Offcourt Pickleball Bacolod Opens | Why I’m Suddenly Curious

Offcourt Pickleball Bacolod

Table of Contents

Offcourt Pickleball Bacolod Opens : Why Everyone Is Picking Up a Paddle—and Why I’m Suddenly Curious

Why is everyone suddenly playing pickleball?

That was probably the question running through my mind when I arrived at Offcourt Pickleball Bacolod today, October 4, 2026, for its launch.

I have to admit something.

I am not a pickleball player. Not yet, anyway.

But lately, it seems almost impossible to ignore the sport.

You hear people talking about pickleball. You see courts appearing in different places. Friends invite you to play. Social media is filled with people holding paddles, posing beside courts and talking about their latest games.

And apparently, the numbers are telling the same story.

In the United States, 24.3 million people played pickleball in 2025, up from just 4.2 million in 2020. That’s more than a fivefold increase in five years, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA). PHILIPPINE PICKLEBALL FEDERATION

But what caught my attention even more is what is happening here in the Philippines.

The Philippine Pickleball Federation currently lists 68,812 pickleball players, 595 member clubs and 537 venues nationwide.

Think about that.

A sport that many Filipinos barely knew about a few years ago now has tens of thousands of players and hundreds of clubs and venues across the country.

And that growth is visible even outside Metro Manila. The federation’s current directory includes clubs and venues in places such as Bacolod, Kabankalan, La Carlota, Dumaguete, Iloilo, Cebu, Bohol and many other cities and provinces.

So clearly, something is happening.

But why?

Why Pickleball Has Become So Popular

Perhaps because pickleball isn’t simply about competition.

SFIA research found that nearly 94% of avid pickleball players value the physical exercise they get from the sport. Health benefits were cited by 49% of respondents, fun by 48.4%, and competitive play by 45%.

Health.

Fitness.

Fun.

Competition.

And then there is something else that seems particularly relevant to the way Filipinos socialize:

community.

Maybe that explains why I found myself becoming curious.

I may not yet be holding a paddle, but suddenly, I wanted to understand what everybody else seemed to be enjoying.

And that curiosity brought me to Offcourt Pickleball Bacolod.

My First Look at Offcourt Pickleball Bacolod

I arrived a little after 2:00 this afternoon, with the formal program expected to start around 2:30.

But even before the program began, I could already feel that something was happening.

There were people everywhere.

And my first reaction when I entered the place was simple:

This place is huge.

What used to be a warehouse has been transformed into a pickleball haven, complete with spacious courts, ample parking, a café on the mezzanine and a small bar on the ground floor.

It was my first time seeing the place, and I immediately wanted to explore.

The first thing I noticed was the front desk.

It looked nice and professional, giving me the impression that this was more than simply a warehouse converted into pickleball courts.

There was clearly an effort to create a proper sports and lifestyle venue.

And then I started noticing the people.

Most of the guests were already dressed in sports outfits.

Obviously, they were ready to play.

You could immediately tell that many of them were already part of the growing pickleball community.

A Mezzanine Café Overlooking the Courts [ Offcourt Pickleball Bacolod ]

I went straight to the mezzanine because I wanted to see the entire place from above.

And I liked what I saw.

The mezzanine café overlooks the courts.

Immediately, I could imagine people staying there even after their games.

Friends could sit together, watch the matches below, have coffee and simply enjoy each other’s company.

And that made me understand something about the sport’s growing appeal.

Maybe pickleball is not only about what happens inside the court.

It is also about what happens around it.

People meet.

People talk.

People take photographs.

People make friends.

And, apparently, people stay for coffee.

Which brings me to my own little problem that afternoon.

I Was Supposed to Order Coffee

Of course, I noticed the café.

And naturally, I thought I should have coffee.

I was actually supposed to order one, but the staff were extremely busy taking orders because there were already so many people arriving.

Since I wanted to go back down to the ground floor and meet some friends, I decided not to order anymore.

So, I didn’t get my coffee.

Maybe next time.

But I have a feeling that the café will become an important part of the Offcourt experience.

Not everyone who comes here will necessarily be playing every time.

Some will come to watch.

Some will accompany friends.

Some will meet people.

And some, like me, might simply want coffee.

The Pickleball Community Is Huge

Looking around the venue, I couldn’t help but notice how many people had already gathered.

It made me realize just how big the pickleball community has become.

And perhaps that is one reason why this sport is so interesting today.

People are becoming more conscious about health.

They want to exercise.

They want to stay active.

But many people also want something beyond exercise.

They want to socialize.

They want to meet people.

They want to have fun.

And they want to belong somewhere.

Pickleball seems to bring many of those things together.

Perhaps that is why someone can arrive thinking, I’ll just play for an hour, and end up spending much longer at the venue.

From Launching to Social Gathering [ Offcourt Pickleball Bacolod ]

As more guests arrived, we started socializing and taking pictures.

That is one thing I enjoy about events in Bacolod.

You may come for a particular occasion, but before you know it, you’re already catching up with friends and meeting people you haven’t seen for a while.

There were also several city officials present.

Among them were Bacolod City Vice Mayor Claudio Jesus “Kalaw” Puentevella, Councilor Jason Villarosa and Councilor Em Legaspi Ang.

Bacolod City Tourism Officer Tere Manalili was also there.

After a while, Dani Dingcong arrived and hosted the short program.

By then, the venue was getting busier.

The courts were surrounded by people, conversations were happening everywhere, and cameras and mobile phones were out as guests documented the occasion.

It felt less like simply attending the opening of a sports facility and more like witnessing the beginning of a new social gathering place.

Offcourt Pickleball Bacolod: Serve. Play. Connect.

