Why Pro Pickleball Is Finding a Home in Boca Raton

A LiveBoca365 Story by The Entel Group
From Ben Johns in Boca Raton to Anna Leigh Waters in Boynton Beach, an extraordinary concentration of professional pickleball talent is living and training along the Palm Beach County coast.

Something interesting is happening in Boca Raton.

We already know South Florida has become one of America's hottest places for pickleball. But look more closely at who is actually living here, and a much bigger story emerges.

Some of the most recognizable names in professional pickleball now call Boca Raton and the surrounding Palm Beach County communities home.

We're talking about players including Ben Johns, Anna Leigh Waters, Hayden Patriquin, JW Johnson, Jorja Johnson, Will Howells, Eric Oncins, Federico Staksrud and Gabriel Tardio.

That's a remarkable amount of pickleball talent concentrated along one relatively small stretch of South Florida.

And it raises an interesting question:

Is Boca Raton Becoming One of the Centers of Professional Pickleball?

Start with Ben Johns.

Johns moved from Austin, Texas, to Boca Raton in March 2025, and his current player profile continues to list Boca Raton as his residence.

But what's particularly interesting is what Johns has said about the move.

He explained that Florida gives him access to a greater concentration of high-level professionals, making it easier to arrange games and drilling sessions. He's also discussed the availability of indoor and outdoor facilities around Boca and the ability to train regularly with other pros.

In other words, Johns didn't simply move to a beautiful Florida city.

He moved into a pickleball ecosystem.

The Boca Raton Pros

Johns isn't alone.

Current professional profiles list Hayden Patriquin as a Boca Raton resident. The 20-year-old has already established himself among the sport's prominent young players.

Will Howells also lists Boca Raton as his residence.

And Brazilian professional Eric Oncins currently calls Boca Raton home as well.

So before we even leave Boca city limits, we have multiple touring professionals based here.

Then head just a few miles north.

Boynton Beach Has Some Serious Star Power

Perhaps the biggest name on the women's side is practically next door.

Anna Leigh Waters currently lists Boynton Beach as her residence.

And there's history here.

Waters and her mother Leigh began playing regularly with the Delray Beach Pickleball Club early in Anna Leigh's development. What started recreationally eventually led to tournament competition and an extraordinary professional career.

Boynton Beach is also home to siblings JW Johnson and Jorja Johnson.

Their current profiles list both players as Boynton Beach residents.

Think about that for a moment.

Within the Boca-Boynton corridor alone, you can find some of the most accomplished and recognizable young players in the sport.

And the Talent Continues North

The professional pickleball corridor doesn't stop at Boynton.

Federico Staksrud, one of the elite men's players on tour, currently lists West Palm Beach as his residence.

Farther north, Gabriel Tardio is listed in Jupiter.

And nearby Delray Beach is part of the same training ecosystem. Johns has specifically discussed playing or training with pros including Tardio, Staksrud, Patriquin, Jaume Martinez Vich and Tyra Black.

That's what makes this more than a collection of addresses.

These players can actually train against one another.

Why Boca Raton and Palm Beach County?

Elite athletes tend to gravitate toward other elite athletes.

Once enough high-level players establish themselves in an area, something similar to what we've seen in professional golf and tennis can happen.

The talent itself becomes an attraction.

A player can wake up in Boca Raton and find world-class competition without getting on an airplane.

Add South Florida's year-round climate, fitness culture and expanding network of pickleball facilities, and it's easy to understand the appeal.

Johns has specifically praised the combination of indoor and outdoor courts and the number of professionals available for regular practice.

And then there's everything that happens after you put the paddle down.

Beaches.

Restaurants.

Shopping.

Fitness and wellness.

Boating.

Nightlife.

Luxury housing.

And a lifestyle built around being outdoors twelve months a year.

That's where this becomes a LiveBoca365 story.

Pickleball Is Changing the Boca Raton Country Club Lifestyle Too

At The Entel Group, we're seeing another side of this transformation through real estate.

There was a time when buyers touring a Boca Raton country club primarily wanted to know about golf and tennis.

Today, pickleball can be part of the conversation.

Private clubs throughout Boca Raton and Palm Beach County have invested in racquet facilities as they respond to the extraordinary popularity of the sport.

For buyers comparing country club communities, pickleball facilities can now be part of the lifestyle decision alongside golf courses, fitness centers, spas, restaurants and pools.

That change tells us something important.

Pickleball isn't simply a trend anymore. It's becoming part of the South Florida lifestyle infrastructure.

Boca Is Getting Younger

There's another aspect of this story we shouldn't overlook.

Look at the ages of many of these professional players.

Johns is 27. Patriquin and Tardio are 20. Anna Leigh Waters is 19. Jorja Johnson is 20. JW Johnson is 23. Eric Oncins is 24.

These aren't retirees coming to South Florida.

They're young professional athletes choosing this area as a place to live, work and train.

That's part of a larger evolution taking place throughout Boca Raton.

The restaurants are changing. Downtown is changing. The private clubs are investing hundreds of millions of dollars in new amenities. Fitness and wellness have become increasingly important parts of the Boca lifestyle.

And pickleball fits right into that transformation.

The Entel Group Take

At The Entel Group, we have always said that people don't simply buy a house in Boca Raton.

They buy the reason they want to live here.

For one person, that's golf.

For another, it's the beach.

For someone else, it's restaurants, boating, fitness, tennis—or increasingly, pickleball.

When some of the world's best pickleball players choose Boca Raton and the surrounding communities as the place where they want to live and train, that's another indication of what South Palm Beach County has become.

Maybe Boca Raton isn't the pickleball capital of America just yet.

But with Ben Johns in Boca, Anna Leigh Waters and the Johnsons in Boynton, Federico Staksrud in West Palm Beach, Gabriel Tardio in Jupiter, and a growing collection of professionals training together throughout the area, Boca certainly deserves to be part of that conversation.

And we'll be watching what happens next.

Live Boca. Live the Lifestyle. LiveBoca365.

The Entel Group
Boca Raton & Palm Beach County Real Estate
Private Club & Lifestyle Specialists
561-759-7777
theentelgroup.com