In this episode of Kitchen Banter, we sit down with Arty and Mike from the Ocala Pickle Ball Club to talk all things local pickleball — from the early days of playing on taped-up tennis courts to the dedicated Cohajjo Park courts that helped grow the community into what it is today. We cover how the club works with the county, how tournaments are run (and the formats players love/hate), beginner and intermediate lessons, and how to get involved through events and membership. We also get into the future of pickleball in Ocala — including indoor facilities, court expansion plans, and why the social side of the sport is just as big as the competition. Plus… a wild (and hilarious) detour into nudist pickleball tournaments.

0:00 – Pickleball drama, bad calls, and setting the tone
0:29 – Meet Arty & Mike from the Ocala Pickle Ball Club
1:32 – How pickleball started at Cohajjo Park
2:46 – From tennis courts to dedicated pickleball courts
4:40 – What the Ocala Pickle Ball Club does for the community
8:16 – Lessons, beginners vs intermediates, and how to get involved
12:20 – Staying active as you age through pickleball
17:05 – Park pickleball vs indoor clubs (Dink Tank & Pickleball Kingdom)
26:10 – The wild story of nudist pickleball tournaments
39:30 – Tournaments, court expansion plans, and the future of Ocala pickleball

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#ocala #ocalaflorida #pickleball #mlp #pickleballpodcast #centralflorida #thedinktank #coehadjoe

In this episode of Kitchen Banter, Tony and Daniel sit down with Ganon “The Cannon,” Ocala’s newest left-handed pickleball standout, to talk about his journey from elite junior tennis in California to becoming a rising force on the local courts. Ganon shares how he and his wife ended up in Ocala, the grind of competitive tennis, what pulled him into pickleball, and how the Ocala community helped him find his place fast. They dive into doubles strategy (including the chaos of two lefties), tournament stories, Duper ratings, challenge courts, managing marriage with a heavy pickleball schedule, and how adults in their 30s actually make friends through the sport. If you love pickleball culture, strategy, tournaments, and real conversations about the lifestyle around the game, this is an episode you don’t want to miss.

In this episode of Kitchen Banter, Tony and Daniel break down a hilariously unpredictable pickleball week—from Daniel’s trip to the Fort Myers/Naples pickleball scene, where he ran into cliques, questionable line calls, and a $30 drop-in fee… to Tony’s rare week off the courts and his rusty but entertaining return. They dive into the unwritten rules of showing up at new facilities, the psychology of “level-0 to level-3 errors,” the struggle of staying consistent, and why pickleball still beats sitting at a bar any night of the week. If you love real stories, court drama, and authentic pickleball banter, this episode is for you.

0:00 – Intro: Drama, bad calls, and the kitchen’s hurt
1:05 – Tony’s texting habits get hilariously exposed
5:00 – Daniel’s Naples trip & first impressions of Ace Pickleball
7:45 – The cliquey “advanced court” that wouldn’t let him play
13:40 – The weirdest line-call moment Daniel has ever seen

👉 Just keep dinking, don't forget to like, share, and subscribe for more such real-life stories that spark change in the local pickleball scene.

#ocala #ocalaflorida #pickleball #mlp #pickleballpodcast #centralflorida #thedinktank #coehadjoe