Adam Kahn, who has operated Meadow Creek Tennis & Fitness Club in Lakewood since 2004, and Max Ireland, a longtime hospitality industry manager, got together to formulate the idea and identify a location in Wheat Ridge earlier this year. After that, Kahn began looking for other possible 3rd Shot locations and crossed paths with Oskar Blues founder Dale Katechis.
“Dale had become an avid pickleball player and was planning on starting an indoor pickleball club here, and we had a meeting and really hit it off and decided it made sense for us to partner,” Kahn says. “And here we are.”
Kahn hosted drop-in pickleball play at Meadow Creek for years. When he saw how large the turnout was, he realized that the metro area could use an indoor pickleball club. He’s also become a pickler himself and has enjoyed every minute of getting the Longmont location up and running. It's been a delightfully fun experience working with this team,” he says. “One of the characteristics that I think all of us have in common is the desire, despite all the hard work, to keep it really fun and light and just keep that really positive vibe.”
The Longmont location at 20 South Bowen Street will be managed by Robert Leonard, while Ireland will manage the Wheat Ridge joint at 3545 Wadsworth Boulevard when it opens. Leonard says he’s made almost all of his friends in Colorado through pickleball after moving here a few years ago.
Katechis has found a similar community connection through the sport. He says it reminds him of the early days building Oskar Blues Grill & Brew in Lyons, which became a social hub for the town.
“I've noticed that parallel and similarity with pickleball,” he says. “It just naturally brings people together in a social, fun environment that is non-pretentious. … This will be another addition to Longmont that will attract people to the town and foster an even closer-knit community.”
Kahn and Ireland first played together at Westword’s 2023 Best of Denver pick for Best Place to Play Pickleball, the Apex Pickleball Courts in Arvada. Coincidentally, they had played each other before in drop-in games, but never realized they had a common business interest.
After they became partners, Kahn came up with the name of the business. His girlfriend was watching instructional pickleball videos on YouTube before bed, and he says he fell asleep with the mantra of making an effective third shot. “In a pickleball game, the third shot is the most important shot in a rally, because the effectiveness of that third shot — most of the time — determines the outcome,” he explains. When he woke up, it hit him that 3rd Shot Pickleball would be a fun name for the business, so the pair ran with it.
When 3rd Shot opens in Wheat Ridge, it will rank as the largest indoor pickleball facility in Colorado. The pickleball club will take over the shuttered Lucky’s Market at West 38th Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard; its thirteen courts will have premium surfaces, netting separating the courts, and a bar and lounge area to keep the fun going off the playing field.
This old Lucky's Market in Wheat Ridge will soon become a destination for picklers.
3rd Shot Pickleball
The goal of 3rd Shot is to provide spaces for those community elements to bloom. It plans to host lessons, drop-in play, tournaments and clinics for players of all ages and skills, including free Intro to Pickleball classes. Ireland even teases the possibility that those interested in pickleball-themed weddings could use the space for their special day.
“The timing was perfect for me, because I've obviously never opened a pickleball facility before, and I've only been playing for about a year, and these guys have been doing it for decades,” Katechis says. “I really hope that we're going to be able to draw not only pickleball players, but craft beer lovers.”
Longmont will have fewer courts, with five on opening day and eventually eight. It will also have some pros to teach classes and clinics there. Other differences include some stylistic elements and food options.
“Dale is an incredibly creative spirit,” Kahn says. “So I would say decor-wise, things are a little more fun and funky in the Longmont location than they are in Wheat Ridge.”
There's a six-foot-diameter pickleball on each garage door that's already attracting curious customers.
3rd Shot Pickleball
The Wheat Ridge location has an east-facing patio and plans to host trivia nights and games like cornhole and shuffleboard. It will also serve signature cocktails as well as recovery smoothies, juices and other non-alcoholic options. “We've got a few things up our sleeve. They'll have some clever names," Ireland says of the offerings.
Plus, the owners promise, the place won’t run into the noise complaints that have popped up around the sport lately. “The neighbors will not be able to hear anything outside,” Ireland assures. “Inside, as well, we'll be doing noise mitigation. We're exploring a couple of different ways to do that right now. So, yes, the lovely sound of pickleball will be muted in there.”
Kahn says the Wheat Ridge location is only weeks away from being ready to open, so Denver-area picklers will soon have two new spots to get in on the fun. People will be able to use their 3rd Shot memberships at both locations.
“We plan on scaling and expanding this business to other states, and who knows? Pickleball just might be able to solve this crazy world's problems right now because everyone's gone to their corners, and if we can just get them together, at least we’ve got a shot,” Katechis says.
For more information about 3rd Shot, and to sign up for its newsletter for updates, visit 3rdshotpickleball.com.
