Have y’all heard about pickleball? If you haven’t, it’s kind of a big dill. It’s one of the fastest growing sports in the country + it is taking a swing right here in the Midlands.

For those of you not familiar with it, pickleball shares similarities with tennis, table tennis + badminton (as well as other paddleball sports).

“Why the funny name?” you may ask. The game was invented in 1965 by three fathers near Seattle, WA. Despite its recent appearance on the scene, there’s some uncertainty about how it got its name. One of the three inventors, Joel Pritchard, had a dog named Pickles who chased the ball and ran away with it when they played – hence the name. Another story posits that it was named after a crew term: “pickle boat,” in which oarsmen are chosen from leftovers of other boats – which fit because the game combined many elements of other sports.

However it got its name, it has official rules, regulations, and even its own organization – the USA Pickleball Association. Here’s the lowdown on the game so you don’t find yourself in a pickle:

It can be played indoors or outdoors.
The court is badminton-sized (20’ x 44’) with a modified tennis net.
The pickleball itself is made of plastic + has holes, like a wiffleball. The paddle is a little smaller than a tennis racquet.
It can be played as doubles or singles – so two to four people.

We could explain all the rules to you – but instead we’ll let this super helpful video do it for us.

Pickleball is a fast-growing sport, in part, because it’s relatively easy to pick up (especially if you’ve played other paddlesports). In 2016, 1.57 million adults said they were “casual” players. By 2017, over 3.1 million people played the game. In 2018, there were 6,885 places to play pickleball in the US.

Not sure where to play pickleball in the Midlands? Here are a few options:

🏓 Barr Road Sports Complex | 213 Barr Rd., Lexington | Register in person for the pickleball league

🏓 Cayce Tennis and Fitness Center | 1120 Fort Congaree Trail, Cayce | $1 per person + $1 paddle rental

🏓 Crooked Creek Park | 1098 Old Lexington Highway, Chapin | Stop by Tuesdays + Fridays from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

🏓 Jeep Rogers YMCA | 900 Lake Carolina Dr. | Playtime is Tuesday + Thursday from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

🏓 Lexington County Tennis Complex | 425 Oaks Dr., Lexington | Courts are available to rent 24 hours in advance

🏓 Pickleball Gibson Park | 244 Duffie Dr., Lexington | Visit the Facebook group to connect on play time

🏓 Pickleball Courts at Trenholm Recreation Park | 3900 Covenant Rd. | Free play on Saturdays + $2 Tuesdays

🏓 Tri-City Leisure Center | 485 Brooks Ave., West Columbia | $1 per visit or $20 per year

Poll

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