OT. Pickleball and country clubs

[Tommy Williamsen]

Pickleball is the latest new game to sweep the nation. People are giving up tennis to play it. I live at a little resort in the VA mountains. We have (had) member four tennis courts. One has been turned into three pickleball courts. Two others will become pickleball courts in the spring, leaving only one tennis court. I know the country club outside DC, where I was a member for 30 years, is doing something similar. I suspect other clubs are building courts.


What's happening where you live?
Do you play?

[Kyle Casella]

In the northeast, Padel still reigns supreme but pickle is certainly gaining steam.


Similar story at my mountain club in CA. We had five tennis courts. One was converted to four pickle courts and one is a hybrid with two pickle / tennis. Then they built two separate pickle courts. So now we have six dedicated pickle courts plus the hybrid. On summer weekends you can't get a time to play unless you book over a week in advance. There is an ongoing war between the tennis committee and pickle committee on further court conversions  .

[David_Tepper]

Pickleball = racket sport in its lowest form.

[Ian Mackenzie]

In the northeast, Padel still reigns supreme but pickle is certainly gaining steam.


Similar story at my mountain club in CA. We had five tennis courts. One was converted to four pickle courts and one is a hybrid with two pickle / tennis. Then they built two separate pickle courts. So now we have six dedicated pickle courts plus the hybrid. On summer weekends you can't get a time to play unless you book over a week in advance. There is an ongoing war between the tennis committee and pickle committee on further court conversions  .

Padel or Paddle...?...two distinctly different games.


Paddle Tennis - or Paddle - is a huge east coast and Midwest game. The nationals are hosted at our club in Chicago.


Padel - pronounced "Pah-Dell" is a European game that is only now coming to the US and combines tennis and paddle together. It's a ton of fun but not played at traditional country clubs yet.


Pickleball is the fastest growing game in the US right now and most golfers hate it as it makes the shittiest possible noise that seems to waft all over the grounds.


But, it's taking over tennis thats for sure.

[Kyle Casella]

In the northeast, Padel still reigns supreme but pickle is certainly gaining steam.


Similar story at my mountain club in CA. We had five tennis courts. One was converted to four pickle courts and one is a hybrid with two pickle / tennis. Then they built two separate pickle courts. So now we have six dedicated pickle courts plus the hybrid. On summer weekends you can't get a time to play unless you book over a week in advance. There is an ongoing war between the tennis committee and pickle committee on further court conversions  .

Padel or Paddle...?...two distinctly different games.


Paddle Tennis - or Paddle - is a huge east coast and Midwest game. The nationals are hosted at our club in Chicago.


Padel - pronounced "Pah-Dell" is a European game that is only now coming to the US and combines tennis and paddle together. It's a ton of fun but not played at traditional country clubs yet.


Pickleball is the fastest growing game in the US right now and most golfers hate it as it makes the shittiest possible noise that seems to waft all over the grounds.


But, it's taking over tennis thats for sure.

I meant Paddle but for some reason my brain wrote Padel!

[Mike Bodo]

Our club has a strong tennis program and but one pickleball court with room for a second. I hope it stays that way. That said, I know a lot of private clubs in SE Michigan have converted a number of their tennis courts to pickleball courts.

[David_Tepper]

Paddle tennis (aka platform tennis) is mostly a winter sport played outside in the north/northeast with a sponge-ish rubber ball on a court that is surrounded by wire mesh walls. The ball can be played off the mesh walls, as in racketball and squash.

http://www.platformtennis.org/about_us/What-is-Platform-Tennis.htm

Paddle tennis is also the name for an outdoor sport popular in Southern California that is played on a scaled-down tennis court. It is usually played with a tennis ball that has been punctured.

https://www.britannica.com/sports/paddle-tennis
 
Pickleball and padel are different games.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

There is now a Pro Tour for Pickleball with a TV contract !

https://www.ppatour.com/
https://www.ppatour.com/watch/

[David_Tepper]

"There is now a Pro Tour for Pickleball with a TV contract !"


Looks like pro pickleball had an easier time getting a TV contract than LIV golf.

[Mike Bodo]

Dang! They're the envy of Greg Norman and LIV. That's some serious network coverage.

[Jason Topp]

The noise is annoying but the game is very fun.  Unlike golf, someone can play well enough the first time to participate meaningfully in a doubles match.  I find it more like ping-pong than tennis but it is definitely a hybrid of the two.

[Walker Thomas]

I am a huge pickleball fan. I play 2 - 3 times a week. It's not just for old people! A major appeal of pickle is how easy it is to pick up and soon after play competitively. Unlike tennis where a wide skill gap between the beginner and the veteran makes it unenjoyable for everyone. My home club is landlocked and not willing to give up any tennis courts (and thankfully any parts of the course) for pickle courts though. They've been working through different possibilities for a while now.
That said, I like golf more. Golf course architecture is also more interesting than pickleball court architecture.

