PPA Tour Australia Pop-Up Pickleball Tour Recap: Beenleigh to Ballina

What a whirlwind! Yesterday, the PPA Australia Pop-Up Pickleball Tour went full throttle, and I couldn’t have asked for a better day on the road. We kicked things off at 5:20am, coffee in hand, with my trusty sidekicks—Sange Carter, Commissioner of PPA Australia & MLP Australia (and designated chauffeur!) and Ke'ale Dorries, Head of Marketing & PR (and official camera wrangler). A light sprinkle of rain tried to join the party, but we politely shooed it away, and off we went to our first stop: Beenleigh.

Stop #1: Beenleigh
We arrived to three courts packed with eager participants, and I was greeted by Nay with a running bear hug—best way to start the day! After a dynamic warm-up (apparently, I was much nicer on them than Nay usually is 😄), we got straight into the good stuff: dinks, drops, drives, blocks, and counters. Match play at the end showcased their newly sharpened skills, and just like that, an hour flew by. We left buzzing and ready for the next stop.

Stop #2: KDV Sport, Carrara
After a delicious breakfast at the KDV café (highly recommend, by the way), we hit the courts again. This was a more intimate session, which meant we could offer loads of one-on-one feedback. One player even made a last-minute trip from Currumbin after it sold out—smart thinking! We focused heavily on volleys, building confidence in blocks, counters, and topspin rolls. By the end, they were ripping off-the-bounce attacks like pros!

Stop #3: Currumbin
As we drove through more rain, we arrived at soaked courts—devastating! But we checked BOM, crossed our fingers, and started drying courts anyway. Despite the downpour, we found out the group had already played in the Masters that morning and ducked off for a cheeky cuppa during the rain break before returning for our session. Just as we thought we’d be doing a Q&A under cover, the clouds cleared and cheers erupted!

We got to work with hand-eye calibration drills, chest-to-chest volleys, and lightning-fast counters. The energy from this crew was incredible—especially after already playing all morning! Some killer roll dinks and match play brought it all together before we refueled with goodies from Fuel Bakehouse and cranked up the carpool karaoke for the drive south.

Stop #4: Byron Bay
Sunny skies greeted us at Byron—finally! This was our first time running a session at the new outdoor netball courts, now decked out with permanent pickleball lines. The group was already warmed up, so we jumped straight in. We covered how to block effectively, disarm bangers, and apply pressure with pace, spin, and angles on third-shot drives. Loved how open they were to new tactics! Many are keen for the PPA Tweed event, so we’ll be seeing some of these legends again soon.

Stop #5: Northern Rivers Pickleball Club, Ballina Indoor
Our first indoor stop of the day! We were met with a massive group and filled eight courts with non-stop action. Sange and I had to recalibrate to indoor conditions, while Ke'ale’s camera overheated from taking so many photos (and having too much fun)! We dialed in rolling volleys and applied serious pressure at the kitchen line. Sange got creative, telling people to imagine tossing their paddles through the air for a backhand flick—making it very clear not to actually do it! We had a great laugh and left proudly sporting some new Northern Rivers Pickleball Club bucket hats. Legends!

Stop #6: Murwillumbah
Our final stop and what a way to finish! The crew was already on court, raring to go. We promised no dinking—just firepower. They were shocked… but they loved it! We turned them into brick walls, absorbing pace and delicately dipping balls into the kitchen. We worked on spotting opportunities to do more than just block, using angles even when out of position. Two absolute beginners showed up and left the session as full-blown pickleball addicts. Fierce match play wrapped it all up—hearing them say "brush" and "get low" to themselves made my coach's heart swell.

Coaching isn’t about us being courtside forever—it’s about helping you coach yourself. Those little voices in your head? That’s us.

What’s Next?
This pop-up tour was such a resounding success—we're already getting requests for more. We arrived and left each stop in a whirlwind (I didn’t even have time to unpack my Gripstar Sock collection)! Quick side note: People often ask how I protect my feet with all this travel and court time. Gripstar Socks are my secret weapon—cushioned, non-slip, and they stop your feet sliding around in your shoes (aka no blisters). Hit me up if you want to try a pair!

Join the Action!
The goal of these tours is simple: meet clubs, share tips and tricks, and encourage players to jump into tournaments like the PPA Australia Tweed Heads Pickleball Cup in a few weeks. It’s not just for the pros—there are categories for Juniors, Opens, 50+, 60+, and ratings from 3.0 all the way up to Pro! We’ve also got clinics and play-with-the-pro sessions happening on Wednesday, 2nd April. Head to the PPA Australia website or Insta for details.

Thanks again to everyone who joined us on court—you made this tour one to remember. We can’t wait to see you all again soon!

See you on the courts,

Sarah Burr
Professional Pickleball Player | PPA Australia Ambassador