DALLAS, TX – What do you get when you combine pickleball, a golf simulator, and a fitness class? Playkout.

Playkout is the new pickleball-inspired fitness studio that recently opened in the Dallas neighborhood of Uptown. Co-owners Bahigh Acuna and Jorge Guerrero created a "phygital" space that brings group workout classes and digital pickleball-related gamification together.

I went to check it out on Friday, July 26.

Everything about Playkout is a wonderful homage to pickleball. 

Right when you walk in, there’s a pickleball wall, and the front desk is designed to look like a court fence. It’s an entrance made for pickleballers. They even have a light fixture in the shape of a pickleball court.

“We love the fitness studio experience, but we also love the social aspect of it, like Top Golf. It’s great for friends to get together and play, move, and have fun. It’s part of our mission to get people moving, sweating, and having fun together,” said Acuna. “The more we do that, the happier and healthier we are. It’s the power of motion.”

Inside the studio, there are different stations that people rotate through during classes, including those designed specifically for dinking and pickleball cardio.

“We do strength training because we need it, but for cardio, we replace the traditional machines with pickleball stations,” explained Acuna. “That's when people are working out without realizing they’re working out.”

Playkout really shines, though, when it comes to the gamification technology it offers patrons in the form of a simulator designed specifically to hone pickleball skills.

This is the patent-pending technology - featuring a ball machine and a large screen with a variety of games to choose from - that’s super exciting.

The games are a blast. You can play darts, Tic-Tac-Toe, or hit moving targets. Points are awarded based on accuracy and projected on a leaderboard. It's great to get the competitive juices flowing.

And while these games are fun, they’re actually quite helpful with your game. It’s basically target practice that can easily translate onto the court. 

“The gaming aspect is proven to be successful and engaging. We spend so much of our time isolated and hunched over on our phones, but this is a physical and digital experience. When you take a class, you have the energy of the group, the people, and the music all in the space together,” shared Acuna. “But using the digital elements of hitting targets and sharing your stats and accuracy makes it more engaging and fun.”

Playkout embraces the best parts of pickleball, including the social aspect and the emphasis on health and fitness. It provides players with a perfect venue to enjoy the game they love in a different way and with a unique twist. 

Any workout that doesn’t feel like you’re actually training is a win, and Playkout is clearly on track to achieving major success.