There was discussion about the growth of pickleball in another thread enough so that it seemed to deserve its own discussion. Who plays? How’d you get into it ? Pros? Cons?
I admit to looking up pickleball in my town. There is a whole association and several specific courts! I’m intrigued!
I’ll play when I’m too old for tennis.
I play! I have been fighting an ankle injury and there is less running than tennis, which I have played for over 15 years. One of my favorite parts of tennis has always been play at the net in doubles with lots of volleys. Pickleball has more of that than tennis. You need quick hands and being able to put a spin on the ball is a plus. You also need to be able to bend since the ball doesn’t bounce as high as tennis.
The group I play with is drop in co-ed and it is always a friendly and social, but still competitive game.
It’s huge around here. I haven’t played yet but it looks like a lot of fun. The main complaint is about the noise of the balls–it can be very loud and disturbs neighbors.
Is it a specific ball???
It’s a hard plastic whiffle-type ball. Know the sound of a ping pong ball? Multiply that by 100.
^Yeah, the sound reverberates for quite a distance. Not too peaceful at a campground.
Many of the over 55 communities have pickleball. I’m guessing this is for former tennis players who want to do something sort of similar. There are leagues, and the like.
We had friends who didn’t build in one community they really liked…because it didn’t have pickleball.
I’m going to a 50th HS reunion in a couple of weeks, and a former tennis player has organized a pickleball tourney. Guess it’s fun!
SisIL broke her wrist playing pickleball (I think she tripped and fell). Not so gentle for all of us.
It’s recently become hugely popular here. Rapidly replacing tennis as the #1 source of major injuries among older weekend warrior types. One of the local yacht clubs is actually considering replacing their tennis courts with pickleball courts.
My plan is to take it up when I can’t play tennis anymore. It is growing in my area (Orange County, CA), but is HUGE in the Palm Springs area. I was there for a tennis tournament and it was everywhere (private clubs, city courts, etc…). It looks like a lot of fun. Very social and where I was they were playing music. The tennis pro at one of the clubs we were at said that they have all sorts of leagues out there, depending on how many courts you have.
I’ve never seen it, but have some friends in other areas who love it. It seems especially popular in retirement communities.
My daughter taught a class to college kids when she was in grad school.
I have never heard of it but just found a class for beginners at our Park and Rec District. Looks like fun- I signed up!
"My plan is to take it up when I can’t play tennis anymore. "
That happens to be everybody’s plan. Including me.
Tennis is just beyond me right now but it was so much fun. Pickleball looks like low impact tennis.
I think I can get H interested too (we both used to play tennis all the time).
Local club has 300 members! So obviously a good social outlet!
Not surprisingly, they have a USA Pickleball Assocation. Here’s their fact sheet, including age breakdowns:
"2018 marks the 53rd Anniversary of pickleball, as it was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, a short ferry ride from Seattle, by three enterprising dads – Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum. Their children were bored with their usual summertime activities. It evolved from the original handmade equipment and simple rules into a popular sport throughout North America and is now taking off in other parts of the world.
The origin of the game’s name is thought to be derived from Joel Pritchard’s family cocker spaniel, “Pickles,” who loved to chase stray balls and hide them in the bushes."
In my backyard! And yet I had to look it up. :))
Ya, I read that about the naming of the game/sport. I decline(d) to comment. 
I started pickleball when a local community park complex built several courts alongside tennis courts. I used to be a tennis fanatic until I completely tore my achilles tendon a couple decades ago. Pickleball allows me to enjoy the “tennis” without too much physical strain. Still haven’t made a good transition from tennis to pickleball, though. One, it’s hard to put any top spin since there’s no traction on the plastic ball and the hard racket. Second, when I make what would be a very successful angle shots, forget that in pickleball. Not enough real estate.
If anyone’s getting into this now or in near future, be sure to get a set of rackets separately from the balls. The ones that come with the rackets and the balls usually come with a very flimsy set of balls that don’t last long at all. Get a set of durable balls. These last a long time.
If you only have access to pickleball courts that are outdoors, then stay home or do something else on windy days. I hate the pickleball scoring system, so I just use a modified tennis scoring system.
For those with no pickleball courts, just head over to any tennis courts and use the single service box for singles play and both service boxes for doubles play with no “kitchen” (the lined box nearest to the net where, in pickleball, players can’t step inside to volley, i.e., the ball has to bounce if you step in to make a play).