Pickleball thriving in Lake Country

Pickleball is one of the newest sports to take the nation by storm and finally has made its way to Lake Country.

The sport is described as a mixture of tennis and badminton. It is played on a small court either indoors or outdoors. Plus, the great thing about pickleball is that anyone can play, regardless of age.

To make it easier for beginners to jump into the sport, a company called Pickleheads has created a website (http://www.Pickleheads.com) with all the information one would need to learn how to get started.

Co-founder of Pickleheads Brandon Mackie explained to the Lake Oconee News exactly how fast the sport is growing and how big it’s gotten over the past couple of years.

“Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in America. A recent report that came out pegged the number of people that played pickleball last year was around 36.5 million people, which would almost put it at the biggest sport in the country in terms of participation,” Mackie said. “The pandemic was a big catalyst for its growth, but even after everything started to open up again, pickleball has continued to grow.”

Now, pickleball’s growth has extended into Putnam County. There are three courts dedicated to pickleball at the county recreation center with others in surrounding counties as well.

To find the most accessible courts, Pickleheads.com helps people discover courts close to them. Not only that, but the website will inform searchers of the rules at specific venues, along with other details like how many courts there are and whatever equipment might be available.

Mackie acknowledged the main purpose of the website is to help people get connected with local groups that organize games and events.

“Our platform is really designed to help people find local courts and get connected with organizers so that they can go out and play,” he said. “It’s been awesome to see the surges some communities have made.

For example, there’s a Putnam County Facebook group (facebook.com/PutnamPickleball) that has championed the sport at a local level, and anyone can log on and get connected to start playing.”

Whether someone wants to play competitively or just for fun, there are many different local options for pickleball players.

USA Pickleball Ambassador for Baldwin and Putnam County Brett Boston is one of the main individuals in charge of setting up local events and explained there are even leagues you can join to play consistently.

“I run leagues at the rec center on Recreation Road (in Eatonton), regular evening leagues that will start back up sometime soon,” Boston said. “They have morning play virtually every morning in the gym and groups have started to form there to play. There are also four outdoor courts, so anyone can find an opportunity to play.”

For those that enjoy being outside when it’s nice out, springtime is best for an introduction to pickleball. Boston acknowledged most of the outdoor activities will resume when the weather gets a little warmer in a couple of months.

“I’m going to be running five different league plays in the spring alone plus two different tournaments in town,” Boston said. “Two will be held in Eatonton and three will be held in Milledgeville. I also just started a ladder league where you log on to a website, and challenge other teams or singles, and that’s really started to boom.”

On top of its accessibility, pickleball is truly inclusive to all age groups.

According to the Pickleheads website, players 55 and up made up the largest age bracket of pickleball players in 2021. Ages 18 to 34 made up the second biggest demographic, and the average age was recorded at 38 years old.

Boston also has first-hand experience with seeing pickleball players of all ages at the local level.

“It’s one of those sports that people can play together, and it spans across all ages,” Boston said. “In one of our leagues right now, our youngest player is 15 and our oldest player is 78. What other sport can you have that in?”