Pickleball's popularity continues to soar in Charlotte
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Rally co-founder and former pro pickleball player Megan Charity (right) swapped her tennis racquet for a pickleball paddle nearly a decade ago. Photo: Ashley Mahoney/Axios
Charlotte's appetite for pickleball hasn't subsided.
Why it matters: The demand for courts has led to new businesses catering to the sport and public investment. Plus pickleball remains the fastest-growing sport in the United States, per the Sports & Fitness Industry Association's 2024 Topline Participation Report.
By the numbers: There are 541 locations with 2,122 courts across North Carolina, with 40 locations and 202 courts in Charlotte, according to Pickleheads, USA Pickleball's official court and game finder. Charlotte has more courts than anywhere else in the state.
- Pickleheads' database includes free public parks and private courts, plus experiences like Rally, a pickleball eatery with eight courts that opened last summer in LoSo.
- Nearly 230,000 people have played pickleball at Rally as of early July, Rally co-founder Barrett Worthington says. They've hosted nonprofits like Charlotte-based Black Pickleball & Company, to make sure people who traditionally have been excluded from racquet sports are included, Worthington says. (About 9.6% of pickleball players in the United States are Black, according to SFIA.)
What's next: Mecklenburg County plans to build up to 55 courts in the coming years. It currently has 49 courts, all of which are free to access. A reservation is not required, but you may reserve a court for $5 up to a week in advance and as late as an hour before you plan to play.
- The Picklr, a new indoor pickleball club, will add at least 15 courts when it opens in December off North Tryon.
- Tipsy Pickle will have six pickleball courts (four indoor and two outdoor) when it opens at Camp North End this fall.
What they're saying: People are treating pickleball as their new golf hobby, Tipsy Pickle co-owner Tanner Brooks tells Axios.
- You can play it at more places, you don't need a country club membership and you can be social while you do it, Brooks says.
- He says the growth of pickleball's recreational side was the selling point for him and co-owner Mike Salzarulo.
Zoom out: Charlotte Motor Speedway added a permanent pickleball court to its campground earlier this year as an extra amenity given the sport's popularity.
The big picture: What made the sport popular is what's kept it on the throne of popular things to do — accessibility and a smaller time commitment. Plus playing provides physical and social benefits.
- "The macro issue of loneliness in the U.S. is prompting Americans to seek out 'third spaces' where they can gather, meet, and even date offline," Worthington says. "The pickleball court is the ultimate place to do that."
- For couples like Dick Osman and Desiré Osman, pickleball provides their primary social network. The duo also publish a monthly pickleball newsletter called Charlotte Dilly News and they're USA Pickleball ambassadors.
- "It's not like forcing yourself to go to the gym," Dick Osman, who is a certified pickleball referee, tells Axios. Instead it's exercise, competition, laughter and banter.
The bottom line: "Just get out and try it," Dick Osman says. "You'll love it."