along with our great support staff in the shop, none of this would’ve happened.”
