Bruce Blomgren and Vickie Blomgren of Bennion Deville Homes are putting aside their real estate prowess for a day to participate in the Margaritaville USA National Pickleball Championships. Taking place November 2^nd through the 10^th at hallowed Indian Wells Tennis Garden (home of the BNP Paribas Open), this is perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Blomgrens to play on the national stage, and a fun way to celebrate their passion for the sport. Bruce and Vickie will play on Monday, November 4^th in the 3.0 mixed doubles round.

Bruce and Vickie became avid pickleball enthusiasts through friends who were into the sport. “Vickie and I were introduced by longtime friends who helped us get started and were willing to play with us before we knew how to play very well,” Bruce says. Once the Blomgrens got the hang of it, things really took off. Now Bruce and Vickie play throughout the Coachella Valley and have made pickleball a key focus of their exercise routine and social life, often playing for 2-to-3 hours at a time. “Pickleball is a great sport for husbands and wives who can both play even if they are not at the same level. Luckily Vickie and I are pretty close in playing ability, so we are able to play as a team. Locally, we play at several places. We are Club Champions at Desert Horizons Country Club in Indian Wells. We also play at Fritz Burns Park in La Quinta and we play at Palm Desert Resorter Pickleball Club in Palm Desert. It seems wherever we play, we meet the nicest people and have made many friends through the sport.”

Pickleball has grown in popularity in the resort communities of the desert, with many country clubs electing to either remove tennis courts in favor of, or build facilities that feature, pickleball courts. “There is a growing demand for pickleball in almost all communities, and especially in the 55+ communities,” Bruce adds. “I have seen most of the high-end communities in the desert embrace pickleball by either adding pickleball courts or converting some of the unused tennis courts to pickleball courts. You can get 4 pickleball courts from 1 tennis court, so it doesn’t require a lot of space, and is a great way to exercise and have fun.”

Playing in the Margaritaville USA National Pickleball Championships represents a unique challenge and an honor for Bruce and Vickie, who had to qualify to earn a spot in the national tournament. “Earlier this year we played in our first tournament, the Palm Desert Senior Games, which was a qualifying tournament for the national championships. All of the entries for the national tournament then went into a lottery due to the popularity of the tournament, and we were selected to participate through the lottery process. This may be our only chance to play in this tournament, unless we keep improving, and since the tournament is in our backyard, we felt it was something we needed to do. We are going to enjoy the experience and hope to win a couple of matches,” Bruce concludes.

Bruce Blomgren is an Executive LUXE Director with Bennion Deville Homes. He has been a respected Broker Associate since 1980 and a desert resident since 1984. Bruce and his son Keith spearhead the Blomgren & Blomgren team, based out of the Indian Wells office of Bennion Deville Homes. Since 1998, the Blomgren & Blomgren team has participated in over $1 billion in transactions in some of the valley’s most prestigious areas. Developments such as Bighorn Golf Club, Mirada Estates, The Reserve Golf Club, The Tradition, Toscana Country Club, Desert Horizons Country Club, Clancy Lane, The Estates at Marriott, and Rancho La Quinta, to name a few, represent a high concentration of the team’s business and reflect the first-class image for which the Blomgren & Blomgren name is synonymous.

Client perception is paramount, and it easily translates to the bottom line. Bruce makes certain his staff and team members embrace the concepts and standards he has created since he started in the business in 1980. Having assembled a great team of professionals, Bruce is able to focus on identifying and fulfilling the needs of his clients. Bruce’s enthusiasm for success is evident in all areas of his life. Both in and out of the office, his massive reservoir of knowledge is only exceeded by his friendly and down-to-earth nature. This, coupled with his authentic approach to customer satisfaction, earns him many referrals and recommendations, which are the foundation of his real estate business. Bruce has earned the reputation of and is well known as “Representing the Ultimate in Luxury Real Estate.”