Pickleball visionary recognized for his efforts
Mike Welter honored for work to make the Cape a destination for the sport
What started as a normal Friday for Cape resident Mike Welter soon turned into one he won’t ever forget.
Welter, an avid and decorated pickleballer, headed to the The Courts Cape Coral for some action — a place he frequents three to four days each week. The city’s newest and state-of-the-art facility has been a haven for paddle-sport enthusiasts since it opened last August.
While in the middle of a game, Welter noticed some familiar faces start to walk up to the sidelines, such as a close friend in Ed Bolter, and members of The Courts staff.
You see, Welter was instrumental in The Courts coming to life. An ambassador for the game, Welter saw the importance and economic impact a new facility could be for the city.
Right there on the court, Welter was given a plaque from The Courts to honor the years of work he put in to make the vision for a pickleball epicenter in the Cape come to fruition.
“It blew my socks off,” Welter said of the surprise. “I was just blown away. It happened right in the middle of our play. They called everybody over, and I walked over and sat down, and I saw my wife sitting there, and then my nephew and niece, they were they were kind of hidden. I was humbled. I was proud.”
Welter was surrounded by friends and family, including his nephew Kyle Yates, who was at one time the No. 1 pickleball player in the world, to have a dedication made in his honor. Welter was the one who taught Yates the game. Family came from far and wide to celebrate the occasion.
Since opening and rebranding earlier this year, The Courts has played host to pro tournaments, and features 32 pickle ball courts and 12 tennis courts, designed to host large-scale events. The venue has become a key destination for local and national sports enthusiasts. Thousands of membership have been created, with thousands of more players getting to play the sport they love at the venue.
Welter said he is thrilled with how the facility has taken off.
“I’m extremely proud, because people have come in for all over the state to play in tournaments,” he said. “Everyone says what a beautiful facility we have here, and it just makes us proud to be from Cape Coral.”
There are also plans for the 17th court, which is the championship court, to be named after Welter.
“Hearing that brought tears to my eyes,” Welter said.
He said it will be special to go to the venue he frequents so often and see a court dedicated in his name.
“I go there probably four days a week,” Welter said. “It’s easy to get games and play and it’s great to get out there and just work out and socialize and be with friends.”
The idea for what eventually turned in what the city harbors today began years and years ago, when the city had different leadership than it does now.
Bolter said he recalls the late mayor Joe Coviello’s wife giving him a call wanting him to put a committee together to finalize a project he envisioned as an economic driver for the community.
“And so I did,” Bolter recalled. “I got a committee together with the smartest pickleball people in Southwest Florida, and, you know, we started a grind of trying to convince the city that if they build it, they will come. We had to convince them of the viability of building a bigger facility all at once.”
Easier said than done, Bolter remembered, stating they took the statistics of Punta Gorda’s pickleball facility, which is smaller than The Courts turned out to be, showing the positive economic impact of a pickleball and tennis venue. Bolter said once he and his committee, which included Welter, took city staff to Punta Gorda and showed them the figures, things started moving in the right direction.
“And, you know, we just pushed,” Bolster said. “We got the community behind us at the City Council meetings.
“Mike, he started all of this. Without him, it would have never have gotten off the ground. The great thing about Mike, with all the tournaments he’s played in — and it’s been hundreds of them — and all the medals that he’s won, which has been hundreds, he had the most experience of anybody out there.”
The Courts has signed a contract with the Pro Pickleball Association, with tournaments to be hosted at the complex for years to come.
“When you have 20,000 people show up for a first year tournament, that impressed the hell out of them,” Bolter said. “I think we had 20,800 players. I mean, that’s huge.”
Welter loves to see all of the members and action going on at The Courts.
“You show up there any morning and they’re packed,” he said. “They have tennis leagues, they have pickleball leagues, they have tennis tournaments, pickleball tournaments. There is music at night, you know, different things to make it social.”
Welter is still collecting hardware, as he and parter Barb Castillo have had a great month playing as a mixed-doubles pair. The duo took a gold medal at the Deck the Halls Tournament at The Courts, and also won a silver medal at the Florida State Senior Games in Wesley Chapel.
For more information on The Courts Cape Coral, visit playthecourtscapecoral.com.
The Courts Cape Coral is at 420 SW 2nd Ave.