Coaches

It was love at 0-0-2 for me with pickleball. As a kid I played a lot of tennis and table tennis. In June of 2014, I played my first pickleball game. I was hooked!! Like so many others, I became a pickleball addict. My marketing consulting work at the time had me traveling all over and I would arrange for private lessons with some of the world’s best pickleball players. My addiction grew stronger. There was no turning back for me. I was “all in” with pickleball.

I started teaching beginner and intermediate pickleball clinics in 2016. At that time, I also assumed a larger volunteer role with Upstate Pickleball to help grow the game in the greater Greenville, SC area. In 2021, with Sandy Halkett as the lead, I helped start Adaptive Pickleball (501c3 nonprofit) and currently serve on APB’s board of directors.

Outside of pickleball, I’m a self-employed marketing strategist. My business career includes playing instrumental corporate marketing roles with Starbucks and Whole Foods. I’ve written a few business books and have traveled the world speaking at conferences. I’m a person who stutters and I lead an adult stuttering community group in Greenville, SC to help people embrace their disfluency in order live an uncompromised life. Oh… did I mention that I’m addicted to pball?

Contact John
512.633.4086
UpstatePickleball864@gmail.com

Sandy Halkett is passionate about teaching sports. She’s been a LPGA Class A Golf Teaching Professional for over twenty years. Since 2000, Sandy has served as the head coach of the Greenville Special Olympics Golf Team. In 2020, Sandy founded Adaptive Pickleball, a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to teaching people with diverse-abilities (physical, cognitive, and developmental challenges) how to play pickleball.

Sandy is a volunteer leader with Upstate Pickleball and has been teaching Pickleball clinics since 2018. She regularly medals in Pickleball tournaments. Her teaching style isn’t cookie-cutter. Sandy’s teaching method takes into consideration that we are all individuals with unique skill levels, body types, limitations, and life experiences.

Sandy is married to Scotty Halkett, the Head Men’s Soccer Coach at USC Upstate. They have 3 children, 3 cats, 1 dog and a turtle. Besides playing golf, she loves spending time with family, fishing and of course, playing pickleball.

Contact Sandy
864.420.5779
AdaptivePickleball@gmail.com