WHITEHOUSE, Westmoreland — The newly refurbished tennis courts at Sandals South Coast (formerly Sandals Whitehouse) buzzed with activity recently as some 67 competitors and enthusiasts from across the United States descended on the luxury-included resort, not for tennis, but for the Surf and Turf Showdown pickleball tournament.

Developed in the US in 1965, pickleball is a paddle sport, which combines tennis, ping-pong and badminton, and is considered to be one of the fastest growing sports in North America.

The pickleball tournament, which was being held at Sandals for the first time, featured a four-day round robin competition and three afternoon clinics by nationally ranked players, including hands-on clinicians DeAnne “Dee” Davidson from Arizona and Tony Tollenaar of Oregon.

Throughout the tournament, competitors from over 15 pickleball clubs burned up the courts and some major calories while competing in one of six rating divisions: 5.0, 4.5, 4.0, 3.5, 3.0, and 2.5; the 5.0 rating division being the most skilled players.

According to tournament organiser Gayle Scoggins, this first trip to Sandals South Coast with the group has been the “most unbelievable experience”.

“It’s truly amazing just waking up in the morning and watching a group of people play the sport they love, while throughout the day and in between play enjoying such a beautiful property,” she said.

In 2015, Gayle was a travel agent visiting Jamaica on a familiarisation trip, when a chance conversation with Unique Vacations Regional Group Sales Manager Mark Shea and Sandals Director of Industry Relations David Roper brought about the idea of Sandals hosting a pickleball tournament.

“Their [Sandals] suggestion was Sandals South Coast, so I did a tour of the resort,” said Scoggins. “To be honest, I was a bit apprehensive at first as I wasn’t convinced that the playing facilities would meet the expectations of our players, but Sandals was committed to this idea and they truly went above and beyond in making preparations for our group, and the space we now have is truly first class.”

Scoggins noted that there are already plans for the group to return next year around the same time.

The tournament culminated with an awards ceremony in which 22 people were awarded based on most cumulative points in each division.