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Link & Dink Weekly

This Week in MoCo Pickleball · Issue #5

Saturday, June 27, 2026

Free community play this week — Gaithersburg Monday, Olney Wednesdays

Two ways to just show up and play this week, both free — no buy-in, no catch.

Mon, Jun 29 — Adult Drop-In, Gaithersburg. Everyone's welcome — first-timers to regulars — 6:30pm at Ridgeview Middle School. A relaxed format and a small field, so grab a spot if you've been meaning to get back out. Reserve your spot.

Wed, Jul 1, 8 & 15 — Link & Dink Night, Olney. 6:30pm at Olney Mill Neighborhood Park. Competitive rotating-partner round robin, roughly 3.25+ DUPR, with results tracked on a leaderboard week to week. First time? You'll get coach-rated your first night. Reserve your spot.

Brand-new to the game? First Dink runs the same nights (Jul 1 & 8, 6:30pm, same park) and walks first-timers through their first session with a coach. Start here. Every Link & Dink event is free — 0% buy-in, always.

Tournaments near you over the holiday week

If you're chasing matches around the 4th, these are the closest:

  • The Global Smash Fest — Sat Jun 27, Life Time Gaithersburg. Mixed doubles, 8.0 combined-max DUPR, pool play into single elim. Register.
  • Pickle-dependence Day Mixed Doubles — Sat Jul 4, Gaithersburg. 7.5 combined-max DUPR, Moneyball format. Register.
  • World of Pickleball – Maryland — Jul 10–12, Boyds. Singles Friday, doubles Saturday, mixed Sunday, brackets from Under-3.49 to Open. Register.

Where to actually find a court in MoCo

Montgomery Parks now runs 18 dedicated pickleball courts plus more than 50 shared tennis/pickleball courts — and all outdoor courts are first come, first served, so no booking needed (Montgomery Parks). Six more dedicated courts have been in the works at the Rubini Athletic Complex in Wheaton Regional Park.

When the heat wins, county rec centers run indoor play — Silver Spring (12 courts, free), Thomas Farm in Rockville (3, free), and Bohrer Park in Gaithersburg (4) (Montgomery County Recreation).

Rules corner: a quick 2026 refresher

Two worth knowing this season, per USA Pickleball: rally scoring continues as a provisional format for 2026, and there's a new Adaptive Standing Division formalizing inclusive play. And the paddle-approval crackdown is real — tournaments now run on-site checks, so make sure your paddle is on the approved list before you enter (The Dink).

See you on the courts.