Thinking about playing your first pickleball tournament but not sure if you’re ready?
The stars aligned for the Bros, when they competed at the PicklePlay Dingley Inaugural Amateur Tournament on December 20, 2025. Local players came out of the woodwork and descended on the 10 court megaplex and spoiler alert, it was a lot of fun.
The Bros are here to share our experience from the day, the Highs, the lows, but more importantly, to explain why playing local pickleball tournaments is one of the best ways to level up your game.
Let’s kick it in.
Key Takeaways:
- Local tournaments are the easiest way to get started: Simple sign-up, low pressure, and no rankings needed. There is no excuse NOT to play a Tournament.
- A great venue elevates the whole experience: Purpose-built courts, good lighting, and space to play make tournaments more enjoyable and fair.
- Match play exposes your game fast: Consistency, shot selection, and focus matter when every point counts. Playing Tournaments will motivate you to level up your game.
The PicklePlay Dingley Inaugural Amateur Tournament
The Bros recently visited PicklePlay Dingley on their opening free-play weekend just 6 weeks ago. And it’s crazy that they put together such a well-organised tournament so quickly. It was an “Amateur” tournament but it was run like a Pro event. It was impressive and the event itself, from start to finish was awesome.
There was a beginner and Intermediate round robin competition, with 4 rounds per team.
With so many courts available, it was easy to play and move around the place. The event flowed seamlessly from game to game, it was a friendly environment and the venue was pumping. There was an energetic vibe in the place, it was cool and the Bros did enjoy just hanging out and chatting inbetween games.
Let’s take a look at a few of the tournament details.
The PicklePlay Venue:
The 10 PicklePlay Courts are purpose built, spaced out and visually appealing. The high contrast floors, clear lines and pale walls makes it easy for player visibility. And the high roofs are perfect for those big daddy lobs.
Lets not forget the players lounge, an inviting array of chairs for relaxing in between games. And the complementary sausage sizzle was a bonus for players that needed a recharge. The venue has a perfect set up for a tournament and was fully utilised on the day.
If you are planning to Visit PicklePlay Dingley, you can view the venue on Google Maps.
Or check out the PicklePlay Website.
The Tournament Format
The format was a 4 match round robin, using the rally scoring system. Points are won on every serve and first to 21 wins. The games were super fast and intense for this reason, every shot mattered. This format kept the games running fast and was pretty fun.
The Tournament Players
All of the matches seemed to be in a competitive spirit, but the participants were also there to have a good time. This gave the the environment a friendly, open feel throughout the day.
The Bros played various mixed teams, and their skill levels were on par with our own. This kept the matches pretty evenly matched and enjoyable. Only one team rolled up with super skills and we were decimated. But otherwise, the Bros played some really great, competitive teams that were evenly matched.
The Bros Results
The Bros went in with a realistic goal to win 1 match, and they achieved just that in a nail biter – winning 21-20. That final point was a highlight, with the opposing player taking a superman fly to try save the point.
Achievement Unlocked – The Bros were happy with that win. And with the PicklePlay Tournament, it was an amazing event. We would have liked to have played on, but didn’t progress to the next round. We cheered ourselves up with a sausage, BUT we did hang around a bit, had a few chats and a few laughs.
So let’s take a look at some other thoughts on local tournaments and what they mean for your pickleball game.
Why Local Pickleball Tournaments Are the Best Place to Start
The Bros have been playing pickleball for a few years now, and other than competing on a Pickleball Cruise ship, they never really bothered to play a tournament. Sure, we would attend tournaments, and watch people play like the Radiance Wealth Franskton Tournament for example, but we never actually played.
One reason was that we thought, “are we good enough to play in a tournament?”
And if we wanted to play, the tournaments were very official. To play you need to pay a membership and you need a DUPR Ranking. It doesn’t sound like much, but that barrier of entry seemed high just to have a go.
What we love about the Pickeplay Torunament was it was simple to get started.
