Pickleball joins the lineup at Wonderground in downtown Spokane

The growing sport of pickleball has a new downtown Spokane outdoor venue.

Wonderground Golf Lounge & Liquor Bar, the multiuse golf simulator lounge and speakeasy-style bar tucked into the Wonder Building downtown at 835 N. Post St., has quietly opened a set of new outdoor pickleball courts. They’ve been operating in soft launch mode for the past two weeks, but a bigger debut is right around the corner.

“I definitely think pickleball is here to stay,” said Nico Salakar, general manager of Wonderground. “It’s great for people of all ages, all physical strengths, and it’s just a fun, relatable game right now.”

Pickleball became Washington’s official state sport in 2022, after Gov. Jay Inslee signed the bill into law on the Bainbridge Island court where the game was invented.

“If you go over to Seattle, they’ve got so many parks that have 20, 30 or more pickleball courts,” said Kyle Gaber, assistant general manager of Wonderground. “Hopefully this is the beginning of Spokane having a couple of those spots.”

Wonderground joins other new pickleball facilities in Spokane, including Pickleball on Broadway, 5210 E. Broadway Ave.; Power Pickleball Club, 2818 N. Sullivan Road; and the Press Pickleball Club, 1000 W. Sprague Ave., in The Spokesman-Review’s former press building. Several Spokane parks also have public outdoor pickleball courts.

Wonderground’s bar and golf lounge opened in January. In a matter of months, the venue has expanded to include pickleball and is aiming to become a full-fledged sports complex.

“With the addition of the golf space down here, we are really trying to thrive into more of a sports complex and not just a sports bar event center,” Salakar said. “Pickleball was the easiest next step.”

Wonderground’s courts are located in a previously vacant lot next to the Wonder Building and will officially launch in July with an all-day event featuring equipment demos from Selkirk Sport, and appearances from local partners like Dry Fly Distilling.

“Our big focus with the event in July is really letting people know, ‘Hey, you don’t have to stop at the court, you can come down here, play a round of golf, get an old-fashioned and get some food from Victory Burger,’” Salakar said. “You’re getting discounts that no one else is going to get.”

The courts operate on a self-serve model. Reservations can be made online, and players receive a door code by text before their time slot. Equipment rentals will be available, with plans to staff the courts for easier access during peak hours.

The long-term vision is to host clinics, tournaments and community nights.

“We’re starting to create relationships,” Salakar said. “Once we have this hard launch, and we have everything set up, we have a lot of tenants out there, and all the equipment we need, we’re going to be striving to do competitions and events and stuff all the time.”