There's a particular kind of tournament that doesn't show up in your feed every week. No pro tour banners, no livestream desk, no sponsor tunnel. Just eight well-kept courts a few blocks from Lake Michigan, a food truck, and a couple hundred players who drove in from five states because someone told them this one is worth the trip.
That's the Ludington Pickleball Classic, and the 2026 edition — its ninth — runs September 11, 12 and 13 at the Oriole Field Complex in Ludington, Michigan.
The basics
The tournament is powered by Deb Stevenson Group of Greenridge Realty as title sponsor. Registration opened April 15 and costs $55, which includes a moisture-wicking unisex tournament T-shirt. As of writing, 118 players are signed up.
The three days are split cleanly by event:
- Friday, September 11 — Men's Doubles
- Saturday, September 12 — Mixed Doubles
- Sunday, September 13 — Women's Doubles
Each morning, player check-in opens at 7:30 am, warm-ups start at 8:00, last-minute announcements go out at 8:45, and play begins at 9:00. You'll want to be on site 30 to 45 minutes before your event — start times shift depending on how long the previous round runs.
Registration and brackets run through PickleballTournaments.com, where you can also browse events, check the player list, or find a partner if you're rolling in solo.
Format: round robin, guaranteed play
This is the part that keeps people coming back. It's a round robin with at least four guaranteed matches — nobody drives four hours to lose twice and go home.
Bracket structure scales with entries: five teams play a single round robin, two out of three to 11, win by two. Six to eight teams play a single round robin to 15, win by two. Nine teams play a single round robin to 11, win by two. Ten or more teams get split into pools, with the top two from each pool advancing to a single-elimination playoff scored to 15, win by two.
Skill and age brackets follow the usual logic: partners of different skill levels play at the higher partner's level, and the youngest partner determines the age bracket within that skill level. Age is calculated as of September 13, 2026.
USAPA rules apply throughout, and the tournament ball is the Franklin X-40.
The courts, and how they got there
The venue deserves a paragraph of its own, because it wasn't handed to anyone.
The eight courts sit at the Oriole Field Complex at the intersection of Tinkham Avenue and Gaylord Avenue in Ludington. They exist because the Ludington Area Pickleball Club ran a fundraising campaign in 2015 to restore a set of aging tennis courts and convert them into pickleball courts — entirely through donations from local businesses, industries and club members, without city funding.
The work didn't stop there. In the years since, the club has extended and widened sidewalks, bought a storage shed, replaced and improved fencing, installed irrigation, planted 22 trees as a wind and sound barrier, and built a covered pavilion with seating. The club's own description of the result is that other clubs across Michigan envy the facility, and having seen the aerial shot of eight courts in a row with players on every one, that's not much of a stretch.
The club now has 325-plus members — year-round locals, seasonal residents, and tourists who play while they're in town. If you want to support the courts directly, the club takes donations here.
Logistics worth knowing before you go
A few practical notes pulled straight from the tournament page:
Food. 10 Spot food trucks serve throughout each day of the tournament. The Ludington Pickleball Club provides coffee for players and spectators with donations accepted, and registered players get bottled water, food bars, and fruit gummies.
Parking. You can park inside the Oriole Field Complex and on surrounding streets — just don't block driveways or park on lawns. The club is very clear about keeping the neighbors happy, which tells you something about how this tournament is run.
Dogs. Not allowed at the complex unless they're service animals, and you'll need documentation. That's Ludington Area School policy and a city ordinance, not a club preference.
T-shirt sizing. If you're already in town, you can try the shirts on at Gordy's store downtown before committing to a size.
Refunds. No refunds for weather cancellations. A $10 fee is deducted for withdrawals before midnight on August 1, 2026, rising to $25 after that. No refunds at all after September 1.
The town is half the reason
Ludington is a Lake Michigan port town on the state's western shore — beach, lighthouse, dunes, ferry to Wisconsin. The tournament tagline, "Where the Courts Meet Lake Michigan," isn't marketing fluff. You are genuinely playing a short drive from a beach worth the detour.
The Ludington Area Pickleball Club is upfront that the tournament exists to grow the sport and to promote the city. Local businesses benefit, players get a weekend somewhere pleasant, and about 200 spectators a day turn up to watch. It's a good arrangement, and it's the reason the sponsor list reads like a directory of the town.
That list is worth a scroll if you're going to be in Ludington for the weekend — a lot of these places are within a few minutes of the courts:
Title sponsor: Deb Stevenson Group — Greenridge Realty
Gold: Filer Credit Union · Ludington Beverage · Safe Harbor Credit Union · EWM Wealth Advisors
Silver: 10 Spot · Gordy's / Ludington T-Shirt Factory · Greenridge Realty · House of Flavors · Lakeshore Pickleball Club · Merskin & Merskin Tax and Accounting · North Star Chiropractic · Smith & Eddy Insurance · Sportsman's · WCI Snow Management · West Shore Bank · West Shore Eye Care
House of Flavors, for what it's worth, is a Ludington institution — the ice cream is made in town. Plan accordingly for post-match recovery.
Getting involved
If you're a player, registration is open now.
If you're a local business, the club runs gold and silver sponsorship tiers at $700 and $350 respectively, covering banner placement at the courts for three weeks, logo placement on the registration site, tee-shirt branding, daily announcements at medal presentations, Facebook features, and an optional on-site booth. Tournament director John Reed handles sponsorship enquiries at jreed3099@gmail.com or 231-398-7757.
And if you just want to help the courts stay as good as they are, the donation page is open year-round.
A note from us
We're glad to be a small part of this one. Ludington is exactly the kind of event we like — grassroots, well-run, built by volunteers who care more about the courts being right than about the courts being big. Nine years in, 290 players from five states last September, and a facility funded entirely by people who wanted it to exist.
If you're playing, come say hello. If you're spectating, bring a chair and get there early on Saturday for mixed — that's the loudest day.
Ludington Pickleball Classic 2026 September 11–13, 2026 · Oriole Field Complex, Tinkham & Gaylord Ave, Ludington, MI Tournament info · Register · Ludington Area Pickleball Club
