Sally and Paul founded Tres Palapas Baja Pickleball Resort ten years ago. Today, Tres Palapas is the cornerstone of pickleball in Mexico and also the number one global destination for the sport.

Since its opening, the resort has focused on promoting pickleball and has hosted numerous international junior tournaments. Throughout their years of operation, Tres Palapas has welcomed over half a million paying guests so far. The story of their dedication to the sport continues with DUPR.

How did you first get into pickleball?

"Twelve years ago I agreed to go for lessons and brought Sally with me. I personally learned pickleball by holding a paddle in my right hand and wearing flip-flops. After that two-hour lesson on bringing up stuff like ‘the kitchen’ and ‘the dink’, we were thinking ‘what is this?’ That same night we ran to San Jose and bought running shoes,” said Paul.

Why did you decide to get so involved with pickleball and combine it with your resort?

“We saw a need for a facility and we loved the game. Like I said, one of the reasons that made Tres Palapas what it has become is that we came from having no racquet experience of any kind and we built a place that we wanted to be at,” said Paul.

What is unique about Tres Palapas?

“We are different because we put pickleball first. We were built all around pickleball and it wasn't until this year that we actually opened rooms. There is so much more that you can have other than people coming to fill rooms. Other facilities are missing a huge part of the business. They are missing what you can bring to the community. Establishing a facility like Tres Palapas, has really refined how to be viable,” said Sally.

How important is the DUPR rating to you and your players?

“DUPR is getting very good recognition in the pickleball world. Now players are telling us, 'Here’s my DUPR,' and we get questioned if we use DUPR for registrations for our tournaments. Other than that, it's a huge motivator for the individuals who come in the door, and at the end of the day, it's great for the club because people have a greater investment in pickleball. Our players go from participating in events and clinics to becoming a greater part of the community,” said Paul.

How has the integration of the DUPR rating system contributed to the growth and development of players within your club?

"All that DUPR needs to know is the scores at the end of the game and who you were playing against. So being a resort, we've got our locals here, expats, as well as a lot of tourism. As an overall, we get a lot of different people coming in. It gives us a base to give people good quality play, especially for our round robins, our ladders, and leagues,” said Paul.

How has the pickleball space evolved since you started Tres Palapas?

“The first international junior tournament, which at the time was the largest junior tournament ever held, took place here at Tres Palapas in 2018. Some of the kids that were in that tournament are now running their own facilities in Mexico. DUPR makes their jobs easier and more possible. It gives them a solid foundation of something that's reliable. San Jose, our little tiny airport here, receives 7 million visitors from the United States alone every year, and a lot of them play pickleball. They need places to play and DUPR is helping out,” said Sally.

How do you think DUPR will help Mexico when it comes to the growth of the sport?

“The pickleball boom is on in Mexico. We're almost ten years into this now. We've had half a million paid entries through the gates. We have spawned so much pickleball in Mexico, and it's just at this point where it's starting to take off. You know, for us, we're the cornerstone in Mexico. Everybody still looks to us as to how they build their future. So hey, the next pickleball boom is right here. Mexico is it!” said Sally.

DUPR has teamed up with Tres Palapas to offer a fantastic 4 days - 3 nights giveaway on our Instagram page! To enter the giveaway, visit the post.

To learn more about Tres Palapas Baja Pickleball Resort, visit their website at: trespalapasbaja.com

Watch the full interview on our YouTube channel.