- December 4, 2025
Hammock Dunes Club Racquet & Sports Director Sandi Rosato said she really enjoys pickleball and the Florida Team Pickleball League competitions.
“Everybody enjoys it, and it's a lot of fun,” Rosato said. “My group has come out and we watch, cheer. And we always finish with a little beer or Prosecco.”
Rosato was recently featured in the Florida Team Pickleball League as a "pro spotlight," detailing how Rosato became introduced to the sport. Rosato has spent over 35 years playing tennis, but fell in love with pickleball after coming to the Hammock Dunes Club.
Rosato was first introduced to pickleball in 2016 in Maryland and hosted an introductory event for pickleball at her country club. Rosato quickly found an interest in the sport.
"It's just addicting," she said. "It's a lot of fun.”
At the Hammock Dunes Club, Rosato said she dove in to playing pickleball with a passion.
“I didn't really play when I was doing events," she said. "When I got here, I started just playing with my members, trying to figure out what the difference was, competing-wise, between tennis and pickle."
The FTPL was founded in 2023, and now has regional leagues and members across the state of Florida. According to its website, the FTPL is open to those 16 and older for locally organized and inexpensive competitors in this team-based competition.
Rosato said the league starts with county-by-county competitions, then regional competitions, and even has state and national levels.
"So it's a league that's kind of building," she said.
Rosato said she joined the FTPL soon after it began in 2023 and typically has several teams competing. The FTPL just finished their 2025 Spring Season competition in April, and the Hammock Dunes Club had three teams competing: a beginner's women's team, an intermediate men's team and an intermediate mixed team.
This year, she said, the women's team went all the way to state.
"Not too bad for their first season," she said.
Over the last five years, pickleball has “taken off” in Flagler County, Rosato said, with her email list of regional players jumping from 40 to more than 150. Hammock Dunes Club is even planning on adding two additional pickleball courts, for a total of eight, to keep up with the interest.
But pickleball isn't just about the sport or competition for Rosato. She said the sport is a great way to find community amongst other players and organizations. People are able to jump in with little formal instruction and play, amongst their own families or with strangers.
The great thing about pickleball, she said, is that “not everybody has to be competitive. Some people just want to play with their friends."
The FTPL spotlight credits Rosato for introducing Team Style Pickleball to the area and bringing Hammock Dunes into the league.
"Sandi is known for her creative, energetic pickleball events, her love of teaching beginners and strategizing with advanced players, and her passion for building camaraderie through team play," the feature reads.
The Hammock Dunes Club posted about Rosato's FTPL feature, saying the racquet and sports director has "built more than just competition, it’s created confidence, connection, and camaraderie… one rally at a time!"
“One of my members, when I started here, asked me if I thought it [pickleball] was a fad," Rosato said. "I was like, no. I think it's gonna be here for a long time.”
