Since taking up pickleball in Vancouver, Canada it was a natural fit for me on my next Asia trip to bring my pickleball paddle. Pickleball by nature doesn’t require a lot of gear other than your paddle, a ball, court shoes, and a hat. Last year I did just this and brought my pickleball paddle to Bangkok Thailand and Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. I managed to play a social game at a local club in Petaling Jaya, which is a hot bed for pickleball (25 minutes drive from Kuala Lumpur city centre).
However in 2025 I started to hear about the pickleball and digital nomad scene in Danang Vietnam. In 22025 I spent 3 weeks in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and Danang and I brought my pickleball paddle with me.
In 2026 I had already starting competing in Pickleball Tournaments in Vancouver Canada and had increased my doubles DUPR rating to 3.9. I decided to play up and complete in the 5.0 division in mens’s doubles and singles in the Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Open in the Playa Raquet Club.
In the process I got to prepare for my tournament by practicing singles and doubles in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Bangkok, and Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.
Essentially my experience can give you a sample itinerary in Thailand and Malaysia.
Reclub App
The reclub app is a good starting point for finding pickleball games in Asia. I’ve used and heard it works in Thailand (Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket), Vietnam (Danang), Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. Search for the sport, city and country you’re looking for and add yourself to some communities. You may have to message the host direct to let me know you’re visiting and that you will pay cash and most games expect an online bank transfer in advance.
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Chiang Mai is known as a digital nomad paradise, but as I discovered on my february 2026 trip it is pivoting fast into a pickleball destination. Chiang Mai offers hot weather, cheap accommodation & food, plentiful massage, good local coffee, craft beer, and even legal cannabis. In 2026 with 2 new facilities for pickleball like All-time and Bok Bok cafe Chiang mai is becoming a pickleball gem. I recommend staying in the near the old city or nimman for easy access to all the goodies and services mentioned above. I actually found some great doubles and singles games in chiang mai and will definitely be back again soon. Both courts offer lights and evening play. Bok bok has 2 covered courts and all time are all fully covered. There’s is also an awesome restaurant nearby.
Bangkok Thailand
For Bangkok Thailand a friend told me about Benjakitti Park. I checked it out with some friends and found out that by using the line app you can actually make court bookings ahead of time in english. You can also rent paddles for free. The facility had at least 7 or more courts I recall and nicely surfaced. I recommend to download the line app. To book courts you will also need the CSTD Smart member app. To become a member is free you just need to complete some information and you don’t need to be Thai. As far as meeting players I would try the reclub app. My last tip is to play at night or early in the morning at this facility as there is air conditioning.
A new discovery in 2025 was the Asok Sports Club, which is walking distance from the terminal 21 shopping mall. It’s a nice multi-sport air conditioned facilities that offers open play for all levels. The cost is 150 thai baht ($4.46USD) for about 2 hours. Here is the schedule and contact information. I recommend connecting with them on instagram or the line app. As of March 2025 you don’t need to pre-register, but it’s recommended to contact them before. The indoor courts are a little tight for spacing, but the outdoor courts are more spacious and nice to play in in the evening.
In 2026 I was looking for higher level practice and found more spacious courts and higher level play at the SP Pickleball club. It was further out if you are living closer to the centre (Asok)with a 30 minute commute. From Thonglor I got off at the station near True Digital Park. I went for a nice brunch at bartels with a friend. I then took a grab motorbike taxi to SP Pickleball club. They had a 3.25+ open level, which was the highest I could find. Courts were nice, but not air conditioned and they sold water and beer. You’re definitely going to sweat a lot!
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – The Pickleball Capital
I’ve done the pickleball circuit here 3 times I could say that Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is the pickleball capital of Asia in terms of the number of courts and players in the city.. From the variety of courts and games available to join there is no current competition. I recommend downloading the reclub app to see what games are available. You can check the location, the level, details of the session, and chat with the organizer. As someone from overseas you will to register beforehand and need to message the host direct and explain that you can pay them in cash otherwise you may not be invited to the game. Games to drop in range from 7RM ($1.57) to 55RM ($12.36 USD) on the high end.
On my trip last year I had the experience playing at Satellite Sports PJ, which is a short drive away from the city centre. They have indoor and outdoor courts and the price can range from 30RM an hour to 50RM and hour depending on the day you book.
This year I tried the OG club called the pickleball social club (PSC)has a drop in on the high end at 55RM for the novice session. The pickleball social club has their own site and requires you to have a DUPR rating. To set this up you need to create a DUPR account separately and link it to the PSC site and the reclub. The PSC club is pricier, but has amazing facilities and their open sessions count towards your DUPR rating. It you want to play at a 3.25 level or higher you will need to start with novice.
I played at several facilities in Kuala Lumpur and I noticed they have a range of offerings from your indoor air conditioned pickleball club, to covered facilities on the rooftop of some old parking lots with restaurant and bars. The courts are generally in good condition and the sheer number of courts you see on the reclub app are astounding. I may deeper on this for subscribers as I’m just scratching the surface.
The pickleball social club in Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur beside an upscale Golf property (KLGCC) with padele and yoga studio
A unique Bali inspired facility called Playa Racquet club with skyline views and a bar/restaurant above the TREC nightlife facility
a cheap drop in game with a beautiful city view on top of the mytown shopping centre
Playing abroad can be a surreal experience playing and a good way to meet new friends in a brand new environment. I hope to update this site with more content in the future.
In 2026 I expanded the number of courts I played at in search of competitive 3.75+ games with my doubles partner. I ended up playing the Hood and P3 mainly due to their location to Bukit Bintang. The tournament itself was further out of town in the Playa Raquet club in Subang Jaya. Here is a walking tour of the facility. It was truly world class.
The Tournament Experience
The Kuala Lumpur Open was my first international DUPR Pickleball Tournament. The price worked out to $100 canadian per event. I registered for singles first as it was easier and then found a Canadian partner through the tournament website, which made it easier for language and splitting tournament fees. My friend even registered for mixed doubles with a local malaysian girl, but told me he got stuck footing the entire registration fee which is something to be aware of. I started communicating with my partner weeks before the tournament and we met up at the P3 facility in Kuala lumpur my first night there to practice.
We had some good practice sessions at various facilities. As the tournament day approached I actually did a staycation nearby the tounament at subang jaya as it was expensive and a long commute with traffic using the local rideshare called grab taxi. The night before we practiced at the picklefy pickleball facility near an airport and it looked like a former airplane hangar. We felt ready for the tournament, but unfortunately we ran into one of the best men’s doubles teams in malaysia for our first round. The court conditions were good as it was covered and early morning. We had a referee that kept score and we even had a livestream feed for all matches. They used a sophisted app called sportssynch for match schedules, score, and video streams.
My Singles match was earlier in the week and as a non rated player my first matchup was against a 5.1 french player from hong kong. I managed to get some points against and had a close 2nd round match against a 4.6 player before getting pickled and humbled in the my 3rd match. I ended my singles tournament as a DUPR 4.1 with low reliability. The magic is that the rating I earn in Malaysia stays with me globally. I will be competing in my next singles 4.0 tournament in bellingham washington, USA.
Summary
This pickleball competitive vacation was my first in familiar destinations that I had lived in as a digital nomad prior to covid. The fact that destinations like Thailand, Singapore,Vietnam, and Malaysia already have so much to offer in addition to pickleball makes them compelling destinations to live, vacation, or even compete in pickleball. The beauty is that you can use your pickleball DUPR rating as a passport to find sessions with some similar players or even compete in DUPR tournaments that impact your global rating. For pickleball players that enjoy travelling and competing this unlocks a whole new realm of possibilities.