Pickleball Facts

With Pickleball becoming increasingly popular, be one of the first to impress your friends with these quick-fire facts about the fun racquetball sport.

1. Pickleball has been around for 50 years. Invented in 1965 by Politician Joel Pritchard.

2. At first, Pickleball paddles were made entirely out of wood, but in recent years lightweight materials such as: aluminum and graphite have been used to reduce the weight of the paddle.

3. Pickleball players are commonly called ‘picklers’. If you lose a match, you have been ‘pickled’!

4. Pickleball was named after Joel Pritchard’s dog, Pickles!

5. Pickleball is as popular with males as well as females. 53% of players are recorded as male, with females closely behind at 47%.

6. Due to the holes in the waffle ball, Pickleballs travel at approximately 1/3 the speed of a tennis ball.

7. A soft shot that narrowly arcs over the net and lands in the Kitchen (see the next fact!) is referred to as a dink shot!

8. The 7 foot non-volley zone is situated in from of the net is called The Kitchen.

9. Pickleball is one of the most popular sports in the USA with over 400,000 active players, playing in a regular basis.

10. Due to the increase in popularity, the International Federation of Pickleball was formed, which regulates the sport in countries including the USA, Canada, France, Spain and Great Britain.