The official theme of the launch was:

SERVE. PLAY. CONNECT.

After spending some time inside the facility, I thought the theme was quite fitting.

Offcourt isn’t presenting pickleball simply as a sport.

The launch was designed to introduce the experience to both people who already play and those who are curious about trying it.

The program included Pickleball 101, opportunities for beginners to try the sport, fun matches, challenges and an Influencer Pickleball Challenge.

There were also opportunities for guests, influencers and media to take photographs and create content.

In other words, the launch wasn’t designed simply for people to sit and watch.

It was designed to let people experience the place.

And perhaps that’s exactly what you need when you’re introducing a sport to someone like me.

Don’t tell me too much about it.

Let me see it.

Let me experience the atmosphere.

Let me become curious.

The Formal Opening [ Offcourt Pickleball Bacolod ]

The ceremonial ribbon-cutting followed, together with the blessing of the facility.

Watching the ceremony, I couldn’t help but think about how different the place must have looked before.

A warehouse had been transformed into a sports facility with a completely different purpose and atmosphere.

And now, officially, it was becoming a new home for pickleball in Bacolod.

Vice Mayor Kalaw also delivered a short speech before the program continued.

I won’t pretend to remember every word of the speeches because, honestly, I was also busy taking everything in.

For me, the more interesting story was happening around the formal program.

It was happening among the people.

Offcourt Pickleball Bacolod Opens | Why I’m Suddenly Curious

The People Are What Make a Place [ Offcourt Pickleball Bacolod ]

There were players dressed and ready for the courts.

There were friends meeting one another.

There were guests exploring the facility.

There were people taking photographs.

And there were those simply enjoying the occasion.

That human interaction was perhaps what caught my attention most.

A sports facility can have beautiful courts and impressive amenities, but eventually, it is the people who give it character.

Looking around Offcourt, I could already see the possibility of that happening.

People will come to play.

They will bring friends.

They will meet new people.

They will probably stay longer than they originally planned.

And eventually, Offcourt could become one of those places where people simply say:

“See you at Offcourt.”

More Than Just Pickleball

I think this is what makes the concept interesting.

Offcourt isn’t only about pickleball.

It is also about the lifestyle that can develop around the sport.

There is the café.

There is the bar.

There is the space to socialize.

And, of course, there are the courts where everything starts.

You can come for a game and end up staying for coffee.

You can come with friends and meet other people.

You can come because someone invited you to try pickleball and discover that you actually enjoy it.

And perhaps that is how a sports community grows.

Not through one big event, but through many small interactions that happen again and again.

From Curiosity to Excitement

And this is probably the most honest part of my story.

I still don’t play pickleball.

But when I first walked into Offcourt today, something changed.

Before today, pickleball was simply another sport I kept hearing about.

After seeing the people, the courts, the energy and the community surrounding it, I became genuinely curious.

I started wondering what it feels like to actually step onto the court.

Why do people keep coming back?

What makes them excited about the game?

Is it the exercise?

The competition?

The social interaction?

The friendships?

Or maybe it is the combination of everything.

I don’t know yet.

But now, I want to find out.

Why Offcourt Pickleball Bacolod Feels Different

What struck me about Offcourt was that the facility doesn’t appear to be designed solely around playing a game and then leaving.

The café encourages people to stay.

The mezzanine gives people a place to watch and socialize.

The bar adds another element to the experience.

The spacious facility provides room not only for players but for an entire community to gather.

And this is consistent with the larger concept presented during the launch: Offcourt wants to bring together players, sports and fitness enthusiasts, lifestyle communities, business and corporate representatives, community leaders, partners, influencers, media and even first-time players.

That is a much bigger proposition than simply renting out a court.

It is about creating a place where people can serve, play and connect.

A Launch Designed to Be Experienced [ Offcourt Pickleball Bacolod ]

The launch itself reflected that idea.

There was the formal opening.

There was the ceremonial First Serve.

There was Pickleball 101.

There were opportunities for beginners to try the sport.

There were fun matches and challenges.

There was an Influencer Pickleball Challenge.

There were photo and content opportunities.

There were games, networking and community activities.

The whole concept was clearly built around participation.

And I think that is important.

Because if pickleball is going to continue growing, people who are curious about it need an easy way to cross that invisible line between:

“I’ve heard about pickleball.”

and

“Let me try it.”

A New Sports and Lifestyle Space in Bacolod

Offcourt Pickleball Bacolod also arrives at an interesting time.

The sport is growing nationally, and the Philippine Pickleball Federation’s current figures show how quickly the community has expanded. Its directory now lists hundreds of clubs and venues across the country.

So Bacolod’s new facility is not opening in isolation.

It is becoming part of a much larger movement.

And perhaps that is why the atmosphere at the launch felt so energetic.

People weren’t simply celebrating another business opening.

Many were celebrating a sport and community that they are already passionate about.

For people like me who are still on the outside looking in, places like Offcourt could be the invitation.

My First Impression [ Offcourt Pickleball Bacolod ]

I went to Offcourt this afternoon to attend a launching.

But instead of simply watching a ribbon-cutting ceremony, I found myself exploring the facility, checking out the mezzanine, looking at the courts, meeting friends, taking photographs and observing the people who were already excited about this new place.

I didn’t get my coffee.

I didn’t play pickleball.

But I got curious.

And sometimes, that is how a new experience begins.

You don’t necessarily have to be an athlete.

You don’t have to be competitive.

You don’t even have to know how to play.

Sometimes, you simply need to walk into a place and think:

“Maybe I should try this.”

That was my feeling today.

Offcourt has the potential to be more than just another sports facility.

It could become a meeting place.