It seems everywhere you turn these days, you can find someone playing or talking about playing a round of the sports craze with the best name ever; Pickleball.
Have you tried it yet? If you have, then you know just how fun it can be. The perfect combination of tennis, badminton, and ping pong. The court you play on is smaller than a tennis court (approximately the size of a badminton court), and many tennis courts have added lines so both sports can be played there. If you have yet to play, you have likely passed by a tennis court and noticed that the players are using paddles instead of racquets and seem to be having a bit more fun than you would typically see during a tennis match. Perhaps that's because the game is relatively easy to learn and play with lower nets (just 3 feet) and a slower-moving ball, in addition to the smaller court size (half the size of a tennis court).
So how do you play? Well, first you need to speak the lingo:
Here's how to play!
Get the gear. The paddles (a bit larger than a ping pong paddle), and balls (look similar to whiffle balls, but they're not!) are all you need! You can purchase them locally at Walmart, Ace Hardware, and Target.
Find yourself a pickleball court. If you have already booked a vacation and are looking to play, then you can see if there are any close by. Or if you are still on the search for the perfect vacation home, and pickleball just may be the answer, here are some homes that have jumped on the pickleball bandwagon and are in communities with courts.
Corolla - Community of Ocean Sands I: Keystone Kottage (this homes provides access via private membership, so a pass will be provided) and all homes in the Villages at Ocean Hill and in Ocean Lakes
Duck: All homes located in the community of Tuckahoe
Southern Shores: Wax Turtle | King BEEch | Gypsea Rose (these homes provide access via private membership, so a pass will be provided)
Seaside Dunes Condos in Kitty Hawk: OCTIPI Your SenSEAS
Nags Head (close to Dowdy Park): Kookoolamonga provides a pickleball set and Dowdy Park is just around the corner!
Serve the ball so your opponents can't serve it back. Yeah, just like tennis, but not.
Oh and you must serve the ball underhanded (so you will need to throttle back your inner Serena Williams just a tad.)
Also, the ball must bounce one time in the service court (basically the opposite square from the other side of the net) and one time in the return court before you can volley back and forth. If the player serving doesn't clear the net, then well, it's only 3 feet high, which will likely make for a good laugh, while the other team earns a point.
Lastly, you are not allowed to enter the kitchen (even if you're out of cold beer)... just kidding, "kitchen" is pickleball lingo for the "non-volley zone" which is 7 feet of space located on both sides of the net. If you are in the kitchen, you are either hitting a ball that has bounced, picking up a 'drop shot' or 'dink', or receiving a fault for standing in the kitchen when you are not supposed to be.
