Even if you hadn’t heard of pickleball five years ago, chances are you have now. With games popping up everywhere from middle schools and gyms to sports clubs and public parks, pickleball seems to have taken over the Metroplex. That’s as much the case nationally as it is locally, with over 4.9 million players joining just this year, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. Even sports legends like Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Kim Clijsters have taken notice, going as far as investing in their own professional pickleball teams.
With new developments coming to the area like Southlake’s upcoming pickleball complex or Grapevine’s new Chicken N Pickle restaurant opening this month, anyone can see that the fastest-growing sport in America is only going to get bigger from here. And because it’s inexpensive, fun and easy to learn, it isn’t hard to see why.
Small Court, Mass Appeal
A hybrid of tennis, ping-pong and badminton, pickleball was created in 1965 by Washington Lt. Gov. and businessman Joel Pritchard. The game came together one lazy summer afternoon on Bainbridge Island when Joel and his family were trying to think up something to do. Their home had an old badminton court, but Joel couldn’t find enough rackets, so he came up with four wooden ping-pong paddles and a whiffle ball instead.
Together with his friends Bill Bell and Barney McCallum, the creative fathers made up some rules, lowered the net and taught their families how to play what is known today as the game of pickleball.
From the very start, fun and accessibility were at the heart of the game. Played on a miniature 44-foot-long court, the goal is to hit a perforated plastic ball over the 3-foot-high net with a paddle that’s about twice the size of a table tennis racket. And since the court is smaller than your standard 78-foot tennis court, there’s less running involved and less pressure on your joints.
So where did the name “pickleball” come from? One theory claims the game was named after the Pritchards’ dog, Pickles. Another account claims the name was loosely derived from the term “pickle boat,” which is the pickup boat that follows rowing teams.
In either case, pickleball became one of the fastest-growing sports in the U.S. Not only is it easy to play (all you need is a court, four players, a paddle and ball), but just about everyone can participate — kids and grandparents included.
Come One, Come All
Before it became a national phenomenon, pickleball first rose to prominence in tennis-centric states like Virginia, Florida and Minnesota. For Allison McKnight, she discovered the sport while vacationing with her family in Colorado.
“We saw people practicing in their driveways learning how to play and keep score,” Allison says. “That’s when we decided to pick it up ourselves.”
A longtime tennis player with a 4.5 rating, Allison was quickly drawn to pickleball for its ease and being able to play with others regardless of their skill level.
“You can’t play tennis with just everybody, but with pickleball, you can,” Allison expresses. “You can play with your kids, you can play with your parents. It’s a little bit of an equalizer, and a lot more fun and social.”
But while more and more players were joining pickleball across the country, it didn’t become popular in Texas until 2020 when people were looking for socially-distanced activities to participate in. Since then, courts have been packed at venues such as Champions Club and Dove Park in Grapevine.
“The popularity of pickleball has grown significantly since Champions Club opened in 2019,” community service deputy director David Miller says. “We always have players waiting to play during peak times of court rotation. It’s pretty common to see entire families coming together to rent a pickleball court as a way to bond over some fun and games.”
One of the reasons why it has grown so rapidly is because of its barrier of entry. Since matches are played on a smaller court, players can run shorter distances with lower impact.
That accessibility is especially helpful in Becky Hibbard’s case, who couldn’t play tennis anymore after three knee replacements.
“Pickleball is like if ping-pong and tennis had a baby,” Becky says. “It’s not as hard on your body as tennis is, and you can have fun or be as competitive as you want. I play everywhere now.”
But while tennis and pickleball share many similarities, there are some key differences between the two. For one thing, pickleball serves are underhanded, while tennis serves are overhanded. In pickleball, games are played to 11 points, while tennis is a little more complicated with terms like “deuce” and “love.” And in pickleball, you can’t play within 7 feet from the net, or what players call “The Kitchen,” while in tennis, the best players are known to have a strong net game.
Regardless of whether you’re a pro or a novice, it's a simple game to pick up. David says that’s helped tremendously with boosting pickleball’s popularity right here in Southlake.
“It’s a very easy sport to learn and improve at a much more rapid pace than tennis and other paddle sports,” David says. “Many players catch on and can play competitively very quickly, and that’s played a large role in the explosive growth of the sport.”
Where To Get Served
Today, more pickleball-playing opportunities exist in the Metroplex than ever before. One of the newest attractions in Grapevine is Chicken N Pickle, an entertainment complex that houses both pickleball courts and a casual chef-driven restaurant that serves rotisserie chicken, wings and craft beer.
“It just goes hand in hand,” public relations director Rachel Santschi says. “Sometimes people will come to play pickleball, but the next time they come in, they’ll try our food. People come in for one thing and often stay for the other.”
But Chicken N Pickle isn’t the only pickleball-themed restaurant in the area. In Fort Worth, Allison opened her own business last year called Courtside Kitchen, which serves its own salads, sandwiches and specialty cocktails alongside nine pickleball courts, which are usually packed all week long.
“It was an easy decision because it’s so appealing to so many different age groups and ability levels,” Allison explains. “The courts are packed and full all the time. We’ll have players come in and compete in a serious league one day, but then come back and have drinks on another. It’s such a social experience for everyone.”
And if Allison isn't hearing the pop of the paddles at Courtside Kitchen, she’s hearing it at her second business at Texas Christian University's tennis pro shop, where the pickleball program went from 20 signups last year to over 600 this year.
“My son started the pickleball club at his high school, and it had such a big demand in the first year that they had to split it up between freshmen and sophomores playing one day and juniors and seniors playing another,” Allison says. “I think it’s only going to keep moving younger and younger and be viewed as a more competitive sport.”
The city of Southlake is increasing its investment into pickleball as well. Last year, the city council approved a $3.4-million pickleball complex to be developed opposite of the Southlake Tennis Center at Bicentennial Park, which will include one championship court and eight lighted courts for open play. The complex is expected to make its debut later this year.
“The interest in pickleball across the city is already at a high level, and the announcement of the complex has helped the city further understand just how deep the pickleball roots already are,” David says.
So don't be surprised if you start playing and soon have a new, healthy addiction. You'll wake up in the morning, immediately racking your brain for when you can get some play time in during the day. Later, you'll schedule some games, get some outdoor exercise and laugh a lot with your new pickleball besties.
“Pickleball has become a true social activity not only in the city, but across the region as well,” David says. “2023 is going to be an exciting year for the sport of pickleball in Southlake.”
Diana Landau is the content wrangler for Pickleball Media HQ and the co-author of the new “Pickleball For Dummies” book. A former corporate sales and marketing hack, Diana is now enthusiastically diving into the worlds of blogging, podcasts and pickleball.