Player Profile: Lilly Murphy

Like so many others, Lilly Murphy started playing pickleball during the pandemic after a friend invited her to give it a try. “It better be worth it,” Murphy remembers muttering to herself as she drove from her home near the Golden Gate Bridge to the Louis Sutter courts in McLaren Park. She was hooked. That drive became familiar as she drove it almost every day for months. In no time, she made a new crew of friends. “It felt like the bar in Cheers where everyone knows your name.”

Starting pickleball during Covid was a magical time. Everyone was incredibly friendly and all levels enjoyed playing with each other. Now Lilly plays at the Goldman Center, Presidio Wall, Larsen and the Bay Club. “It’s great. There are always new players to meet. It keeps the game fresh!”

Her passion for pickleball stumbled into a business.  One of four business partners in DinkSF, Lilly is involved in daily operations. She enjoys instructing beginners who want to “learn the game and catch the fever”, plus managing and sponsoring private pickleball events. Despite the challenges of running a popup business, DinkSF has built a warm and inviting environment for “beginner” and “advanced beginner” players at the Palace of Fine Arts. She is also a USA Pickleball Ambassador and constantly advocates for more courts throughout SF.

When pickleball is not on her calendar app, Lilly spends her time traveling, doing landscape/botanical pastels and is on the volunteer board for SFBATCO (SF Bay Area Theatre Company) as a very enthusiastic supporter of their stage productions. She remains a culture vulture at heart.

But these days with family, personal court play time, DinkSF duties, SFBATCO, and friends, her days are measured mainly by the “pop” of a pickleball.

-Judy Goddess