New Indoor Pickleball Club Opens in Almonte to Serve Ottawa-Area Players

Westside Pickleball Club, a dedicated four-court indoor facility at 340 Frank Davis Street in Almonte, opened its doors in January 2026, becoming what local coverage described as one of the first purpose-built spaces to serve the Almonte-Kanata corridor. For players in Kanata, Stittsville, Carleton Place and Lanark County who spent years scrambling for gym time, it represents a meaningful shift.

The club's founder, Sara West, grew up in Almonte and Carleton Place and built the project from a frustration she knew personally. "I started playing about three years ago, and as soon as I got more serious, I noticed there was a distinct lack of places to play," West said. "It became the main topic of conversation on and off the courts. Everyone was trying to book limited court time, and public spaces were inconsistent or first-come-first-serve."

West, who grew up in Almonte and Carleton Place, said the idea crystallized during a brainstorming session with her brother, sketching court layouts at his dining room table before driving around looking for buildings that same day. That was April 2024, the start of what she describes as a steep learning curve in commercial real estate and business planning. She said landlords weren't always convinced: "I struggled — partly because I had never done anything like this before and partly because landlords weren't sure about the business of pickleball. The U.S. has thousands of facilities, but Canada is behind the trend."

The search eventually ended back home. After months of looking around the Ottawa region, West found 340 Frank Davis Street. "As soon as I found it, it was a 'goldilocks' building — the right size, high ceilings, great parking, and a landlord willing to take a chance," she said.

The facility features four specialized pickleball courts, a comfortable lounge area and ample parking. Each court uses a SportsMaster Pickleball Court Surface designed for non-slip play. The climate-controlled setup means players can book consistent court time year-round, replacing what had been, as West put it, a patchwork of school gyms, shared community centres and outdoor courts quickly overwhelmed by interest.

Pickleball's popularity has soared in recent years, and municipalities have struggled to meet the demand for court time in local community centres and schools. While much of the sport's early growth in Ottawa concentrated in the east end, including Orléans, players to the west and in surrounding communities had far fewer indoor options to turn to in the winter months.

West has made clear she intends Westside to be more than a place to drill third-shot drops. "Pickleballers are very social. They love events like tournaments, and that opens the doors to amazing partnerships," she said. "This opens the doors for a lot of natural partnerships and pop-ups. Establishing myself as a local business that supports other local businesses and the community is very important to me."

The club has also announced an official partnership with DUPR, the global pickleball rating system trusted by professional tours and recreational players worldwide. Membership options include unlimited play with a discounted hourly court fee of $7 per person, with exclusive access to programming such as open play, ladder play and socials.

Full membership and booking details are available at westsidecourts.com.