{"id":16251,"date":"2023-02-01T10:40:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-01T15:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vacayou.com\/magazine\/?p=16251"},"modified":"2024-12-18T10:14:53","modified_gmt":"2024-12-18T15:14:53","slug":"what-is-pickleball","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vacayou.com\/magazine\/what-is-pickleball\/","title":{"rendered":"America’s “It” Game: What Is Pickleball?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Zero-zero-start!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you understand that score, then you are already familiar with the sport of pickleball, a combination of tennis, badminton and table tennis all rolled into one. And one of the fastest-growing recreational sports in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to USA Pickleball, 4.2 million people were playing pickleball in 2020, a 21 percent increase over the previous year. But what is pickleball?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPickleball is popular because it allows people to turn off their phones and the TV and get together with friends to laugh and play,\u201d explains Dylan Beeson, owner of Travel-Well<\/a>, a travel consultancy that arranges luxury pickleball-centric travel experiences, team-building retreats and clinics.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pickleball Versus Tennis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While very similar, some major distinctions separate pickleball from tennis. The pickleball court is smaller than a tennis court (about half the size), for one thing. That means you don\u2019t have to run as much for balls, which makes it particularly appealing to older adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Although, pickleball has quickly morphed into a game that is popular for all ages and is even gaining traction as a professional sport. It will undoubtedly be an Olympic sport sooner rather than later. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pickleball games are fast and fun, and can be played indoors or out. The rules are slightly different than tennis. For instance, all serves are underhand and the ball must bounce twice before being volleyed after a serve. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

No volleys can be hit from the box nearest to the net, which is called \u201cthe Kitchen.\u201d Both of these rules were created to prevent people from slamming the ball at their opponents from close range. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The scoring is also different from tennis, with games going up to 7, 11 or 15 points. Points can only be earned on your own serve and not your opponents\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, no faults on serves are allowed. If you flub a serve, you lose your turn. And \u201cthe dink,\u201d a signature soft shot hit near the net to fall into the opponent\u2019s Kitchen, rules the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The game is typically played with four players, but it can also be played on half a court with just two players. It is also inexpensive to purchase equipment. You can buy a paddle and balls\u2014which look like whiffle balls\u2014on Amazon or at a local sports store for under $50.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Play Pickleball<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cThe best way to start playing pickleball is to simply do it,\u201d says Beeson, who started with the sport when he visited his in-laws\u2019 lake house in Minnesota a couple of summers ago. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey had built a pickleball court in the woods,\u201d he recalls, \u201cand I picked up a paddle and couldn’t stop the whole trip.\u201d Once back home, he began playing daily. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs soon as you can, I recommend getting into a free or inexpensive clinic at a local park or pickleball establishment,\u201d he says. \u201cYou will learn etiquette, scoring and strategy, and create the muscle memory that it takes to get in the groove. Pickleball is such a forgiving sport and so much easier than tennis, with a shorter learning curve.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traveling to Perfect Your Game<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The social aspect of pickleball makes it perfect for travelers. For instance, when I travel I use Playtime Scheduler<\/a>, which lists public courts, games and clinics I could join. I ended up playing several times while in Florida. Other apps for finding and scheduling games include Pickleball+, Pickleball Locator, Places2Play and PicklePlay. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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However, if you are looking for more than a pick-up game here and there, it can be tough to find resorts that offer pickleball vacations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why I started Picklewell,\u201d says Beeson, \u201cWhen I began looking for resorts with pickleball courts, I found nothing. And then a lightbulb went off in my head.  I could work with properties to create pickleball vacations. The result is that today, we have 30 properties on our curated list.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He’s right. Higher-end resorts are now taking notice of the pickleball craze. Examples include Sanctuary Camelback Mountain<\/a> in Scottsdale, Arizona, with four pickleball courts (but tellingly, only three tennis courts), JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa<\/a> in Phoenix, Arizona, which has 17 lighted courts on the property, the\u00a0Plaza Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, which has 12 lighted courts on its roof and La Quinta Resort, in La Quinta, California, with eight courts. Most of these resorts schedule regular pickleball clinics, drills, lessons and round-robins for guests.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was surprised to find that cruise ships are another option for those looking for play. Lines like Princess, Carnival and Holland America offer courts and sometimes even lessons on board. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, many tennis resorts, like the Roy Barth Tennis Center at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina, Cliff Drysdale Tennis at Hawks Cay Resort<\/a> in the Florida Keys, Total Tennis in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York and Topnotch Resort in Stowe, Vermont, are now also offering pickleball courts and clinics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh, the Places You Can Play!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Travel-Well organizes three types of pickleball vacations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n