Best Places to Retire for Pickleball

May 17, 2023 — Pickleball is exploding in popularity among all groups, but especially with people of retirement age. Participation almost doubled in 1 year, going from 4.8 million players in 2021 to 8.9 million in 2022, according to the Sports & Industry Association.

With that amazing growth comes the accompanying challenge – where can you retire where it’s easy to find pickleball playing companions, and get a court when you want to play? To help answer that question we have assembled a list of the best pickleball places to retire in the country.

In an Active Adult Community?
One way to be sure you can get the pickle you want is to live in an active adult community that is committed to the sport. Many communities are seeing that desire by their residents, and are rapidly expanding their pickleball facilities. For example, Pelican Sound in Estero, FL has a new pickleball pavilion with a restaurant, 8 pickleball and 2 sport courts. Just down the road, the high end community of Mediterra has 7 pickleball courts with many more being built, along with a Sports Cafe. If pickleball is your passion, make sure the communities you are interested in share your commitment.

If you decide to retire in a city or town, not an active adult or 55+ community, there are plenty of those that have gone the extra mile when it comes to pickleball. Here are some of the best.

Swing Racquet + Paddle in Raleigh, NC, is building 28 tennis courts, 25 for pickleball, and 16 padel courts (plus 3 beach tennis courts). Swing is planning many more combined facilities in the Sunbelt.

Bobby Riggs Tennis Club. In Encinitas just north of San Diego, this club has 12 dedicated pickleball courts that are open to members and non-members. Encinitas offers a fabulous lifestyle on the Pacific Ocean. Its YMCA has to be one of the top facilities in the country.

Pickle Lodge in Cincinnati, OH. The facility will feature 17 indoor courts, five outdoor courts, a bar, restaurant and event space. Memberships start at $39/month.

Wireglass Multi-Sports Complex in Wesley Chapel, FL. This giant indoor facility near Tampa includes 16 pickleball courts as well as a fitness center, sports therapy center and is even adjacent to a hotel. It holds camps for many sports including basketball and cheerleading.

Little Valley Pickleball Complex, in St. George, UT. There are 24 courts in the complex, built partly by private donations and owned by the city. St. George, with its deserts and mountains, is becoming the go-to place for outdoor loving retirees.

Sundial Beach Resort & Spa features 12 plex-cushion pickleball courts with stadium seating, accessible to resort guests and the public throughout the year. The resort in Sanibel, FL was hard hit by Hurricane Ian, but the pickleball courts are not only open, there are more courts being built.

Easy to learn, harder to master.

Apt slogan for this new sport

The Villages in Florida is a top destination for pickleballers. The community boasts 150+ courts that are available to residents to enjoy. With almost 150,000 residents, that works out to one court for every thousand residents. And if in the odd chance those are all busy, TV has an endless array of other activities to occupy the folks who live there.

Sun City Hilton Head Pickleball Club, Hilton Head, SC. The private club has 18 community pickleball courts, 12 of which are lighted. The facility welcomes people new to pickleball, and the club hosts many tournaments.

Clearone Sports Center in Orlando was built for badminton, pickleball, and table tennis. It features 13 indoor pickleball courts. The facility is in an air conditioned warehouse that was renovated.

East Naples Community Park in Naples is the undisputed Pickleball Capital of the World, not only hosting national tournaments but open to play by anyone. It has 80 courts in all (65 for pickleball) and features the Zing Zang Championship court.

Pickleball America in Stamford, CT. is the largest indoor pickleball facility in the U.S. with 28 courts in the former Saks Off 5th store in an indoor mall there. Seniors can join for $99/year.

USTA’s national campus in Orlando has 8 pickleball and 4 padel courts at its huge campus there, in addition to all of its tennis courts used for national competitions.

Look out for Padel!

Padel is rising newcomer is the world of paddle sports. It was invented in Mexico and is very popular in Spain, Europe, and Argentina – now exploding in the U.S. Only 200 courts in the U.S., but developers are building more in Florida, California, and New York. Because they are smaller, many of the pickleball and padel courts are built on the smaller, harder to develop portions of properties.

Bottom line

Pickleball’s growth is a phenomenon! If you haven’t played yet, give it a try. The best way to do that is with lessons. If you haven’t been active lately, make sure you warm up and take it easy – although it is a fairly safe sport, a lot of injuries come from falls and over stressing little used muscles.

Comments? Do you have a favorite pickleball facility that we should know about? Have you converted from some other sport like tennis, or playing both (like your Editor, who still has a preference for tennis). Let us know in the Comments section below.

Pickleball supplies at Amazon

For further reading:

What? You Haven’t Tried Pickleball Yet?