Pickleball -- America's Fastest Growing Sport

US Open Pro Doubles Pickleball Championships

Pickleball, not tennis or golf, is quickly becoming the sport of choice for the nation's over-50 crowd. The sport has been around since the 1960s when it was first played on Bainbridge Island, Washington. It has basically taken off in just the last five years where the demand for courts has overwhelmed city and county governments recreation departments, land developers, and private former tennis and golf only clubs.

The USA Pickleball Association with about 25,000 members projects that over 3 million persons play the game on a recreational or tournament basis. Thus, court time can come at a premium for indoor gyms, city parks, churches and private clubs where the sport is mainly played.

A pickleball court has similar dimensions to a badminton court. The net is 34 inches high and there is a No Volley Zone which extends 7 ft back from the net and by rule a player can only hit a ball in the air (volley) behind that line. Players use a paddle rather than a racquet and the ball is made of a plastic material with holes and looks somewhat like a wiffleball. To start a game the server must serve underhand and the ball must drop below his or her navel. Scoring is done on a points basis and games usually go to 11 x 2 or 15 x 2. Only the serving team can score a point.

While pickleball has become a great sport for retirees to get exercise and to mingle socially, younger players are now getting into the game. Many ex-collegiate tennis players and pro racketball players are finding pickleball more to their liking especially those that are of a more competitive nature. The sport now has many players in the 19-49 age bracket and the pro ranks are growing each year. National sponsors like Margaritaville, Head, Wilson, Prince are now supporting the game and there are major tournaments in such tennis meccas as Indian Wells, California, Naples, Florida, and Atlanta, GA. The US Open and USAPA National Tournaments have over 2,000 registered players yearly and the pro finals of these two events are also tape delayed on CBS Sports.

Because of the growth of the sport both nationally and internationally hundreds of tournaments are scheduled each year to meet the demands of competitive players. Most of these events feature age and skill competition from beginner player to pro. The USAPA has a rating system where tournament results are calculated and posted weekly. In Europe, England, Scotland, Italy, Germany, Spain and France are hosting annual national tournaments. India, Thailand, Japan, China, Australia and New Zealand are also offering national events. The USA Amateur Athletic Union has added pickleball as a junior Olympic sport.

The sports growth has led to a major change in how land development companies promote new gated communities. In the 70s communities use to market their beautiful championship golf courses and their major tennis centers. Now, many developers such as Del Webb are promoting the fact that they have pickleball courts at their new properties as well as the other amenities. One of the biggest private communities in the country, The Villages in North Central Florida, has been the forerunner nationally for promoting the sport to potential homeowners. The property has over 200 courts and of its 100,000 residents about 5,000 are playing pickleball on a regular basis. Private pickleball groups have also been active in building courts such as the new PicklePlex complex in Punta Gorda, FL on the campus of Southwestern University. The PGA is also getting involved in the sport as it will host a pickleball world championship at its new development Verano in Port St. Lucie in December.

Pickleball's future looks bright as more persons take up the sport. City parks tennis courts that had gone in disarray because of low playing demand are now being replaced with pickleball courts. Private tennis clubs are adding the sport by tearing up old unused hard courts and putting in new pickleball courts.

So it looks like the hottest growing sport for the 2020s will be pickleball...the old saying is build it and they will come...and pickleball players are doing just that!