Pickleball is everywhere right now, and naturist resorts noticed years ago. Court conversions have swept through the AANR world – the American Association for Nude Recreation counts more than 180 affiliated clubs and over 213,000 members – and the sport’s small footprint and social, four-players-per-court rhythm turned out to be a near-perfect fit for clothes-free resorts. Florida TV stations were already calling nude pickleball the fastest-growing trend in the state’s nude recreation industry, an industry local reporting has put in the billions of dollars per year. Tennis, the older naturist pastime, never went away either.
So yes: there are real tournaments, real leagues and real clubs. Here is the complete guide to playing tennis and pickleball in the nude, from the world’s largest nudist pickleball club in Florida to the British invention of miniten.
Nude Pickleball: The Boom
The trend has real media receipts. Associated Press reporting from 2023 described nudist communities adding pickleball courts to keep up with demand, and when Silicon Valley’s historic Lupin Lodge went up for sale at over $30 million, its new pickleball courts were part of the sales pitch. The logic is practical: a pickleball court needs about a third of the footprint of a tennis court, fits four players, and creates exactly the kind of casual, social play that resort life runs on. That is why AANR’s own publications now point to pickleball as a primary driver of new amenity investment across Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, California and Oregon.
The Tournament Calendar
If you want to compete, this is what the annual circuit looks like at the naturist resorts with established programs:
- January and March – Cypress Cove, Kissimmee, FL: the Mid-Winter Pickleball Tournament in January and the Spring Pickleball Tournament in March, the spring edition having passed its twelfth year. There is also a Clothing Independence Day tournament over the July 4th weekend.
- Late July – Mountaindale Sun Resort, North Plains, OR: SportsFest weekend, with multi-tier pickleball competition.
- Labor Day weekend – Turtle Lake Resort, Union City, MI: the AANR Education Foundation Pickleball Tournament fundraiser.
- Late August or early September – Sunny Rest Resort, Palmerton, PA: the annual Naked Pickleball Tournament, plus a tennis tournament in September.
- Spring – Lake Como Family Nudist Resort, Lutz, FL: the King & Queen Mixed Doubles tennis tournament on its clay courts, played across skill divisions.
- Year-round – Glen Eden Sun Club, Temescal Valley, CA: monthly tennis and pickleball socials, plus “Friday Night Lights” pickleball sessions on the lit courts. Glen Eden also hosts AANR-West sanctioned tournaments, including its Bob and Lee Doubles tennis event.
AANR’s National Nude Recreation Week, the second week of July, is when many member resorts load up their sports programming with mixed-doubles socials and round-robin play. Be honest about the level: this is a lively amateur and sanctioned-club circuit, not a pro tour. There is no professional nude tennis or pickleball league anywhere – the fun is the point.
Glen Eden Sun Club: California’s Court King
Glen Eden Sun Club sits at 25999 Glen Eden Road in Temescal Valley, Riverside County, and it is America’s largest member-owned nudist club. The sports facilities are the equal of many clothed clubs: six tennis courts, two of them lit for night play, five well-lit pickleball courts, three heated pools including a dedicated water-volleyball pool, hot tubs and a sauna.
Non-members are welcome for day visits – first-timers get a half-price day pass, and a background check is required before your first visit, so plan ahead and book through gleneden.com directly. Beyond the courts, the calendar ranges from an annual 5K nude run to golf, ping-pong and water volleyball events. Like nearly every club in this article, Glen Eden takes direct bookings only – you will not find it on Expedia – so the website and phone are the way in.
Cypress Cove: Home of the World’s Largest Nudist Pickleball Club
Cypress Cove Nudist Resort at 4425 Pleasant Hill Road in Kissimmee, minutes from Orlando, is the anchor resort of the scene. It is a full-scale 300-acre resort wrapped around a 50-acre freshwater lake, with six outdoor hard tennis courts and a pickleball program that grew into the Cove Pickleball Club, billed as the world’s largest nudist pickleball club, with dedicated courts, open play, clinics and its tournament calendar. Equipment loans are available if you traveled light.
The resort runs three restaurants and bars, from the poolside Cheeks to the upscale Lakeside Restaurant with live music nights. Day visits are welcome without a reservation, first-timers get discounts, and as with Glen Eden, booking is direct – via cypresscoveresort.com or phone – not through any OTA.
Where Else to Play
The circuit extends well beyond the two flagships. Sunny Rest Resort in Palmerton, Pennsylvania has renovated tennis and pickleball courts and a full summer tournament calendar. Caliente Club & Resorts in Land O’ Lakes, Florida has six dedicated pickleball courts with permanent nets. Mira Vista Resort in Tucson, Arizona has three pickleball courts and a tennis court. Lake Como in Lutz, Florida, Sunsport Gardens in Loxahatchee, Florida, De Anza Springs in Jacumba, California, Laguna del Sol in Wilton, California, Star Ranch in McDade, Texas, Sandpipers in Edinburg, Texas and Oaklake Trails in Depew, Oklahoma all field courts and AANR-region play. In Canada, Bare Oaks Family Naturist Park near Toronto maintains courts as well.
A warning worth ranking for: Desert Sun Resort in Palm Springs, once the AANR West’s flagship, is permanently closed and its property sold off. It still appears in old nude-resort listicles, so do not book anything pointing there.
Miniten: The British Naturist Sport You Have Never Heard Of
Britain contributes its own invention to the genre. Miniten is a naturist racket game played on a court about a third the size of a tennis court, with paddles, a low net and rules dating to the 1930s. The Naturist Foundation in Swanley, Kent keeps regulation tennis courts and miniten courts in its woodland grounds, Diogenes Sun Club in Buckinghamshire plays tennis, pickleball and four miniten courts, and Heritage Family Naturist Club runs member tournaments. In Australia, the Australian Naturist Federation’s clubs host annual sports carnivals with tennis and miniten, and the International Naturist Federation organizes multi-sport gatherings in Europe, from the Alpe-Adria meeting to naturist sports weeks in Hungary, where tennis and mini-tennis sit alongside volleyball.
Practical Tips for Playing Nude
- Sunscreen is the whole game. You are exposing skin that rarely sees daylight. Apply before you go out, reapply at changeovers, and do not forget the parts a swimsuit usually covers.
- Towel discipline: naturist etiquette extends to the court. Sit on your towel on the benches, same as anywhere else.
- Where the spare ball goes: players wear a small elastic or Velcro belt with ball clips to hold serve balls – a genuinely charming piece of nude-sports equipment engineering.
- Cover up at the clubhouse: dress for restaurants and bars at every resort in this guide, and check each club’s rules – some require nudity on the courts, others make it optional.
- Book direct: every club mentioned here takes reservations through its own website or phone line. Budget extra steps for first-visit registration and background checks, which several clubs require before arrival.
Flying in? For Cypress Cove, Orlando (MCO) is the gateway, about half an hour away; for Glen Eden, Ontario (ONT) is closest with Los Angeles (LAX) as the big alternative. Search and compare fares on Kayak. Disclosure: affiliate link – if you book through it, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Where to Stay Around Cypress Cove
Most visitors stay inside the resort they came to play at – Cypress Cove’s villas and RV sites book up around tournament weekends, so reserve early and direct. If you are splitting a Central Florida trip, the map below is centered on Cypress Cove so you can compare nearby Kissimmee and Orlando options too:
Disclosure: this map contains affiliate booking links. If you book through it, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
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