Atlanta ranks 77 for pickleball courts
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Atlanta has 1.7 pickleball courts per capita — 77th in the country — according to the Trust for Public Land (TPL), a pro-parks nonprofit.
- Atlanta's official locations are here.
The big picture: There's been a sixfold increase in the number of public pickleball courts in the 100 biggest U.S. cities since 2017 — from 420 to 2,788 — but municipal leaders say they still can't come close to meeting demand from pickleheads.
- There's now about one pickleball court for every 24,000 residents in these cities.
Why it matters: Cities are in a love-hate relationship with pickleball.
- America's fastest-growing sport is a boon for players who are aging out of tennis — and others who dig its vibe — but it's noisy and draws nonstop complaints from tennis players who've been kicked off their turf.
- Meanwhile, cities can't build courts fast enough — and they're tapping everything from COVID-19 relief funds to municipal bonds to raise the necessary cash.
Driving the news: While pickleball has become a way of life in Arizona, California and Florida, even cold-weather cities are busy building dedicated courts or converting tennis courts to dual use, per TPL's list of U.S. cities ranked by pickleball courts per capita.
Seattle is No. 1, probably because the sport was invented on nearby Bainbridge Island in 1965.
- Lincoln, Nebraska is #3 on the list — which surprised even the city's parks & rec facilities manager, who chalked it up to the dedication of some local snowbirds who caught pickleball fever in Phoenix and lobbied their hometown to build courts.
What we're watching: Pickleball meets beer drinking.
- The Painted Pickle, a high-end "compeatery" from the team behind Painted Pin is expected to launch this summer. And Buford is going to get Pickle and Social — expected to open in the fall.
By the numbers: Carl Schmits of USA Pickleball, the sport's governing body, tells Axios there's a critical shortage of pickleball courts given the numbers — 23 million tennis players and 9 million pickleball players in the United States.
- So, "for every 100 tennis courts, there should be 37 pickleball," he says. "If you ever drive by a combo pickleball/tennis facility, you'll see a difference right before your eyes."
- Instead, there are about 250,000 tennis courts and 44,000 pickleball courts of record in USA Pickleball's 11,000-site database — or about 17.6 pickleball courts per 100 tennis courts.