Golf

Jeff Brown said his new permanent location for ShadeTree Golf and Pickleball has increased customer traffic. (David Minton/Tribune Staff Photographer)

After a decade at the Mesa Marketplace, ShadeTree Golf and Pickleball has found a permanent home.

ShadeTree Golf and Pickleball in East Mesa is a family-owned store that features a full range of golf and pickleball equipment, shoes, bags and apparel as well as a hitting cage for golfers. It also repairs, regrips and customizes golf clubs.

The 3,400-square-foot store serves a strong client base that ShadeTree has built over the last 10 years.

Owner Jeff Brown said his new location on the southeast corner of Sossamon and Guadalupe roads will operate year-round with wider selection, greater amenities and a new push into pickleball, the fastest growing sport in the Valley.

"We’ve developed a really good, loyal local customer base," Brown said. "And we really want to keep that going forward here with just being a good part of the neighborhood."

Brown started in the golf industry 12 years ago working part time for ShadeTree's previous owner but teed off in the sport at age 12.

For the last decade, ShadeTree operated on a seasonal basis from mid-October to the end of April in a 2,000-square-foot area at Mesa Marketplace.

After a previous 2,500-square-foot brick-and-mortar location fell through, Brown said he waited patiently for just the right place for his store.

Though construction took longer than expected, Brown said the new venue's greater visibility has brought with it a more customers.

ShadeTree's a putting green and hitting cage enables customers to try before they buy – which he calls a vital feature in the golf industry.

"Just selling clubs off the rack, it's not gonna work for most people," Brown said. "So, we want to make sure we’re getting them the best product we can."

That's an aspect of the industry Brown prefers the most and something that he takes as a fulfilling achievement, even more than breaking his personal best.

"A customer tells you that you helped them out and they’re enjoying what they’re doing a lot more – I really take a lot of satisfaction from that," he said.

Dabbling a bit in pickleball while he was at the Mesa Marketplace, Brown said he saw the "writing on the wall" and decided to take a swing at it.

With new courts popping up across the East Valley, Brown said pickleball goes well with golf for a retail concept because they both are played outdoors with "fairly low impact."

"A lot of our winter visitors are big pickleball players," Brown said. "But what we really found out recently is that it's a sport for all ages, and it's just blowing up with popularity."

Eight years ago, Brown would’ve said pickleball is a sport for the 55 and older communities.

But now, he sees customers age demographics "run the gamut," from 80-year-old grandparents to teenage grandkids alike shopping for the sport.

"I couldn't put a percentage on what it was but it's a pretty even mix now," Brown said.

According to the Professional Pickleball Association, 16-year-old Anna Leigh Waters ranks number one in the world rankings in Women's Singles, Women's Doubles, and Women's Mixed Doubles.

For that reason, Brown said he predicts he will start seeing high school teams competing in the area soon as more teenagers discover the surging popularity of pickleball.

"I think you’re going to see some high school teams start popping up," Brown said.

With a growing presence of national chains popping up across the Valley, Brown said ShadeTree helps maintain the local presence and ensure ShadeTree meets the needs and shapes how to expand what they offer to them.

"We want golfers and pickleball players to have everything they need to make their experiences on the courts and the course experiences fun and memorable," Brown said.

Within the first month-and-a-half, Brown said he has a positive viewpoint on the store's future in the neighborhood.

"I’m pretty pleased where we’re at right now and I have a pretty optimistic outlook moving forward," Brown said.

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