Like me, if you are somewhat addicted to pickleball, we are both on the same page in finding every court near where we stay or go. It might seem a little weird, but those who have fallen in love with pickleball can only realize the emotion we carry on.
For those who are still wondering why I am indicating this, for you, it might be interesting to know about pickleball, the great indoor and outdoor sport these days.
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Why Pickleball Courts are On the Increase
For a couple of decades, pickleball has been experiencing the most remarkable growth in the USA among all indoor and outdoor sports. Since its birth in 1965 in a backyard, it is now ruling the courts all over the US. A surprising number of picklers are now playing pickleball regularly or occasionally.
As per usapickleball.org, the number has grown to 4.8 million players by 2021. More than 8,000 places and 30,000 courtyards are located throughout the country. While you are searching for the nearest courtyard, some of the facts might help you with pickleball.
Places to Play: About 9,524 places in the USA till 2021, as per the Places2Play Database.
Courtyards: Around 38,140 courts in the USA till 2021, as per the Places2Play Database.
Why Should You Search for a Suitable Pickleball Court?
If you are regular on your pickleball mission, you have already faced that bitter truth about the so-called courts, developed by non-professionals and profit-seekers. Not every court near you can provide you with enough facilities and prospects. And there you also need skilled players with whom you can enjoy the game, plus it improves your skills. The bitter truth is that not all experienced pros don’t choose the usual courts for their practices.
So this is a valid question: how do you find the courts that professionals and intermediate-level players choose occasionally and regularly?
How Can I Find a Pickleball Court?
When I first started playing pickleball at a local community center, I used to play at the weekend. But the places were crowded, and I did not even know if there was any nearby court where I could manage some devoted time to continue my pickleball games. I believe you faced the same if you started decades back like me. Those days are over. Now I know where there can be a pickleball court.
Now, the question is how to find a pickleball court and which one will be the right one for you. First, note that every state in the USA nowadays has pickleball venues. However, some typical pickleball venues are found in:
- Local Community Centers
- Local YMCAs
- Local Tennis Centers
- Senior Residence Communities
- Places2Play Website
- Places2Play App for the iPhone
- Facebook Groups
- Reddit Forum
- Dedicated Indoor Pickleball Venues
Besides the places mentioned above, many schools and parks have pickleball courts. Because of its growing popularity, more and more courts are being developed. The good news is that you will find a court near you wherever you live in the USA.
Check at the Local Community Center
If you are not a very active online person and like exploring things personally, I would prefer to check your local community center, which has a gymnasium. Make a call or spend an evening over there and find out if they have a pickleball court. The advantage of this center is that it offers pickleball sessions at an off-peak time. Choose the morning sessions if you want to avoid the rush and crowds.
Check Local YMCA
Your local YMCA should have a pickleball court as they usually have facilities for various court games. The YMCA might have suitable courts if you are looking for recreational or competitive pickleball.
Check Local Tennis Clubs
You must know that pickleball originated as a mix of tennis, badminton, and ping pong. However, if that fact does not sound interesting, you will find a good similarity between tennis and pickleball. Therefore, many tennis clubs and centers now offer pickleball practice sessions during non-peak daytimes. The advantage of these clubs is that their membership and hourly rates are surprisingly cheaper than the other pickleball facilities.
Check Senior Residence Communities
Pickleball mania has touched the seniors also. It’s easy to learn, immensely enjoyable, and an ideal combination of fun and exercise. Pickleball is now a must-have amenity in many senior living communities; hence many retirement communities have pickleball facilities. So, now you’ve got another option to find courts.
Check the Places2Play Website
With nearly 2000 moderators or ambassadors and over 40000 members, Places2Play Website aims to enter each court in the USA. This dedicated pickleball site has a database of nearly 40,000 courts in the USA.
To find a court, you can use the following site, Places2Play. Simply go to the website, and type in the address in the search bar. The site allows you options to search by an address, city, state, zip code, or a specific place name.
For example, I searched for the nearest pickleball court by Zipcode 10006 (for New York). And the site shows me a good number (243) of courtyards in that location.
Click on any suggestion, and find details about the fee, schedule, contact, etc. In addition, the site includes a map for each court, which helps to find it quickly.
Use the “Places2Play” App for the iPhone
This “Places2Play” app is very valuable for finding the courts near you. Like the website, it contains the same information as all the courts in the USA. To find a better result, keep adjusting your location. This app also has a search filter by zip code.
Check for Facebook Groups
Social media is also a great source for finding pickleball stations. There are so many groups dedicated to pickleball. Finding them is easy. Type “Pickleball groups Facebook” into Google. Or type “pickleball” in the Facebook search bar and select your city.
For example, Pickleball Forum has a significant number of active members, nearly 74000. You can join the group and ask any questions, including court information.
Check Reddit Forums
Reddit is a great source for asking questions, where you will find dedicated threads on almost any related topic you want. For example, go to r/Pickleball and follow the threads. Ask for a court name, mentioning your location.
Discover the Dedicated Indoor Pickleball Venues
Finally, there you can look for dedicated pickleball centers. As per USA Pickleball, a good number of 9524 pickleball places were listed in the USA. And the number is rapidly growing, with an increase of 789 locations or approximately 66 new locations per month.
All the places are easily findable through the Places2Play website.
Check for the nearest one, and cheer if you have discovered one.
Final Verdicts
So now you know how many options there are to find pickleball spaces in the USA and how to find them easily. However, my recommendation is to choose dedicated pickleball clubs. You will find all the like-minded people, can find a beginner or professional company, whatever you want.
Happy playing, Picklers!
