Have Post-Holiday Family Fun at the House of Pickleball!
What do you get when you combine tennis, ping pong, badminton, and social hour? Pickleball!
With its accessibility to all age groups, simple rules, and focus on friendly-ness over competition, pickleball is a truly fun sport for families, friends and competitors alike.
Leland, North Carolina just happens to be a hub of pickleball prowess with the opening of the state-of-the-art indoor House of Pickleball facility.
Learn more about this unique sport below, and contact Visit Leland to book a pickleball voyage to see what all the hype is about.
What Is Pickleball?
Although the term pickleball might be new to you, the components of the game will ring a bell. The recipe for pickleball is one part tennis, one part ping pong, a dash of badminton, and a healthy dose of comradery. Balls are served and volleyed across a net using ping pong-like paddles. The rules follow those of tennis & badminton. The laughter and chatting you hear is similar to any other social gathering.
Pickleball is cherished as a sport anyone can play. The learning curve is short and the action is low-impact, so it doesn't matter if you are a player aged 7 or 77, you can start playing quickly.
What's With the Silly Name?
Pickleball is an entertaining sport, starting with its name. While most players don't have an explanation for the name, it is believed by some that it was penned by pickleball founder Joel Pritchard's wife, Joan. As a competitive rower, the sport is said to have reminded her of the pickle boat in rowing, made up of random people from other boats. Since pickleball is a mash-up of other sports and levels of athleticism, the story seems to fit, and the name has officially stuck.
A Brief History of Pickleball
Pickleball came into existence in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Joel Pritchard and Bill Bell created the game for their families when they were unable to find all the parts for their badminton set. The men used a lowered badminton net, ping pong paddles, a perforated plastic ball, and made up rules borrowed heavily from badminton.
Though it has evolved since then, the basics are still the same. The most significant change is in the sport's reach. In 2005 the USA Pickleball Association was formed, and in 2016, the Sports & Fitness Industry Association estimated that there were 2.5 million participants in the US. This number is growing every day as the popularity of pickleball continues to rise.
