Fitz Club launches boutique pickleball tournament and resort weekend in Pattaya

FITZ Club is framing its first pickleball tournament as a resort weekend as much as a bracket, and that is what makes the launch in Pattaya worth watching. The Royal Cliff Hotels Group property is limiting the event to 20 players, opening it only to players 25 and older, and keeping it in singles format, a small-field setup that gives the debut a boutique feel instead of a mass-entry scramble.

The tournament is set for June 27 and 28, 2026 at FITZ Club in Pattaya, with registration already open and closing June 21. The fee structure also points to a hotel-driven play package, with separate categories for yearly FITZ Club members, in-house guests and other membership types, and outside guests. In other words, this is being sold less like a local ladder event and more like a destination sports weekend with a tight window and a defined guest list.

The venue itself is doing a lot of the work. Royal Cliff describes FITZ Club as one of Thailand’s premier luxury sports clubs, with 7 floodlit tennis courts, 2 indoor glass-back air-conditioned squash courts and table-tennis equipment, and the pickleball courts add another layer to that racquet-sports identity. The club says the pickleball setup includes CoolTop technology to cut heat buildup, a cushioned surface to reduce knee impact, LED lighting for evening play, and recovery amenities including a sauna and steam room. Food, beverages, spectators and social energy are part of the pitch, which pushes the event beyond a simple competition day and into the resort-wellness lane.

That positioning fits Royal Cliff’s broader sports strategy. The company has already promoted a Royal Wellness Sports Package that pairs beachside lodging with sports and wellness activities, and it has spent years building FITZ Club as a tournament venue for junior and senior tennis, squash championships and table tennis. Royal Cliff also points to FITZ Club’s Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards in 2024 and 2025, along with its history as Thailand’s first ITF Masters star tournament recognition award winner, as proof that the club already knows how to host serious play in a polished setting.

For traveling pickleball players, Pattaya’s first Fitz Club tournament is not really about the draw sheet. It is a test case for whether a resort can turn pickleball into a repeatable travel product, with competition, recovery and beach-side lodging packaged into one weekend.