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Pickleball has taken over FL (1 Viewer)

Joe Mammy

Joe Mammy

Footballguy
I play with two different large groups of various ages/skill levels about 5 times a week. I've only been playing 4 months but have extensive tennis and racquetball experience and picked it right up.

We live in the Hernando/Inverness/Crystal River area of the nature coast.

30 minutes to the east is The Villages (55 over comm) who constantly produce national champions. They have over 200 courts in their small 30 X 15 mile area!

We went to Daytona Beach Shores to ride bikes on the beach last week. I stumbled across pickleball utopia at the Lula McElroy public park right across the street from the beach. 10 courts with about 100 people playing from teens to seens- 8:00am to 10:00pm. They break the courts in half by skill level, it was the best play I've ever experienced. Wind screens, lights, bathrooms, beautiful landscaping...

So much for FL shuffleboard...

 
Never heard of it till a week ago when I was talking to a buddy who is real big into it. Guess where he's located? Prison! They are in the midst of a big tournament. He loves it! 

 
I saw a bunch of people playing on a Saturday morning at a park up in Punta Gorda. It looks fun. 

 
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It's all about putting some junky spin on the ball. My dad spun every ping pong shot he hit, his training to me at an early age is finally paying off on the PB courts.

 
Our basketball game lost a few player to pickleball. I'm intrigued.

Does it use the same court as paddle tennis?

 
I live in FL and this is the first I've heard of it. That's definitely not a tennis court in that video, you would need a dedicated court. Tennis court is much bigger. 

I would have been awesome at this when I was younger. I was a very good tennis player but could never serve worth a damn. It was embarrassing. This would have been perfect. Now, I'd probably suck balls. 

 
Super King said:
I played it in high school in the 90s. Even had a huge tourney every year. We all allowed to skip class for our tournament slot. 
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Nice.  20 years ago the faculty would play after school.  Fun as hell.

 
I had never heard of it until they redid the tennis court at our park into pickleball. They took out the nets, resurfaced, painted in pickleball sized courts with nets.

I bet the tennis players are like wtf!

 
Joe Mammy said:
It's all about putting some junky spin on the ball. My dad spun every ping pong shot he hit, his training to me at an early age is finally paying off on the PB courts.
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not really

EYLive said:
Our basketball game lost a few player to pickleball. I'm intrigued.

Does it use the same court as paddle tennis?
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No.

 
Evilgrin 72 said:
I live in FL and this is the first I've heard of it. That's definitely not a tennis court in that video, you would need a dedicated court. Tennis court is much bigger. 

I would have been awesome at this when I was younger. I was a very good tennis player but could never serve worth a damn. It was embarrassing. This would have been perfect. Now, I'd probably suck balls. 
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@WetDream

 
Big time sport in The Villages (aka God's Waiting Room).  I live just south of Tampa not too far from Sun City Center and most of the communities have courts.

ETA:  Shuffleboard is for hipsters in St. Pete mostly.  

 
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Lots of my neighbors play this sport. Most are 50+. We went to a clinic in our neighborhood the other day and learned some basic rules . I used to play ping pong and it seems some things translate somewhat. Instructors said I was a natural and should do well. I think this is more a social thing than competitive. I was wondering of anyone here plays and had any advise ?
As a side note, I remember talking to someone at a neighborhood party this summer about pickleball. He said it is keeping the orthopedic surgeons in business here. Also, I remember seeing a few months ago that Kid Rock was really big into pickleball.
 
ChiefD said:
Pickleball is ping pong but you are standing on the table.
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This is a very good description. More hits are similar to ping pong than tennis (IMO). The good part about pickleball for us old folks is it is easier to not push yourself to injury than something like basketball or tennis. It does still get some competitiveness flowing but it's easier to just say F-it and let the ball go rather than pushing to the point you hurt yourself.
 
