Smashing Pickle is set to open inside Elk Grove entertainment center The Alley
The Alley, a sports and entertainment center in Elk Grove, will incorporate an indoor pickleball court into their facility that already includes activities such as axe throwing, billiards, an arcade, a restaurant and beer garden, and a playground area for kids.
The Elk Grove activity center occupies a 75,000-square-foot space located at 3443 Laguna Blvd., which first opened in 2009 with a mission to be a premier family destination for the suburban city and neighboring areas.
The Alley representatives told The Sacramento Bee in an email that four indoor regulation-sized pickleball courts will be operated by the Smashing Pickle and two additional outdoor courts are in development.
The facility’s newest addition is expected to be ready in August, according to The Alley.
“We’re excited to announce that the Smashing Pickle, Elk Grove’s newest indoor pickleball club, is scheduled to open in early August,” a spokesperson for The Alley said. “Our facility is located within the Elk Grove Sports Center at 3443 Laguna Blvd and spans approximately 12,500 square feet.”
A monthly membership fee of $99 includes unlimited play. However, memberships are limited to 250 people, an Alley spokesperson said. Yearly memberships are $990.
Pickleball players can still participate in drop-in sessions for $20, during certain times.
Operations manager Leigh Dias said, “We are really excited to create a fun, community-feel environment.”
Dias added that food and beverage options will be provided by The Alley, which is just on the other side of the wall inside the facility.
“This concept has been in the works for over a year. We’ve always loved sports, played plenty of them but pickleball stands out,” Dias said. “It’s accessible, competitive, and brings people together in a way that’s hard to match.”
The facility also plans to offer recreational and competitive leagues, tournaments and tutorial clinics.
Court reservations and event registrations will be managed through their CourtReserve platform, according to a representative of the Smashing Pickle.
“The Smashing Pickle will operate primarily as a member-based club, with very limited availability for walk-ins,” Dias said. “That’s intentional. It allows us to preserve court availability, maintain a high-quality experience, and ensure that every member feels like part of something special.”
Over the last decade, pickleball has grown as a recreational sport. The Sacramento region has seen more facilities and courts emerge, welcoming the sport and its athletes whether recreational or competitive.
Multiple pickleball courts have been announced or opened within the last five months including pickleball courts at the renewed luxury fitness center Lifetime Arden, Rancho Cordova’s indoor pickleball facility The Picklr and Elk Grove’s soon-to-open CORE Recreation Center that includes two full gyms with courts for basketball, volleyball, and pickleball.
“From the beginning, we envisioned a space that felt more like a community than a complex,” Dias said. “Not the biggest venue, but intentionally designed to be boutique, vibrant, and personal, more like walking into your best friend’s house than a massive facility.”
The Smashing Pickle is expected to open in early August. The facility will open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
