The Golden Bachelor Adds Extra Star Power to Nationals

Gerry Turner, a pickleball player himself, made the rounds at the National Championships on Friday.

By Stephen Hunt - Red Line Editorial

FARMERS BRANCH, Texas -- Gerry Turner, best known as “The Golden Bachelor,” created a buzz Friday when he stopped by the 2023 Biofreeze USA Pickleball National Championships powered by Invited and the PPA Tour.

Turner, 72, a widower from Hudson, Indiana, is the first Golden Bachelor on ABC’s new reality series, a spinoff of the popular dating show “The Bachelor,” which began in early fall 2023 with 22 contestants and as of early November was down to three women vying to become his wife.

Besides off-roading on all-terrain vehicles and classic cars, another of Turner’s interests is playing pickleball, which he has been doing for close to three years.

“I think (pickleball) is one of the perfect activities,” he said.

In fact, he’s even found himself a “pickleball wife.”

“(She’s) a very nice woman who plays well with me and she keeps me grounded,” Turner said. “I have a great time with her.”

Turner has played mixed doubles in several small, local tournaments back in Indiana, but admitted the experience of being at nationals is incomparable. His itinerary on a packed Friday included playing pickup games on Pickleball Boulevard, an afternoon game with some professionals, and handing out medals to amateur players late in the day.

“This is fantastic,” he said of the buzz-filled environment at nationals. “Everybody’s having a good time. It’s an athletic environment. Look around, there’s no frowns, everybody’s happy. Yes (good vibes only), it’s happy.”

In July 2023, Turner — who has two grown daughters and lost his wife to a sudden illness in 2017 — was announced as the star of the first season of “The Golden Bachelor,” a concept originally developed in 2020 but was delayed several years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The series began in September 2023 and is scheduled to air its final episode on Nov. 30.

Turner is a former restauranteur who worked for and was a partner and sole franchise owner of Mr. Quick Hamburgers, a chain founded in Illinois in 1965 that grew to over 300 locations across 13 states in the 1960s and 1970s. He left Mr. Quick in 1985 and continued to work in food sales and also managed a Gold’s Gym but is now retired.

Almost from the moment his fellow picklers realized that he was on the grounds for nationals at Brookhaven Country Club in Farmers Branch, Texas, on Friday, there was a distinct buzz in the air. Other pickleball fans watched intently as Turner autographed paddles atop the USA Pickleball trailer; others offered their kind words to him, and some tried to snap a photo or two of TV’s newest reality sensation who also happens to play the current fastest-growing sport around.

And maybe the most popular stop on his itinerary was the mid-morning meet-and-greet he had with fans outside the USA Pickleball trailer. While there, fans could interact with Turner, get a picture and receive one of “The Golden Bachelor”-themed special pickleball paddles he signed while atop the trailer.

It was a flurry of activity as well over 100 fellow picklers and other well wishers traversed through the line for their moment with Turner, a show of support he was extremely grateful for.

“It is (cool to meet so many fans of the show),” he said. “It’s very sweet and everyone is having a good time.”

Of course, Turner was in his element on several fronts, not only when interacting with the passionate fans of the show but fellow picklers to boot.

As to why he loves the sport? It’s a lot of things, he said.

“You get good exercise,” Turner began. “You’re out amongst people, so you’re staying alert and active, and then the social side of it where you’re making friends. I think it’s the perfect activity. It’s easy for every level of competency, and there’s the fantastic socializing side of it. When you’re sitting down in between games, you get to know people and you get to make good friends.”

Like most contestants on dating shows like “The Golden Bachelor,” Turner has a few dealbreakers when it comes to selecting which contestant will get the final rose.

“I’d like to have someone who is fit and somewhat athletic,” he said, “but if they don’t play pickleball, that’s not a dealbreaker at all.”

Catch “The Golden Bachelor” on Thursdays on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.

Stephen Hunt is an accomplished freelance writer and sports statistician who has been blessed to cover a multitude of subjects and sports in his time. He is a freelance contributor to USA Pickleball on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.