One of the fastest-growing sports in the country is now available at Wild Dunes Resort: Pickleball. Pickleball is a great sport for all ages, combining elements of badminton, tennis, and table tennis. As of June 2021, Wild Dunes offers four new pickleball courts for play at our Tennis Center.
This increasingly popular sport isn’t new by any means; it’s been played since it was created in 1965 in Washington, where the sport began as an improvised alternative to not being able to play badminton. Depending on who you ask, the name “pickleball” comes from either the name of the founder’s pet dog or from the Pickle Boat in crew rowing.
The spread of the sport today has been attributed to pickleball being taught in physical education classes at schools, played at community center and private health clubs, and from it’s appeal to those with more limited agility. Having a smaller-sized court than tennis, a low-to-the-ground net (unlike badminton), and a paddle resembling that of ping-pong, pickleball is easy to pick up and fun for those of all ages.
How to Play
Pickleball is a paddle sport that is played with a ball similar to a wiffleball, with two or four players. In a pickleball rally, the two teams send the ball back and forth over a low net, similar to tennis or table tennis. Each rally begins with an underhand stroke to server to the diagonal box across the net. The ball needs to bounce once on each side of the court before a “volley” can be hit, and players cannot hit volleys in “the Kitchen.” The Kitchen is a unique component of this sport and it is the long horizontal area on both sides of the net, keeping players from hitting volleys too close to the net. Scoring starts out as 0-0, but if you are playing doubles score is called out as “0-0-1” representing what service the team is on. If you win the point while serving, you just switch to the opposite diagonal to serve the next point. If you are playing in teams of two, once the point is lost by the service team, then the other person on the service team is up to serve and would now say “2” after the score like how the first server called out “1.” Then, once the service is lost by the second server, the service switches to the opposing team. The only time both servers on a team do not both get the chance to serve is at the start. When kicking off the game and the first server’s team loses the point, the service goes straight to the opposing team. Points are only earned on your team’s service and the first side to score 11 points (win by two) wins the game.
Learn & Play at Wild Dunes
Pickleball may resemble other racquet sports, but has its own unique set of differing rules and techniques. Our pickleball professionals are available to help you learn the game and improve your skillset for this fast-growing sport. We offer various clinics, and private and group lessons with our team of professionals. Wild Dunes houses four pickleball courts at our Tennis Center, and our pro shop is stocked with balls to use and paddles to rent, whether you’re just here to play or to learn, or to try something new! Click here to learn more about Wild Dunes pickleball offerings.
