We are excited to announce registration is open for the upcoming “Plant the Seed” Clinics.  The “Plant the Seed” Clinic is instruction and drill based with an emphasis on the fundamentals (the “Foundation”) and expanding into all aspects of the game (Short-game and Strategy). It is comprised of two (2) sessions per week (Monday and Friday) for three…

The Board of Directors has selected the following officers for the 2025 Membership Year: Other Board positions are as follows:

There are a number of jackets, paddles, sunglasses, water bottles, etc. in the lost and found box near Freedom Park Courts 3 & 5. If you are missing items, please check the box and retrieve them.

Unfortunately, Castle Group has informed us of a delay in re-opening the Palms Courts of approximately three weeks. Castle Group recently had the vendor return to complete some additional work on the courts, which was just finished this week. These necessary repairs require additional curing time for the asphalt to ensure the courts are in…

Taylor Morrison / Castle Group has informed us the Freedom Park Courts will be CLOSED on the following dates and times for community activities. Members should not use the courts during these times. Friday, January 24th Laser Light & Live Concert From 4-10pm Saturday, March 22nd Community Yard Sale From 6am-12pm Saturday, March 29th Vietnam…

The Smashers Travel Teams will be playing home matches at Freedom Park. We encourage all members to come watch and cheer for our Smashers’ players and see some high-level pickleball. The Solivita Smashers Travel Teams provide members competitive game play outside Solivita, provide advanced level members with an activity as no training exist for advanced…

We are excited to announce the upcoming election for three new board members of the Smashers Pickleball Club. This is an important opportunity to shape the future leadership of our club, and we encourage all members to participate. Candidates We have three candidates running for the three open positions: Bios for each candidate appear below…

We have received confirmation from Castle Group that the highly anticipated court repairs at The Palms will begin on Monday January 6, 2025. During the repairs, Smashers will implement a rotating schedule by which teams which normally play at The Palms will be able to play at Freedom Park.  Plan Overview: Teams from The Palms will…

The Board has recently received feedback regarding court usage, particularly at our All Resident Open Play courts. We want to take this opportunity to remind everyone of the established rules and emphasize the importance of sportsmanship and common courtesy while on the courts. Important Distinction:  A reminder that the All Resident Open Play courts are…

At a special General Membership Meeting on November 20, 2025, the fiscal year 2025 budget was approved unanimously by those in attendance. The budget calls for no increase in dues for 2025, which will remain at $12.00 per person. Budgetary considerations include

LADDERS players and potential LADDERS players, what changes can be made to the LADDERS program to encourage you to: Your LADDERS Admin Team is looking for options to make LADDERS fun and enjoyable for you! Please provide your responses to: laddersadmin@solivitasmashers.com We look forward to your comments and suggestions! Sincerely, The LADDERS Admin Team

The Board of Directors approved changes to the Solivita Smashers Sponsorship Agreement on November 14, 2024. The revised Standing Rule governing the Sponsorship Program is available at https://solivitasmashers.com/sandbox/club-information/bylaws-and-standing-rules/standing-rule-11-sponsorship-program/

Special Olympics Central Region Pickleball Competition Christina Fernandez won a silver medal at the Special Olympics Central Region Pickleball Competition Palm Coast Qualifying Round Kim Vieira won silver in the Palm Coast qualifying round and now moves on to the State Finals on December 24 in Tampa Florida Senior Games Kim Vieira and Bill Jackson…

At the September 26, 2024 board meeting, the Board of Directors voted to change the Smashers Pickleball Club fiscal year to align with the calendar year. This change will allow Smashers to align revenue collected in January and February for membership renewals with the year in which that money will be spent. For 2024, the…

At the September 26, 2024 Board Meeting, the Board of Directors approved Standing Rule 12 for Expenditure Authorizations. This Standing Rule integrates the broader framework of the club’s financial management, ensuring that expenditures align with the club’s objectives and that members have an opportunity to benefit from the use of club funds. It provides a…

As part of ongoing efforts to improve our facilities, the Palms pickleball courts will undergo necessary repairs this fall, with work likely to begin in mid-November or December. While the repairs will impact court availability, we’re committed to minimizing disruptions and have been working diligently on solutions to ensure continued play for all members.

The mission of the Strategic Planning Committee is to develop a three to five year strategic plan to guide the growth, development, and sustainability of the Smashers Pickleball Club, aligning with the club’s mission, values, and long-term goals. If you are interested in being part of this committee, fill out the Volunteer Interest Form and…

This is a good time to familiarize yourself with the locations of the First-Aid kits and AEDs at Freedom Park and the Palms courts. Palms Courts  911 Address: 1055 San Clemente Ave (Polk County) AED – The AED is mounted on a separate post in front of the Pavilion. First Aid Kit – One First-Aid kit is hanging on a…

At the last General Membership Meeting, the general membership requested a vote be held to certify the results of the January 2024 Court Utilization Survey. 1338 ballots were sent to paid members. 351 members voted (around 27%) of valid ballots. 299 votes were cast to Accept the survey results and 53 votes were cast to…

