Coeur d’Alene pickleball tournament returns, benefits special needs recreation

Coeur d’Alene’s third annual Panhandle Pickleball Tournament will bring more than medals to Cherry Hill Park: it will pair DUPR-tracked competition with proceeds for Specialized Needs Recreation, the North Idaho nonprofit that serves children, teens and adults with disabilities. With round-robin play leading into Gold, Silver and Bronze brackets, the event is built for amateur players who want measurable results and a weekend that carries a larger community payoff.

Hosted by Pickleball Is Great, the tournament will run June 26-28 with singles on Friday, mixed doubles on Saturday and men’s and women’s doubles on Sunday. Registration is set at $55 per player plus $15 per event, and entries will close June 17 at 11:45 p.m. PST unless the draw fills first. Players in the 3.0 through 4.5+ range can enter, and partners must register within seven days of one another to secure a spot, a detail that makes the tournament appealing to regulars who plan their brackets carefully.

The structure gives the event more than local flavor. All participants must have a DUPR rating, and scores will be reported directly to the system, which says it has more than 1 million rated players worldwide and is designed to keep ratings current. That means the weekend is not just about taking home a medal; it is also about building a record that travels with each player, a draw that can matter to competitors tracking their progress across the region.

Age divisions will be finalized after registration closes, with Under 50, 50-59 and 60+ brackets expected. That mix helps explain why the Panhandle has become a recurring stop on the amateur calendar. The 2025 tournament listing showed 86 players, a sign the event has already established enough momentum to pull in a substantial field as summer events stack up across North Idaho.

The beneficiary gives the tournament its strongest local identity. Specialized Needs Recreation says it was founded in 1984 to provide inclusive recreation and social opportunities for people with disabilities in North Idaho. The organization says it currently serves about 300 participants and records about 3,070 annual visits each year, with donations helping pay for adaptive equipment, supplies, staffing and scholarships. Its programming includes pickleball, and its long-term “Building Belonging” effort points toward a future permanent facility, giving this tournament’s fundraising mission added weight. Visit Coeur d’Alene also lists the event on its calendar, underscoring the tournament’s value as both a competitive fixture and a tourism draw for the city.