Sign up, roll in and play on the Day.
When it is that easy, why Wouldn’t you play a tournament? And that simplicity is what we need to get Pickleball players to take that first step, which is usually the hardest. And they may go on and play more official tournaments.
A lot of clubs and other courts have similar tournaments, but not at this scale with 80+ players competing. But local tournaments like this are 100% the best way to get started playing tournaments.
5 Reasons Your First Pickleball Tournament Improves Your Game
The Bros were in a contemplative mood after their final loss, while sitting by the PicklePlay Sausage sizzle, chomping on a snag. It all became very clear, on why the Bros (and any player) should play a local pickleball tournament.
Sure, everyone competes to win. But for most players, tournaments are also about learning and improving. For the Bros, this first tournament exposed how much the basics matter – and how much there is still to work on. For example:
1. Shot Consistency matters Immediately
When every point counts, unforced errors will kill your game. Our shot consistency sucked on the day so we gave away so many easy points.
2. Shot Selection – simple is better
Fancy angles and glory shots usually result in a lost point using the rally scoring system. Keep it simple and consistent on the day.
3. Mental Pressure – Can you deliver when it matters?
The Bros experienced some high pressure moments throughout their games. Pressure we don’t experience when we play with a pint in hand… hiccup.
4. Mental Side of Playing is tested over time
In a tournament, playing, stopping, waiting, playing again…. It can be difficult to turn it on and off over a few hours. And quite a few people had a terrible game 4, was that mental fatigue? Maybe.
5. The Ultimate Take-Away
Ultimately, the key takeaway was “we need to play more often to improve our game”. The Bros were never good at math, but we did do the sums on this one.
Less Unforced Errors + More Match Experience = A Better Pickleball Player.
And to be honest, playing the tournament, having fun and seeing how much room for improvement there is, has pumped us up to play more and to build consistency in our game.
It was a great lesson, and the Bros say “Challenge Accepted”, to leveling up our game in 2026.
The Tennis Bro Angle
Let’s bring in Josh, our tennis expert with his thoughts on his first pickleball tournament experience.
One of the main challenges was staying focused from the very beginning. Matches start and finish quickly, and it doesn’t take much to find yourself in a hole very quickly if you’re not fully switched on.
I enjoy that intensity, but it’s very different from sports that play out over longer timeframes. There’s very little time to settle in. Between matches, it becomes a fine art of relaxing without switching off completely, staying warm, and being ready to re-enter that competitive headspace.
And coming from a tennis background, there are still a couple of pickleball conventions I’m adjusting to. One is the idea of warming up with your partner at the same time as your opponents, all on the same court. The other is the habit of tapping the pointy end of bats together after matches. I’m happy to shake hands or tap bats, but I don’t understand why people aim for the narrow end
Some fair comments there, thanks Josh. And the pointy end paddle tapping is an interesting one…. Any thoughts, leave a comment and let us know what the deal is on that one.
Final Wrap: Why You Should Play Your First Pickleball Tournament
The Bros had an awesome time playing at the Inaugural PicklePlay Tournament in Dingley. It proved to be the perfect venue and environment to get pickleballers engaged with sweet courts, great people and plenty of fun along the way. We loved meeting new players, hanging around between games, and chilling at the venue. If you haven’t checked out PicklePlay in Dingley, you should. We love the place!
The response on the day has been overwhelmingly positive. Players were already crying out for the next tournament, so it was a huge success. We’re looking forward to the next tournament Warren and the PicklePlay team put on. And the Bros encourage more players to get involved and have a go when they do.
The simple truth is, you don’t need to be “ready” to play your first pickleball tournament. You just need to start. And we can guarantee, once you do, your motivation to play more, improve your skills and level up your game will kick into a higher gear.
That’s why we say, Find a local tournament, sign up, and give it a go – and tell them the Bros sent you.
Pickle On.
The Aussie Pickleball Bros.