[David_Tepper]

I remember when racquetball was the hot new racket sport back in the 1980's. There were pro tournaments with prize money. Anyone remember Marty Hogan?

After "the boom" it pretty much faded away over the following 10-20 years. I wonder what the half-life of pickleball will be.

[Mike Bodo]

I remember when racquetball was the hot new racket sport back in the 1980's. There were pro tournaments with prize money. Anyone remember Marty Hogan?

After "the boom" it pretty much faded away over the following 10-20 years. I wonder what the half-life of pickleball will be.

I remember raquetball being huge the late 70's to mid 80's. Clubs were popping up left and right for awhile. In the mid to late 90's many of these same clubs converted their courts to Wallyball due to decreased membership and play. Many of these clubs were sold and converted into fitness centers in the early 2000's.

[Steve Lapper]

I remember when racquetball was the hot new racket sport back in the 1980's. There were pro tournaments with prize money. Anyone remember Marty Hogan?

After "the boom" it pretty much faded away over the following 10-20 years. I wonder what the half-life of pickleball will be.

Pickleball is here to stay. The wide age demographic, easy learning curve, use of space....and the comparative safety from severe injury all suggest this sport will continue to grow for decades. I just converted a few more of our tennis courts over and still have excessive demand, especially from our older members.

[Tommy Williamsen]

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[PCCraig]

I've played Pickleball a number of times and it's become very popular at WBYC. We have six tennis courts, and the two hard courts were quasi converted into six pickle courts. They have pickleball nights where couples play then have dinner and they usually sell out and have a wait list to get in.


Like Jason mentions above, it reminds me more of table tennis but it's pretty fun.


When I'm not playing squash, paddle tennis is my favorite winter racquet sport. I was on the Paddle Tennis team in high school and have played many times at Ian's club!

[Steve_ Shaffer]

At my residential community in the West Valley of Phoenix with 3 golf courses, we have 1300 members of the Pickleball Club and 20 courts with 16 more under construction. Pickleball is here to stay. Take a look:

https://www.pcpickleball.org/about-us

[Kevin_Reilly]

I started playing early in 2020 as it was one of the only Covid activities available (even though at various times the local courts required singles-only play (which is terrible...no interest in that) and sometimes wearing masks.


I haven't played in a bit but would jump to do so.  Very fun, steep learning curve (as soon as someone masters a third shot drop they can play with very good players) and very social.


Unlike racketball (where you usually had to join a club/gym), pickleball is much more available for play to anyone.  And again, the steep learning curve is great.


Only negative in my experience is the Achilles/calf injuries we had early on.  Each of us now knows that it is a good idea to stretch well before playing.  The sound also is a negative for residential areas.  In the future there will be more requirements for muted paddles/balls.

[John Kavanaugh]

The Villages has scheduled a town meeting concerning the effect muted balls could have on local wildlife.

[Tim Martin]

Unlike racketball (where you usually had to join a club/gym), pickleball is much more available for play to anyone.  And again, the steep learning curve is great.

Almost every town’s recreation department in my area offers instruction, leagues and tournaments.

[Daryl David]

Aging population combined with Pickleball is an orthopedic surgeon’s wet dream. I know several surgeons that love the sound of that ball. 

[JLahrman]

A guy who lives down the street from me just had knee surgery, he was anxious to recover so he could start playing pickleball again. He is about 70 and has a vanity plate that says "PLY PICKLBLL" or something along those lines.


Until last summer I lived in Austin TX. Pickleball was definitely picking up steam there, and it was not uncommon to see pickleball players setting up shop on tennis courts in the public parks. There weren't any dedicated pickleball courts. Unsurprisingly, this was leading to a lot of tension and bad blood between tennis players and pickleball players.


Now living in Grand Rapids MI, one thing I've noticed is that the majority of public parks have both pickleball and tennis courts. The paddle sounds are definitely annoying, but tennis and pickleball players get along much better here!

[Dan Boerger]

My observation from our club ...


Men's tennis is struggling.


Women's is also struggling but not as much.


Paddle Tennis remains very popular.


Pickleball has taken over two of our tennis courts.


But, watch out for Padel ... very much gaining in popularity in these parts ...

[Jason Topp]

I remember when racquetball was the hot new racket sport back in the 1980's. There were pro tournaments with prize money. Anyone remember Marty Hogan?

After "the boom" it pretty much faded away over the following 10-20 years. I wonder what the half-life of pickleball will be.

I remember raquetball being huge the late 70's to mid 80's. Clubs were popping up left and right for awhile. In the mid to late 90's many of these same clubs converted their courts to Wallyball due to decreased membership and play. Many of these clubs were sold and converted into fitness centers in the early 2000's.

I played a lot when young.  I think the game was killed by improved racket technology.  Points between good players became one or two shots.