We Flew to Florida and Accidentally Started a Company

The trip started with excitement. A pickleball tournament, some sunshine, a chance to compete, and a weekend built around the sport we love.

It ended with frustration.

The tournament was one of the worst-run events we had ever experienced. After more than eight hours, the tournament still wasn’t finished. We had a flight to catch and had to leave before it was over.

As we sat on the plane heading back to Massachusetts, one question kept coming up:

“How could we have known?”

The answer was simple.

We couldn’t.

There was no dedicated place where players could review pickleball tournaments. No central resource to learn whether an event was well-organized, running on time, worth traveling for, or worth skipping. The same was true for pickleball clubs and facilities.

For a sport growing this quickly, that felt like a pretty big gap.

Somewhere between Florida and Boston, the idea for DinkDish was born.

Why DinkDish Exists

At its core, DinkDish is built on a simple belief:

Players deserve better information.

If you’re going to spend your money, burn vacation days, book hotels, buy tournament entries, and travel across the country to compete, you should have some idea of what you’re signing up for.

Our mission is not to tear down tournaments or criticize clubs.

It’s the opposite.

We want to celebrate great tournaments, spotlight exceptional facilities, and help players find experiences they’ll genuinely enjoy.

At the same time, honest feedback creates accountability. Organizers who listen can improve. Facilities can learn what players value. The entire pickleball community benefits.

Call us optimistic, but we believe a rising tide raises all boats.

If DinkDish helps tournament directors create better events, helps facilities improve the player experience, and helps players make smarter decisions, then we’ve accomplished exactly what we set out to do.

Meet Steve

Steve is the pickleball addict responsible for getting this whole thing started.

He started playing pickleball in late 2022 and, like many players, quickly fell down the rabbit hole.

What started as a casual introduction became league play, tournaments, drilling sessions, strategy discussions, equipment testing, and an ongoing obsession with improving.

Today, Stephen is a 4.6-level player who plays several times each week, competes regularly in tournaments, and participates in a weekly ladder league.

Outside of pickleball, he’s also a competitive golfer who competes in state championships and national qualifiers, so let’s just say sitting still has never been a strength.

His experience competing in tournaments across different venues, organizations, and states helped shape the vision for DinkDish and reinforced the need for a player-focused review platform.

Meet Nina 

Nina was introduced to pickleball by Steve and quickly became immersed in the community surrounding the sport.

While she may not spend her free time analyzing third-shot drop percentages or debating paddle technology, she immediately understood something important about pickleball:

The people are what make it special.

Nina has attended countless tournaments, league events, and pickleball gatherings, including the Boca tournament that ultimately inspired DinkDish. She witnessed firsthand the difference between a great event and a frustrating one.

Professionally, Nina is a Senior Director at a Fortune 1000 company and a CPA. She combines strong operational discipline with an exceptional ability to connect with people. Whether she’s building relationships, organizing projects, or making sure details don’t fall through the cracks, she brings a perspective that perfectly complements DinkDish’s mission.

She’s also probably the reason this project stays organized.

 Where We’re Going

Today, DinkDish is focused on helping players review and rate pickleball tournaments and clubs.

Tomorrow?

We have plenty of ideas.

As pickleball continues to grow, we see opportunities to build tools, resources, and community features that help players make better decisions and get more enjoyment out of the game.

But no matter how much DinkDish evolves, our mission will remain the same:

Built by players. For players.

Join us

The best review platform in the world is only as good as the community behind it.

If you’ve played a tournament, visited a club, had an amazing experience, or suffered through one that felt like it was organized by a committee of caffeinated squirrels, we’d love to hear about it.

Leave a review.

Help other players make informed decisions.

Help tournament directors and facilities improve.

Help us make pickleball better.

One dink at a time.