Courts & Pints, Moorhead’s new pickleball complex and bar-restaurant, is expected to open in March. Shown are COO Kelly Lancaster, food and beverage manager Dustin Betlach, and CEO Jon Norberg, MD. (Photo/Nancy Hanson.)

Nancy Edmonds Hanson

Pickleball fans can soon unpack their paddles on convenient indoor courts, as the new Courts & Pints takes shape near the Brookdale Mall in south Moorhead.
“We expect to open in two phases – the courts sometime in March, and the bar and restaurant at the beginning of April,” developer Jon Norberg says. He and his partners, Kelly Lancaster and brother Frank Norberg, had originally hoped to open last fall, but construction delays pushed the date into the new year.\
The building that housed Family Fare until the supermarket’s closure in 2018 is being fitted up for Courts and Pints. Fifteen pickleball courts are being fitted up in the open, spacious structure at 2605 Eighth St. S., taking up three-fourths of the 60,000-square-foot interior. The remaining 15,000 square feet, separate from the courts, will house Courtside, a restaurant and bar, as well as seven meeting rooms for private events. A tap wall featuring serve-yourself beers and a coffee and smoothie bar will flank the courts.
According to Norberg, a Fargo native who practices as a hand surgeon at Allina Health in the Twin Cities, the idea of establishing the court occurred to him after playing outside and dealing with the elements. He had seen other indoor facilities and decided to build one in the FM area. Planning began in earnest after locating the empty structure in the northwest quadrant of Interstate 94 and Highway 75/Eighth Street.
The culture of the sport, the physician says, is “very inviting, very welcoming, very supportive.” He describes the game as a cross between tennis and table tennis:
“Players are still competitive, but not cutthroat. And it’s a sport that people of every age can play.” He confides, “I got smoked by an old lady when I was playing down in Minneapolis. She was serving backhand. She killed us!”
Unlike Norberg, who’s the company’s CEO, chief operating officer Kelly Lancaster is something of a newbie on the court. “It was kind of new to me. When Jon talked to me about his idea, I was surprised – ‘do you mean as a business?’” he recalls. He had just tried his hand at the physician’s invitation. “I liked the game, and I liked the idea,” he reports. “If you have even a little bit of hand-eye coordination, you’ll do well.”
The game can be played by singles or doubles. The new courts can be rented for an hour for a flat fee of $30. Paddles and pickleballs – rigid plastic spheres similar to whiffleballs – will be available for rent, though both men say most devoted players go on to acquire their own.
Indoor courts, Norberg points out, will be a real boon to players in winter. But the climate-controlled facility will be appealing in warmer seasons, too. “One thing about this Fargo-Moorhead area … there’s always going to be wind,” he observes.
As Courts & Pints hits its stride, the two men plan setting up leagues and tournaments for players of different skill levels along with the option of open play. Private lessons will also be available by the club professional, Danny Sam, along with group lessons. Younger players won’t be left out of the picture; youth instruction will be offered for those in middle and high school.
Dustin Betlach, the general manager, says the great majority of the Courtside Bar and Grill’s menu will be made in house. He describes its offerings: High-end appetizers, handmade burgers, artisan pizza and other upgraded favorites. The coffee shop adjoining the courts will serve espresso and coffee drinks, smoothies and other favorites. Forty-eight beers will be featured, 24 in the bar and 24 in the nearby bag toss area.
Betlach points out that he plans many options to entertain bar-goers. It will host bag-toss leagues and tournaments on its eight cornhole game sets. Live music is planned from Wednesdays through Saturdays. Other attractions include trivia games and charitable gaming.
The courts will open for early birds at 6 a.m., while the restaurant and bar will unlock the doors a little later, 11 a.m. Both sides of the business will close at 10 p.m.
One premium feature: Reserved court times. “That’s probably what I’m most excited about,” Lancaster admits. “I hate to wait around the courts for the chance to play.” Regular members will be able to reserve courts a day in advance, while premium gold members will be able to book their courts up to 10 days ahead of time.
Impatient pickleballers can sign up for free memberships now on the business’s website, https://courtsandpints.biz.
“This is such an accommodating game,” Norberg reflects. “Pickleball culture breeds good sportsmanship. It’s a game you can play immediately, but you can keep improving forever.”