HOLLY HILL · A SHARED VISION, A SHARED GAME
Pictona at Holly Hill: The Dream That Became a Place to Belong
Pictona began with people who wanted more room to play and were willing to build something substantial around that simple wish. Its Holly Hill story is about the generosity, persistence, and local partnership that can turn a game into a community.
01
Four people kept the idea moving
Pictona’s history identifies its founding four as Chuck Mecklem, Doug McClintock, Julie Martens, and Rainer Martens. Their search for more pickleball courts led to conversations with Holly Hill about developing a facility at Hollyland Park.
The city saw possibility in the idea. The Martens offered a major private contribution, and a partnership with Holly Hill gave the project a way forward.
I find that beginning more interesting than a court count. People recognized something they wanted the community to have, then accepted the work of bringing it into existence.
A public place often begins that way: a small group sees an opportunity before everybody else can see the finished thing. The first task is helping enough people imagine it together.
02
The ambition included life around the game
Pictona’s early plans included courts, a clubhouse, other recreational activities, and a community garden. The restaurant’s name, The Kitchen, makes a cheerful connection with pickleball’s non-volley zone.
Those details show an ambition wider than the playing surface. The project made room for the people around the game and for the time between games.
That is something I appreciate about a place designed for participation. The activity brings people in, while the setting allows relationships to develop around it. A conversation can continue after the last point.
The garden is a particularly warm part of that original vision. Growing something and playing something are different activities, but both give people a reason to return, pay attention, and share a place with others.
03
A beginner becomes a familiar face
The most important transformation at a sports venue can be very ordinary. Someone arrives unsure, begins learning, and eventually becomes a person who knows the place.
Pictona’s instruction and different forms of play give that process a local setting. A first attempt has somewhere to happen, and a developing interest has room to continue.
I like the way a shared game can make introductions easier. People have something concrete to do together. The conversation does not have to begin with a complete account of who everyone is.
Over time, names become familiar. Another game becomes something to look forward to. The court remains the same size, but the person’s relationship with the place grows.
04
Holly Hill helped give the dream a home
The partnership between the founders and the city is central to the story. Pictona became a physical expression of something people believed Holly Hill could be.
That gives the facility a civic meaning as well as a sporting one. A city gains a place where residents and visitors can meet through participation, with room for serious competition and everyday enjoyment.
The DeLand Family YMCA story explores another way a shared activity becomes part of local belonging. Pictona has its own origin and identity, shaped by a particular group’s commitment to pickleball and Holly Hill.
What stays with me is the distance between wishing there were more courts and helping create a place like this. The founders and their partners turned an interest into a lasting invitation. The people who keep playing give that invitation a life of its own.
That is a generous local ambition worth knowing in Volusia County Stories.