The Co-Founders of Pickleball Getaways
Pickleball Getaways was founded by two professional pickleball players in the early stages of their careers. They sought to combine the fun of international vacations with pickleball and its fans, and used their experience, skills, teaching abilities, and hard work to make that happen. By bringing athletes’ expertise to world-class destinations, these two pros have created high-quality, memorable learning experiences for pickleball lovers of all skill levels.
Ben Johns
Ben started playing pickleball at the age of 17 and has since risen high in the sport’s ranks. Now at just 23 years old, he is regarded by many as the best pickleball player in the history of pickleball (and has been viewed as such for several years). With countless medals to his name and a shocking number of triple crowns, Ben drives the sport to higher levels and works tirelessly to promote it to the world. Ben joined Team Joola in the spring of 2022 and plays with his own signature paddle, the Joola Hyperion CFS 16 (which he helped develop).
Ben grew up in Laytonsville, Maryland, and he graduated with his bachelor’s degree in Materials Science & Engineering in May, 2022. Now residing in Austin, Texas, he works around the clock to train, compete, run his businesses—Pickleball Getaways and Pickleball 360—and pursue various interests such as reading, playing other racquet sports recreationally, and investing in cryptocurrency.
Pickleball Getaways is the only place you can find Ben teaching clinics regularly! His intuition about pickleball makes him one of the most knowledgeable players to learn from, and his charismatic personality and creative drills makes him one of the most fun players to learn from.
Fun fact: Ben’s most iconic shot is his one-handed backhand roll at the kitchen line!
Updated 09/26/22
Dekel Bar
Dekel is a former professional tennis player, having achieved a top ranking of 580 in men’s singles. He caught on to pickleball around the same time he retired from tennis, and within months he became one of the top players; today, he is ranked among the top 5 pickleball players in the world and is a gold medal winner in various tournaments on both the PPA and APP tours. Dekel joined Team Engage in the winter of 2020 and now plays with the Engage Pursuit MX paddle.
Dekel is from Raanana, Israel, and has traveled the world extensively due to his love of exploration, his career as a pro tennis player, and his experiences with his family’s travel company. Dekel currently lives in Austin, Texas, and travels all over the US to compete in pickleball tournaments. Dekel is partnered with Ben in both of his primary business endeavors: Pickleball Getaways and Pickleball 360—a subscription service that supplies premium pickleball instructional videos, founded by Ben, Dekel, and Collin Johns.
Most of the locations that host Pickleball Getaways are decided on by Dekel, thanks to his knowledge of vacation destinations! He loves teaching guests new pickleball skills and showing guests the sights—his personal favorite Pickleball Getaway was hosted in Croatia in June, 2022.
Fun fact: Dekel’s most iconic shot is his unbeatable Erne!
Updated 09/26/22