- January 14, 2026
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Del Webb of Lakewood Ranch’s Mike Mulwani competed in his first competitive pickleball match as a member of the Lakewood Ranch Pickleball Club in February 2023 through the Lakewood Ranch Pickleball Club.
He went into that match with confidence.
He had been playing with his friend Greg Pogue and the two of them were regular players in their own community, which was like playing "in a bubble" he said.
They felt their game was pretty intense and strong.
Then they played Lakewood Ranch Pickleball Club members Chris Brazzano and Charles Sun. He said they were previously “in a bubble” competing in their own community and believed their game to be intense and strong.
“We were used to hitting the ball hard and without purpose and not really dealing with the consequences,” Mulwani said. “In this first taste of competitive play, the ball came back harder and with purpose. The more we pressed, the more we fell deeper into a hole.”
Mulwani and Pogue lost badly.
However, Mulwani said the match gave him the motivation to get better.
Besides strengthening his pickleball skills in his new club, Mulwani said he formed new friendships. He appreciates pickleball more now, he said, along with the camaraderie and exercise.
The club was founded by Bob Haskin in 2018 with 40 people on the roster. There are now 2,300 members who pay the $15 membership costs for the year to compete.
On the first Saturday of every month, Haskin runs a free beginner’s clinic at 8:30 a.m. at the Lakewood Ranch High School courts. Haskin said these sessions are to provide information on rules and scoring as well as teaching fundamentals.
“I think Bob and his team provide us a forum that rekindles my youth,” Mulwani said. “I used to play (other sports like basketball and football) competitively. It's not just about being social in pickleball. There's an element of socialization and competitiveness.”
Terry Adelman and Bill Weihs are the Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating coordinators for the club.
"I love helping more people enjoy the game and to help coordinate the league to create a fun, fair and competitive setup," Adelman said.
The system rates players from 2.0 to 8.0 based on skill, results of matches and more. According to Haskin, Lakewood Ranch Pickleball Club ranks 23rd in the country with 500 DUPR club members.
“Six tends to be a little more social and it's not quite as competitive,” Weihs said. “You get up to the eight level and you have to play with the same partner, or else you're going to get your (butt) handed to you.”
“If you put a prize in front of somebody, no matter what the prize is, the competitiveness comes out,” Haskin said.
The club is made up of several different teams and leagues from varying communities in the Lakewood Ranch area. Competition rotates through different courts and communities.
Weihs said the biggest hurdle to get over is starting a team in a community where one does not exist. He said players often believe that are not prepared to compete.
But once they have players from a community join the club, he said it snowballs.
"It’s a fear of missing out," he said. "People are like, 'That sounds like fun.’”
Each team needs at least eight players, but Weihs recommends 10 due to the potential of injury, illness, being away for travel and more. Weihs said he is always “wrestling” people into becoming captains of various teams, especially Lake House Cove where he lives.
“We measure Lakewood Ranch Pickleball club success not in the wins and losses, but in how people stick around after the match, socialize and meet new friends in new communities,” Weihs said.
Haskin said an important aspect of playing pickleball, especially in Florida, is safety. With the weather, dehydration can be a dangerous issue. On top of that, the average age of members in the club is 60 and it’s made up mostly of retirees, which means there is a greater chance of falling or injury.
"Our club strives to be the best in southwest Florida by fostering league play that’s fun, fair and welcoming to all skill levels," Haskin said. "I always have strived to assist beginners in learning the game and provide them with playing opportunities. The growth and popularity of pickleball lies with the social connections players make while doing a healthy activity, feeding our competitive nature."