Gatorade said:
Lots of my neighbors play this sport. Most are 50+. We went to a clinic in our neighborhood the other day and learned some basic rules . I used to play ping pong and it seems some things translate somewhat. Instructors said I was a natural and should do well. I think this is more a social thing than competitive. I was wondering of anyone here plays and had any advise ?
As a side note, I remember talking to someone at a neighborhood party this summer about pickleball. He said it is keeping the orthopedic surgeons in business here. Also, I remember seeing a few months ago that Kid Rock was really big into pickleball.
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Yeah, table tennis translates a little better than regular tennis, I think. But neither help with the godforsaken serve :rant:
 
My buddy is all in riding the pickleball wave. He's got a construction company and started an affiliate with plans to open multiple pickleball centers throughout the upper Midwest. Has acquired several locations and begun demo, build-outs. He's also signed up a popular athlete in a promotional role. He hit me up for investment but I don't have a pot to piss in with two kids in school right now and the minimum commitment was more than I earn in a typical year.
 
I have a 4.7 DUPR and just won a 4.5 bronze

Ask me anything.

It's been all the rage in SoCal since the pandemic.

Popular at all ages and the schools are implementing it into their curriculums as well...lots of positive outcomes from playing pickleball.
 
TripItUp said:
I have a 4.7 DUPR and just won a 4.5 bronze

Ask me anything.

It's been all the rage in SoCal since the pandemic.

Popular at all ages and the schools are implementing it into their curriculums as well...lots of positive outcomes from playing pickleball.
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Does anyone decent use the drop serve?
 
I have a pickleball court in the big shop we have at our new place in Wisconsin. Not full size but pretty close
 
ChiefD said:
I have a pickleball court in the big shop we have at our new place in Wisconsin. Not full size but pretty close
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Wait, what? How can you downsize a pickleball court? Easily, sure, but just seems weird for any regular pickleball player. And do you notice your game being affected when playing on a standard-sized court? Played tennis for decades and I've never heard of a smaller tennis court. I'm certain it would take adjustments and wouldn't want to practice on it.

Just curious, not a pickleball player.
 
Went and checked out the pickleball courts at my gym. They recently converted 2 full size basketball courts into 8? Pickleball courts. There was 2 old people, mixed doubles, playing against a single dude in his 30’s? I think they were practicing. :shrug: first time I’ve ever seen it live. Are the paddles hard or padded like some ping pong paddles?
 
In our Monday night couples Community Group (small group from Church), out of 9 couples, my wife and I are the only tennis players. There are 12-14 pickleball players.

Seeing a lot of NYC public tennis courts now being used as pickleball courts.

To get a court time, you need to buy a $100 permit. It's a slog trying to get a session in almost any neighborhood. Pickleball has made it even more so.

Participation in racket sports ballooned 33 percent nationally between 2020 and 2022, according to the United States Tennis Association, while interest in New York rose so much that the Parks Department sold 20 percent more permits during that time. In 2022 and 2023 the city issued more than 25,000 permits to play on its 655 outdoor courts each year, a Parks Department spokesman said. That’s made scoring an hour of court time almost as competitive as an ATP Challenger Tour event.
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Crisis in the Courts: Why tennis court spots are so scarce, and how to find one anyway​

 
DA RAIDERS said:
Went and checked out the pickleball courts at my gym. They recently converted 2 full size basketball courts into 8? Pickleball courts. There was 2 old people, mixed doubles, playing against a single dude in his 30’s? I think they were practicing. :shrug: first time I’ve ever seen it live. Are the paddles hard or padded like some ping pong paddles?
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The paddles are hard, not covered in rubber like table tennis. The core is covered in different materials though, from old school wood, to fiberglass, graphite and carbon fiber.
 
Harry Frogfish said:
ChiefD said:
I have a pickleball court in the big shop we have at our new place in Wisconsin. Not full size but pretty close
Click to expand...
Wait, what? How can you downsize a pickleball court? Easily, sure, but just seems weird for any regular pickleball player. And do you notice your game being affected when playing on a standard-sized court? Played tennis for decades and I've never heard of a smaller tennis court. I'm certain it would take adjustments and wouldn't want to practice on it.

Just curious, not a pickleball player.
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Well, I haven’t checked with the federation to see if this will affect my ranking, but these will be non-sanctioned events just so I can keep some fitness during the long winters here in Wisconsin.
 
Started getting into it in the early spring, few guys at work here play that are also in their 50's, competitive and looking for an outlet other then just golf to get out and have some fun. Then I came down with Plantar fasciitis and I'm just back to the point I can run around and not be hobbled the next day. Courts have sprung up allover around here.
 
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