Our Pros
We’re not just the world’s largest indoor padel and pickleball court, we’re also home to some of the best professionals in either sport. Whether you’re looking for an entry-level introduction or a master class in advanced play, you can count on our team to help fine-tune your game.
Ryan Leslie
General Manager
Ryan comes to us by way of Philadelphia, PA where he spent the last several years working as the Senior Manager of National Events at US Squash, the governing body for the sport. In his role, Ryan was primarily responsible for the management of all National Squash Events for junior, collegiate, adult, and doubles squash.
Ryan also played a key role in the logistics and operations of the professional U.S. Open Championships held in Philadelphia. Originally from Toledo, Ohio, Ryan attended Drexel University where he received his Bachelor of Science in Sports Business & Administration and was a member of the Drexel University Men’s Varsity Squash Team all four years. Ryan moved to St. Louis a couple of weeks ago and has already mentioned his delight of being back in the Midwest!
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Cliff Marsland
Head Pro
Director of Racquets at Inverness Golf Club in the Greater Chicago area over the past 10 months. During his time in Chicago, he cracked the top 100 in the APTA National Rankings for Platform Tennis with a career high of #98, won the 2023 APTA NRT Kansas City Open, reached the final of the APTA NRT St Louis Invitational, and played in the prestigious Chicago Platform Tennis Charities Series 1 Category.
Previous Experience:
Bellerive Country Club | Assistant Racquets Pro
University of Tulsa | Assistant Men’s Tennis Coach & Recruiting Coordinator, Graduate Assistant for the Women's Tennis team
Accolades:
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PTR Triple Threat certification in Pickleball, Tennis and Platform Tennis
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3 time CUSA Champion
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NCAA D1 All American in 2012
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C-USA All-Academic Team - four times in four years
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2012-13 season, ITA Central Region Arthur Ashe Jr. Sportsmanship Award winner
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2011-12 ranking of No. 3
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Winner ITA Central Region Doubles Title
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Member 2011 & 2012 team that reached the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament
Mike Chapin
Pickleball Teaching Professional
Mike Chapin has been teaching pickleball for over 9 years and is an International Pickleball Teaching Professional Association (IPTPA) Certified Level II (highest current level) Professional Instructor.
He is a winner of over 45 medals in tournament competitions at the 4.5+ skill levels and has competed in the National Pickleball Championships among many other regional and local tournaments. Mike is a pickleball professional at Padel+Pickle, Algonquin Golf Club, Missouri Pickleball Club, and Tilles Park Pickleball. Mike was also the first pickleball teaching pro at Bellerive Country Club and has worked with Vetta Sports, Sunset Tennis Club, Creve Coeur Racquet Club and has been one of the pioneers in developing many of the area pickleball court facilities/parks and programs throughout St. Louis.
He is a highly respected teaching pro in the St. Louis area and enjoys working with folks at all skill levels, beginner to advanced. He has worked with over 4000 clients and taught in various states including NY, IL, and FL besides teaching internationally in Jamaica last fall. Mike has been a USA Pickleball Ambassador volunteer for 10 years and is the owner and creator of StLouisPickleball.com. Also, Mike is a sponsored player and instructor with Selkirk Sports, a top pickleball paddle and equipment manufacturer in the USA.
Mike has been a resident of St. Louis for 20+ years and has been employed as a Career Advisor with Washington University for 21 years. He enjoys golfing, traveling, sailing, jeeping, and spending time with his yellow lab Arnie. ​