Winter Garden Heritage Foundation Hosts First Pickleball Tournament to Fund Heritage

The Winter Garden Heritage Foundation is staging its first-ever pickleball tournament, Paddles for the Past, to raise money for its free museums, historic preservation projects, and archives preserving West Orange County. The one-day event is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM and promises a Founder’s Golden Paddle trophy for first place alongside medals and swag for top finishers.

Matches will be split across two YMCA sites. Recreational and Competitive brackets are slated for the Dr. P. Phillips YMCA at 7000 Dr. Phillips Blvd in Orlando, while the 65-plus bracket will play at Roper YMCA, 100 Windermere Rd in Winter Garden. The foundation says teams must register as pairs of two and that the recreational bracket is open to players 18 years or older who have one year or less of experience or a DUPR rating under 3.5. Competitive entries require a DUPR 3.5 to 4.5 rating or two years or more of experience. The foundation is using the DUPR system to calculate team ratings.

There are two conflicting price sets in WGHF materials. An Instagram post promoted a per-person rate of $35 and $25 for players 65 and older. The foundation’s ticketing page, however, lists Recreational and Competitive registration at $150 per team ($75 per person) and the 65-plus bracket at $110 per team ($55 per person). WGHF also advertises a membership discount of $50 off per team with coupon code WGHFMEMBER2026, notes that tickets are non-refundable, instructs that players must register as pairs, and clarifies that PayPal is not required. The event page warns that registration will close once brackets fill.

Player experience details include swag bags, light healthy breakfast bites, and awards for first through third place; first place receives the Founder’s Golden Paddle trophy. An original report on the event also mentioned clinics as part of the tournament design, and the foundation’s header copy invites players to "grab your paddle and be part of something brand new."

Community tone is part of the pitch. Local players at Winter Garden’s open play answered the question "Why do you play pickleball?" simply: "It's social." Winter Garden Heritage Foundation executive director Kristi Karst Gomen said the idea grew out of the foundation’s past golf tournaments and a search for new ways to bring neighbors together; she told organizers that pickleball's broad popularity and accessibility made it a natural fit for a community fundraiser.

The tournament arrives against rapid national growth in the sport: participation rose 21 percent in 2020 and by 2022 had doubled to about 8.9 million players in the United States. With 100 percent of proceeds designated for WGHF’s museums, preservation and archives, the Feb. 28 event aims to turn a fast-growing pastime into seed money for local heritage and a new community tradition. Registration specifics, bracket assignments and the WGHF membership discount appear on the foundation’s event ticketing page.