What's the 'big dill' this summer? Some would proclaim pickleball, the fastest-growing US sport that's like combining tennis, badminton and ping pong. This new game craze for singles or doubles is picking up social steam in the Brentwood area, too.
Pickleball is played on a badminton-sized court with a 36-inch-high net. Players use paddles, twice the size of ping pong ones, to hit a baseball-sized whiffle ball. It can be played inside or outdoors, is easy to learn in a popular "open play format" through which players can mix and match with dozens of others in a session, and can be recreational or competitive.
Pickleball was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island near Seattle. Three dads whose kids were bored with their usual summertime activities are credited for creating this game. They reportedly named it as a sailing reference to the thrown-together, leftover non-starters in the “pickle boat” of crew races. Pickleball has evolved from original handmade equipment and simple rules into a popular sport with tournaments throughout the United States and Canada, and many European and Asian countries adding courts.
There are currently an estimated 36.5 million pickleball players in the United States, according to Association of Pickleball Professionals data released during January 2023. Pickleball participation has grown an average of 158.6% over the last three years, as indicated by Sports and Fitness Industry Association statistics.
The Pickleball Hall of Fame (PHOF) was established in 2017 as an independent nonprofit corporation. PHOF considers nominees from around the world, and currently inducts four members each year. There's also a Pickleball Magazine and Pickleball Channel.
Pickleball Demographics
American players aged 55 and older were the largest age bracket of pickleball players in the past two years, comprising 19.8% of total participants. Players aged 18 to 34 were the second largest age bracket, making up 18.5% of total participants. The average age of pickleball players is 38.1 years. Pickleball player growth was the fastest among players less than 24 years of age (21%).
What's Needed
Players wear anything breathable and comfortable for weather and temperature: athletic shorts, T-shirts, sweatpants, wicking apparel, athletic shoes and caps or visors when outdoors. A couple of paddles (composite or wooden), a pickle ball (perforated, hollow, plastic), a net and court is all that's required to play. New and used pickleball equipment is sold locally at Play It Again Sports Nashville, DICK'S Sporting Goods, The Tennis Store and online.
Facebook.com/Marketplace/Nashville/Pickleball-Equipment
Lessons
Indoor Sports Complex instructor Melissa Powell conducts group or individual pickleball lessons. as well as pickleball clinics. She's a Tennessee native who is an IPTPA-certified pickleball instructor. She's sponsored by ProLite Pickleball and is a 4.5 tournament rated player. Additionally, pickleball open play on Sundays from 1-5 p.m. inside the complex on the gym floor is offered periodically and can be a quick way to learn from more experienced players.
melpet@bellsouth.net
615.424.6424
Where To Play
Some “picklers” (as the sport’s fervent players are known) who lack dedicated courts on which to play have been resourceful and use painter’s tape to mark makeshift courts in driveways or cul-de-sacs, which are illuminated with vehicle headlights during nighttime games. Others sometimes mark with temporary tape pickleball court lines on idle tennis courts. There are four outdoor pickleball courts at the Indoor Sports Complex, 920 Heritage Way, in Brentwood. The fee is $10 per hour, with reservations being able to be made seven days in advance.
615.370.3471, extension 2110
WCParksAndRec.com (for additional courts)