Short Court brings unique style, a ‘touch of whimsy’ to pickleball

There are now millions of pickleball addicts in the USA, including award-winning director and screenwriter Sofia Coppola, the daughter of legendary filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola. (But she has also highlighted a surprising problem with the sport that the elevated pickleball company Short Court is looking to solve — and no, it’s not the noise.)

A recent New Yorker article revealed that Coppola insisted on having a pickleball court installed on the set of her newest movie and even participated in a tournament during filming with her crew — which her team, the Smashers, won.

Her only issue with the game that everyone, including her, now loves so much? “Pickleball paddles are so ugly,” she told The New Yorker, before adding, “Maybe I’ll design my own line of them.”

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Neil Thomson, co-founder of the retro-cool pickleball apparel, equipment and events company Short Court couldn’t agree with Ms. Coppola more.

When I ask him why he decided to start a company that crafts performance pickleball gear with the highly curated aesthetic appeal of a Wes Anderson film, he tells me: “Just before Covid, I experienced a couple of light-bulb moments that led to us launching Short Court …

One was that I ended up sitting on a plane to Palm Springs next to a pickleball touring pro, who was outfitted in loud colours and cheap fabrics. He was a nice enough guy, but it was clear to me that pickleball could be expressed to a lot of different people in a lot of different ways.”

“Another light-bulb moment was when my wife and I were down at the Lyford Cay Club in the Bahamas where they require all whites on their tennis courts. I found myself reaching for my white golf polos and realized many tennis huts were lacking in classic, heritage-inspired court apparel and gear,” he adds.

Taking it cross court

Neil further explains that despite growing up in a small rural town in Virginia, his family was “fortunate enough to live on a street where one neighbour had a great clay tennis court and another neighbor had a hard tennis court.”

He fondly recalls his time spent on those two very different playing surfaces, saying: “I would battle my brothers and dad on these courts throughout my childhood. Along with golf, racket sports have been a passion of mine throughout my life.”

Explaining his nearly decade-long connection to pickleball, he continues: “Fast forward to 2015, I was introduced to pickleball on friends’ chalked driveways in northern Michigan, where we go each summer. It was wooden paddles, portable nets, and a beer in one hand. Back then, we were not sure how to keep score and didn’t know some of the finer rules but we all absolutely fell in love with the game.”

After initially conceiving the idea for Short Court, Neil approached another racket-sports-obsessed friend, Ned Johnson, who also happens to be his doubles tennis partner.

Ned tells me: “When Neil went over the concept, I was 100% ALL IN. Neil and I are both racket-sports history nuts, and Short Court is an extension of our passions and the excitement of being on the frontier of the ‘Racket Sports 2.0 Revolution’ (pickle, padel, pop, etc.). I think the name is just a perfect encapsulation of this movement, too.”

Wimbledon — with a wink

Of course, with pickleball exploding in the U.S. like it did after the pandemic, there were an endless number of ways Short Court could have approached this booming new market. But, much like with their branding, they chose to be ultra-selective in what they ultimately offered up.

Neil tells me: “Short Court is intentional on providing an elevated aesthetic to our demographic, with an emphasis on tennis whites and our boxwood and mint greens. We draw inspiration from Fred Perry, Sergio Tacchini, Ellesse, Lacoste, and Le Coq Sportif. High-quality pique fabrics, and high-performing, tournament-sanctioned paddles, but all styled with a touch of whimsy.”

He adds: “Across the United States and now even abroad, we are seeing old-line, iconic clubs breaking ground with pickleball and padel courts as a new amenity. So, we felt it was only natural for us to cater to and outfit the private club and resort set.

“We love to feature the clubs’ logos and colorways on the face of our bespoke paddles through our ShortCourtCustom™ program. Giving full respect and deference to the All-England Club, sometimes we like to say we are ‘Wimbledon with a wink!’”

The list of clubs and resorts around the world they have already partnered with is impressive to say the least, and includes everything from bucket-list golf destinations like Kiawah (U.S.) and Kauri Cliffs (New Zealand) to legendary resorts like the Breakers, High Hampton and Sea Island in the U.S. or The Dunmore in the Bahamas, to storied American country clubs like the Daniel Island Club, Piedmont Driving Club, and St. Louis Country Club.

(Just outside) London calling

As reported right here in Pickleball52 last September, Short Court has even partnered with Beaverbrook in Surrey, which was the first hotel in England to build pickleball courts for their guests. As part of the grand opening, England’s own six-time Major semi-finalist Tim Henman took to the court to play with U.K. women’s number one pickleball player Thaddea Lock.

Of the partnership with Beaverbrook, Neil tells me: “Soon after launching Short Court, I was fortunate enough to be introduced to Joel Cadbury through a mutual friend in the golf and hospitality circuit. Joel is a visionary and has a passion for delivering pickleball in a meaningful way not just at Beaverbrook, but throughout the U.K.

“He saw the brand alignment and commitment to quality that Short Court prides itself on. When Joel asked if we could produce Beaverbrook custom paddles with their iconic Spitfire logo, we jumped at the opportunity. It was amazing to see British tennis icon Tim Henman involved in the pickleball court dedication. We aim to earn their trust and service their rackets program in a variety of ways moving forward.”

Drawing from — and hoping to add to — the great British tradition

When I ask Neil about Short Court’s desire to develop more relationships across the pond in the U.K., he says: “I love the traditional sporting ideals in the U.K. From lawn tennis at Wimbledon and Queen’s Club, to cricket, to the Open Championship, to the Royal Ascot. Amazing! These iconic venues, these long-standing tournaments, and their aesthetic, serve as great inspiration for Short Court.”

He quickly adds: “I have been fortunate enough to have played a lot of iconic links golf in England, Scotland and Ireland over the years. In fact, this May, I am travelling with a group to Yorkshire for a tournament to experience heathland golf and some amazing Alister MacKenzie designed courses. We have 16 Americans playing versus 16 Brits in a proper ‘War on the Moor!’”

Neil’s respect — and love of — Britain’s storied sports culture is obvious. And you can sense his excitement when he says: “We are keen on Short Court introducing pickleball — and eventually padel — across the U.K. to the upscale, discerning customer.

“We know that the U.K. traditionally has a bit of a different model as compared to American style ‘country clubs’ and amenity-driven resorts. That said, we are seeking to identify the appropriate boutiques and retail shops at the wholesale level — in addition to the growing number of high-end resorts, hotels, and country estate operators we partner with.

“We often consult and guide new customers and hotel groups through successful tournament options and activations, and the ShortCourtCustom™ paddles are a great way to introduce the participants to the sport, often in a ribbon-cutting type event when the courts are first opened for play.”

The conversation wraps up with Neil simply and proudly telling me: “Short Court is excited to service British residents and tourists alike with pickleball and padel products in an elevated way!”

Between now and May 31, Pickleball52 readers are invited to use promo code “PB52” for 25% off any Short Court order of $100+.

Or if you’re interested in custom paddles for your business, club, or resort, simply send them an email and mention “PB52” to take advantage of special discount pricing terms.

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