Mineola Family Opens Indoor Pickleball Facility, Draws 1,000 Members in Weeks

When Kevin Coghlan, his sister Maggie Regan, and their father John Coghlan went looking for a place to build a pickleball facility, they found 32,000 square feet of former handsaw and chisel manufacturing space sitting under 26-foot ceilings at 205 E. Second St. in Mineola. Three weeks after opening, the courts were already packed.

The venue features 10 pro-cushion courts, a large mezzanine overlooking the courts that can be booked for private events, and two Trackman golf simulators. Pickleball Prime, which the Rockville Centre family opened on March 4 in the repurposed industrial building, is leased from Steel Equities, a Bethpage-based real estate company, and employs a staff of 12.

The numbers from those first weeks are hard to argue with. Pickleball Prime has quickly become one of the most popular places to play pickleball in Mineola. More than 1,000 members and nonmembers reserved court space almost immediately, and a recent Sunday tournament drew more than 100 players. "Plus, we probably had another 20 to 30 just spectators," said Kevin Coghlan, who also works in sales for a software company.

The family's motivation was equal parts business instinct and personal conviction. "When we started to see that pickleball was becoming so popular, we kind of discussed opening a pickleball facility," said Regan, who manages a physical therapy practice in Garden City. The health angle mattered just as much. "I think mainly Kevin and I are both very fitness and health oriented," she said.

That fitness focus shapes the programming slate: lessons, clinics, leagues, open play, and junior programs are all on offer, with courts bookable through Court Reserve. Clinics afford players the opportunity to work with some of the top pros on Long Island to advance their game. Pickleball Prime joins what has become a growing cluster of indoor venues across Long Island, each betting that the sport's momentum hasn't peaked.

A Grand Opening Celebration is scheduled for March 28 at the Mineola facility. For players who have been driving past parking lots wondering when a dedicated indoor option would land in Nassau County, the answer is already in the queue on Court Reserve.