For all of the avid pickleball players in the Grand Strand and beyond, there could soon be a premier pickleball facility off of Harrelson Boulevard. The 6-acre property is across the street from the Myrtle Beach International Airport and adjacent to Whispering Pines Golf Course. The City of Myrtle Beach received it in the mid-1990s, it was previously part of the golf course for the Air Force base. Avid pickleballer and managing member of Pickleport Myrtle Beach wants to turn the land into an all-weather facility.
“It is a great place, great town and it is surprising we don’t have a facility like this in Myrtle Beach,” said Dwight Hunsicker, owner of Pickleport Myrtle Beach. “It is the fastest growing sport currently in the United States, we need a facility such as this in Myrtle Beach.”
The Myrtle Beach City Council passed a resolution Tuesday authorizing the city manager to enter into a “Letter of Intent” with Pickleport Myrtle Beach. It allows investors time to determine if the property is suitable for the facility.
“The environmental approvals, the formatting approvals that will take at least six months period of time and the construction about 12 months,” said Hunsicker.
Several locals expressed to the council that the courts in the city are now always crowded, and the new way to make friends is playing pickleball.
“There still aren’t enough places to play, and with the growing sport, we have Canadians come down here to play, we have tourists in the summertime wanting to play, and this will be a great thing for Myrtle Beach,” said Norman Hensley, a resident of Myrtle Beach.
“Pickleball is really accessible, and it is fun,” said Genie Leonard, a resident of Myrtle Beach. “I think now because we have to wait so long, I am part of the YMCA, and they only have a two-hour window on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but you sit there forever and maybe play two games.”
Multiple players have described “Pickleport” as a “win-win.”
“I am very much a person that likes to give back to the community and create a healthy place that people want to belong to and live in,” said Leonard. “I think this accomplishes that on so many levels, I really do.”
The facility will allow players to match up with others who have the same skill level and is said to have entertainment and a snack bar. Hunsicker is anticipating Pickleport to open in the summer of 2026.
Source: https://www.wmbfnews.com/2025/01/15/premier-pickleball-facility-could-soon-come-myrtle-beach/