At the last General Membership Meeting, the general membership requested a vote be held on the January 2024 Court Utilization Survey. All paid members should have received an email from Election Runner to cast your vote.  If you have not received this email, please email elections@solivitasmashers.com. Please note that the vote on the Survey Results…

Solivita Smashers were very well represented in the 2024 South Central Florida Pickleball League. The short two month season provided a great experience. By popular demand, Smashers extended the Travel Team Program from one team in 2023 to five teams in 2024. Approximately 3/4 of the travel team participants volunteer in our training programs (Newbies,…

Smashers members, soon you will be provided with an individual user account for use on our Solivita Smashers website. These accounts are linked to the email address you provided when entering your membership data.  You will receive an email with your password which will allow you to access privileged areas of our website. Accessing Privileged…

Castle Group has informed us of upcoming block-out dates and times for planned Solivita Community Events being held at Freedom Park in 2024. Therefore, the courts will be closed as per the following: We appreciate your understanding and cooperation during these scheduled events.

There is a new Smashers team called Kitchen Only (KO) forming. The KO team is for pickleballers with mobility issues or that do not feel safe playing full court. This team is for dinkers only. If you can play full court, then this team is NOT for you. It is also not for dink practice.…

I’m back.  One last time.  First I’d like to thank everyone who took the the time to read this column and who gave me feedback (even when I didn’t want to hear it…lol).  Hopefully it has been as much fun for you to figure out the scenarios as it has been for me to create…

Online Payment Option is here!  Last day to renew 02/29/2024 We are thrilled to announce that Smashers is now offering a Credit Card payment option for paying your membership dues via the Solivita Smashers website. For this option, there will be a small processing fee charged by our credit card payment processor – Square.  To pay your…

Steve Gordon I am a part time resident and have been coming to Solivita for over eight years staying longer and longer each year. I consider Solivita as my second home. I retired about eleven years ago and took up pickleball as a hobby long before most people were familiar with the sport. It didn’t…

Thank you Ladders Admin Team and members who contributed to our beautiful American Flag now flying high at Freedom Park!

fter the Board submitted a letter to Taylor Morrison expressing our playability and safety concerns for the courts at The Palms, they have taken immediate action.  The first thing they have decided to do is to temporarily close court 17. Furthermore, they have asked Lifestyles to gather quotes to improve the situation at The Palms.  Our…

Welcome our 2024 Smashers Sponsors. Their contributions to our Sponsorship Program provide additional funding to our Club for new equipment and programs. GOLD SPONSORS SILVER SPONSORS BRONZE SPONSORS

The recent member survey was fantastic, with 62% of our members taking part.  Click on this link, Survey Results to view the survey results on the Smashers Website.  As a next step, we will hold a Town hall meeting where we will discuss the results in detail. We will be looking for your thoughts and ideas to…

A little chilly but an awesome night of camaraderie, good cheer, plenty of food and seemingly unlimited pickleball play. It was a great sight to see so many sitting on the side lines championing their favorite players and partaking in the fun. We were thankful there was no rain and ALL the court lights stayed on for…

At a Special Meeting General Membership Meeting held in December 2023, changes to the club’s bylaws were approved to formally include electronic voting as an option. This change aligns with the modernization of our voting processes and ensures that all members, regardless of their physical presence, can participate in club decisions.

Impact to our Smashers community: Home games require 4 courts for approximately 4 hours. The five Solivita teams will have a total of 13 home games. Home games scheduled so that no Solivita “1.5 hour time-slot” is impacted more than once during the 9 week season.n Matthew Lytthouse scheduler@solivitasmashers.com (Smashers Scheduler) will be emailing the captains of…

Preparations are underway for the Polk Senior Games set for March 4, 5 & 6, 2024. Registration starts January 2, 2024.  We have four or more Level One Referees willing to travel 2-3 hours each way to work this event. We are looking for any Smashers members who would like to host a referee for one or two nights. The specific dates…

Congratulations to our Solivita Athletes, Christina Fernandez and Omar Morales, who competed in pickleball at the Special Olympics Florida State Fall Classic held at ESPN Wide World of Sports Nov 10-11, 2023! Christina won Gold in pickleball singles and was the only woman competing at her level while Omar earned a Silver medal in his…

Please keep your old balls to exchange for a new balls Bruce Williams plays frequently at the Palms and will exchange old balls for new balls. You can exchange balls with Bruce or any member of the Board or Advisor. Please do not throw old balls in the trash as they can be recycled or…

To provide the best play conditions to Smashers leagues, courts 15 and 17 will be swapped. The previous court 17 will now be court 15. The previous court 15 will now be court 17. After the signage changes the new court 17 will be the open court for all resident play. Similarly, after the signage…

As announced in the GMM in October 2023, we proudly announce our first-ever sponsorship program for the Solivita Smashers Pickleball Club! The program offers an opportunity for local companies & organizations to gain marketing exposure to our Smashers members. Funds provided by sponsors will further enhance our Club. This is an exciting time for our…