Pickleball popularity on the rise in Austin
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Austinites have been jumping on the bandwagon to play one of the fastest-growing sports in America: pickleball.
By the numbers: Austin has 4.7 pickleball courts per 100,000 people, according to the Trust for Public Land, a pro-parks nonprofit, Axios' Jennifer A. Kingson and Alice Feng report.
Catch up quick: There's no pickle involved in pickleball.
- It's like mini-tennis, played with paddles and a heavy-ish whiffle ball.
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 city leaders say they still can't come close to meeting demand from pickleheads.
Of note: Unofficial pickleball courts don't always make these lists, and Austin has a lot of municipal or school district tennis courts that, with a little tape and a portable net, players temporarily convert to pickleball spots.
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 draws 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.
Between the lines: Most pickleball courts are privately owned and developed.
- They're a hot real estate amenity in upscale residential developments and resorts.
- Dilapidated shopping malls are being plowed down and rebuilt into pickleball courts — as are defunct Bed Bath & Beyond stores.
The Austin Pickle Ranch, with 32 courts, is planned for 9110 Bluff Springs Road, north of Slaughter Lane.
- But supposed opening dates for the project have come and gone since 2021 — and organizers of Pickle Ranch did not respond to an Axios interview request.
Flashback: "Austin loves sport, fitness and being outside with like-minded people who want to have fun, and that's a perfect description of pickleball," Mellie Price, an owner of Major League Pickleball squad ATX Pickleballers, told Axios in 2021.
What's next: Pool-sharing company Swimply is getting into the pickleball court rental business, with at least four current rental listings in Austin.