Today we’d like to introduce you to Tim Klitch
Hi Tim, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My dad made it out of Appalachia as the son of a steel plant night watchman thanks to sports. After leaving Portsmouth, OH to attend Miami University on a basketball and tennis scholarship, my dad had a 50-year career as a tennis pro. I grew up working in his tennis clubs until I was 22. It is amazing that after 35 years in the banking industry, I have now taken on the role of developing and running pickleball clubs, which reminds me of the early days of the indoor tennis industry in the 1960-70’s.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
After being introduced to the sport of pickleball by Steve Kuhn (the founder of Major League Pickleball, Dreamland and the DUPR rating system) in 2019, I purchased 13 acres of land and started trying to develop the original vision of the Austin Pickle Ranch in SE Travis County. After 3+ years of frustration in trying to develop the Ranch, our team found other location options to rent and operate. We opened our Braker Lane location in May of 2024 which consists of 16 indoor courts with state-of-the-art soundproof installation for a better playing experience for our members. All of our challenges led us to build this amazing facility that fosters a strong sense of community and brings accessible pickleball to more Austinites.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Austin Pickle Ranch?
My title is Chief Fun Officer of Austin Pickle Ranch. While I was an extremely competitive D1 and pro tennis player (briefly), my role is to identify and operate locations suitable for pickleball play, and bring these spaces to life for the enjoyment and health of our players- many of whom are coming back to sports for the first time in their adult life. Our first location was a dormant rooftop parking garage on the edge of downtown. Our second location was a vacant warehouse that had only been used briefly since Golfsmith ceased operations in 2017. We have done an excellent job building spaces where our members and guests love to play, have fun, exercise, and socialize with new and old friends.
Any big plans?
Our goal is to build out a city-wide network of pickleball venues so that we can contribute to improving people’s physical and mental health. We want to be known as a provider of high quality, fun, and accessible (both physically and financially) facilities that welcome players of all skill levels.
Pricing:
- Open Play pricing: $20-$40 an hour per court
- Wrangler Membership: $99/month
- Trailboss Membership: $149/month
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.austinpickleranch.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/austinpickleranch/?hl=en
Image Credits
All photo credits to Angela Wang
