And the Newest Active Community Craze is …. Pickleball?
Category: General Retirement Issues
You thought maybe you would be spending a lot of time on the golf course or tennis court once you retired. But you might just be surprised about that, as our faithful correspondent Len discovered after he moved to The Villages, Florida. As he told us recently: “Pickleball has supplanted golf as my primary outdoor activity since I moved to The Villages. It’s good exercise and is somewhat addictive!”
Len is not alone – pickleball has caught active adult communities by storm. Many developments are converting tennis courts to pickleball courts, which gives the advantage of getting more courts in the same space. The sport is a bit of a cross between platform tennis, tennis, and ping pong. Since the court is about a fourth the size of a tennis court, there is less ground to cover, which a lot of aging bodies appreciate. It is also easier to pick up than tennis, which requires practice and/or lessons for proficiency. The world championships of pickleball are held, where else, in The Villages.
Not everyone is as pleased about pickleball’s ascendance though, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article, “In Retirement Communities, A Red-Hot Sport Leaves Some with a Sour Taste“. Tennis players are concerned about the land grab going on, and are not pleased to see their courts being converted to pickleball use. Close neighbors of pickleball courts are very unhappy about the noise factor. The ball makes a loud popping sound when struck by the paddle. And, just as many owners of homes next to golf tees have discovered, loud trash-talking and bad-shot expletives can be annoying as a feature of everyday life. Many communities are having heated discussions about court location, hours, and noise. A few have even initiated rules for the minimum distances courts must be from neighboring homes.
Don’t Miss the Video – How It’s Played
Comments….Pickleball Anyone?
Comments on "And the Newest Active Community Craze is …. Pickleball?"
old nassau says:
Read the WSJ article: the interplay between/among H/COA's, pickleballer's, tennis players, and residents highlights the ever-evolving relationship between homeowners and their elected associations recently discussed in TR's "Home Owners Associations" blog article. Those who do not participate in a participatory democracy see p'ball courts as "land grabs"; those who do, as an outcome of petitions, meetings, and votes.
Eventually, my crystal ball says, after much screaming and yelling, compromises will be worked out about hours of play and distances from residences. Then, some new cause for outrage will arise......
gay says:
Where can I find a place to play pickleball in Thailand?
gary says:
Pickleball is a huge sport in The Villages! Each recreation center has pickleball courts and they are always jam packed! It’s a great little sport and it seems that The Villages is becoming the #1 location in the country for pickleballers!
CBS also just did a segment on The Villages and the 90 miles of golf cart paths! Here is a link to the video if you are interested Bill Geist Villages Golf Cart Segment!
joan says:
We recentley visited friends at the Mariner sands in Stuart FA. Our first activity was an introduction to Pickel Ball. We had a blast.Love the little courts and using a wiffle ball makes it quite challenging. Got a great work out. I love it!
ct craig says:
We will be going to Amsterdam and cruising the Rhine river in April. Does anyone know where to play pickleball or any contact numbers?
Thank you
ct
Robert says:
Es gibt keine "pickelball" in Amsterdam oder Deutschland. Warum würden Sie wollen, um eine wunderbare Reise und Kreuzfahrt nehmen und spielen Essiggurkenballentwürfe (pickleball)???
Was zu spielen Essiggurkenballentwürfe - zu Hause bleiben und zahlen meinen Weg auf der Kreuzfahrt.
LOL = wanna play pickleball on such a beautifull trip - stay home and pay my way for the cruise. I will better use of it.
ct says:
Thank you for the information Robert. Unfortunately I cant read German. I do plan on enjoying the trip and would love to play while we are there also. Enyoy your day.
Robert says:
ct - don't know about the ball but they have some GREAT PICKLES in Germany.
try it - you will like it.
Have a great trip.
Robert
Bernadette says:
Who says we don't play pickleball in Amsterdam. We do and we love it! We try to make it big in the Netherlands. First international tournament in May 2014. You can find our group on facebook 'Amsterdam Pickleball Players'.
Pamela says:
Does anyone know how I can learn where they play pickleball in Puerto Rico?
Joanne says:
I will be in Germany in September 2015 for a month. (Stuttgart, Heidelberg,Heilbronn, Berlin, Wittenberg, Boeblingen and Sindelfingen) where can I play pickleball? ?? Please help.
says:
I will definitely play this pickle ball soon. Can't wait!
Ron says:
Sorry but pickle ball has been around for many many years!