北海道のスキーリゾートとして知られるルスツリゾートが、夏の主役にピックルボールを据えた。2025年7月に道内で初めて開いた専用8面コートを舞台に、2026年6月28日（日）、施設名を冠した大会「RUSUTSU Pickleball Open 2026」を開催する。前日の6月27日（土）にはピックルボール日本連盟（PJF）のアンバサダー資格講習会も組まれ、観光リゾートが一日かけて競技の集まる場所へと姿を変える。雪のない季節のリゾートをどう埋めるかという課題に、ラケットスポーツで答えを出そうとする動きであり、夏の遠征先を探す日本のプレーヤーにとっては選択肢がひとつ増えた格好だ。
What the titled open tournament set in motion
The starting point was not stopping at merely building courts. Rusutsu Resort began operating dedicated courts on July 4, 2025, and about a year later stepped into a tournament bearing the facility's name. It's different in character from a court-opening event. A titled tournament is close to a declaration that upgrades the place from a "facility where you can practice" to a "venue where you compete for real." It's precisely because there's a solid count of 8 courts that different events can be run in the morning and afternoon, giving a tournament its shape in a single day.
The tournament's structure is practical too. The morning has doubles (men's, women's, mixed) and men's singles, with each split into beginner and intermediate classes. The afternoon offers "individual random matches" in two tiers, beginner and upper-intermediate. Participants can enter one event each in the morning and afternoon, designed so they can gain multiple match experiences in a single trip. The match format layers a knockout tournament onto a round-robin qualifying stage, and guaranteeing a minimum number of matches rather than just advancing is welcome for those traveling from afar.
The foundation of Hokkaido's first dedicated courts
Supporting this tournament are Hokkaido's first PJF-certified dedicated 8 courts. Built in line with PJF competition standards, they also have spectator seating. They are outdoor courts, and the official ball uses an outdoor 40-hole ball. At the court opening, a fee of ¥3,000 per hour (one court) was shown, and a usage slot with a resort pass was also set up. A snow-sports base has chosen a racket sport as an off-season crowd-drawing device.
That it could step all the way into a titled tournament while there were no other dedicated courts in Hokkaido is because both court count and access were in place. The distance of about 90 minutes by car from New Chitose Airport falls within realistic reach even for traveling players flying in from Honshu. Because the courts are concentrated at one site with 8, the operators can handle matches easily even as entries increase. The facility's scale directly becomes the breadth of the tournament's capacity.
The meaning of the previous day's ambassador course
Not to be overlooked is the PJF ambassador qualification course scheduled for the day before the main event. Held Saturday morning, June 27, it comprises classroom study and practical work, using the seminar hall on the 3rd floor of the Rusutsu Resort Hotel North Wing and the dedicated courts. The course fee is set at ¥4,000 (tax included) for PJF individual members, and ¥5,000 (tax included) for those receiving ambassador certification. The aim shows through in designing the course and the matches back-to-back over two days, rather than the tournament alone.
By placing the course on the previous day, those aspiring to be instructors locally or nearby can proceed to obtaining a qualification along with the tournament. By gathering those who compete and those who teach on the same weekend, the hardest stage after opening courts — "developing the people who will run things afterward within the region" — can be advanced all at once. Rather than leaving courts as a mere dot, it draws people in and expands them into a plane. If a resort is to call itself a competition hub, creating this kind of talent cycle is unavoidable.
Reading it within the resort × competition trend
Rusutsu's move is not a one-off. In the same Hokkaido,Club Med Tomamu has prepared 6 dedicated courts and is moving to fold pickleball into the summer resort experience. In Honshu too,a plan by Hilton Tokyo to bundle a rooftop beer garden and courts into a productand other examples of lodging and tourism operators positioning this sport as a trump card for drawing crowds keep coming. In that a resort can simultaneously boost room occupancy and activity revenue, pickleball is a good fit.
What makes Rusutsu stand out a step ahead is that it didn't stop at offering an experience but stepped all the way into a competitive event — a titled tournament. A resort's crowd-drawing plan and running a win-or-lose tournament are originally different things, and the latter requires operational know-how such as refereeing, scheduling, and matchups. Setting the previous day's qualification course as a package can also be read as a stepping stone toward storing up that operational capability within the region rather than borrowing it from outside. It's a design that tries to run the two wheels of tourism and competition at the same venue.
How to build a summer Hokkaido trip
From a player's perspective, this becomes a new option for a trip plan. Because the divisions are split from beginner to upper-intermediate, even those with little competitive experience can play multiple matches in a day, and even groups or families with differing skill levels can all easily enter. Cool Hokkaido summers are attractive for players who want to avoid the heatstroke risk that dogs Honshu's outdoor tournaments. You can bundle matches, sightseeing, and hot-spring or resort stays into a single itinerary.
If you're planning a trip, first secure lodging before and after with the tournament dates as the axis. Weekends with a qualification course the day before tend to be crowded for lodging, so if you're combining it with a resort stay, securing early is the safe bet. Entries have deadlines: the main tournament is June 21 and the course is June 22. Be sure to check dates and deadlines in the organizer's latest announcements. Since they're outdoor courts, keep in mind that they're affected by weather, which matters for a trip involving travel.
Ripple effects on the domestic pickleball market
Diversifying venues also has an effect on the entire domestic tournament calendar. Until now, Japan's major tournaments have tended to be centered on the Kanto region, and as full-fledged prize-money tournaments,efforts like the KINTO-title-sponsored international tournament in Utsunomiyahave drawn attention. If a permanent Hokkaido venue is added there, tournament operation dispersed by season and region becomes possible. If a split emerges of "cool Hokkaido in summer," it becomes easier to keep competing year-round.
If the structure of tourism operators being involved as sponsors or venue providers spreads, the competition side gains more options for operating funds. Resorts obtain a revenue source in the slow season, competition bodies secure venues and funding, and players get a place that motivates a trip. It's precisely because there's a benefit for each of the three that this kind of collaboration is unlikely to end as a one-time thing. Whether Rusutsu's titled tournament grows into a continuing series will be tested by future editions and participant numbers from next season on.
Practical Information and Related Links
- Tournament name: RUSUTSU Pickleball Open 2026 (Sunday, June 28, 2026, 9:00–17:00)
- Venue: Rusutsu Resort dedicated pickleball courts (Hokkaido, about 90 minutes by car from New Chitose Airport)
- 前日企画：PJFアンバサダー資格講習会（6月27日 土曜・午前、座学＋実技）
- Divisions: in the morning, doubles (men's, women's, mixed) and men's singles split into beginner and intermediate; in the afternoon, individual random matches (beginner, upper-intermediate)
As a related article,Club Med Tomamu's dedicated court preparationswhich followed the movement of resorts taking in the sport, is also worth reading.
Summary
ルスツリゾートの冠オープン戦は、専用8面という器を「練習場」から「本番の会場」へ引き上げ、前日の資格講習で運営の担い手まで巻き込む設計になっている。夏の遠征先を探すプレーヤーが今すぐできるのは、本大会と前日講習それぞれの締切を確認し、出場する種目を午前・午後から選んでエントリーすること、そしてリゾート滞在を兼ねるなら宿泊を早めに押さえることだ。涼しい北海道で試合と旅をひとつにする計画を、選択肢に加えてみてほしい。最新の日程・料金・募集状況は主催の公式告知で必ず確認を。
