Now that Spring is in full bloom and marching toward summer, it’s a great time for celebrating your garden, Delaware’s wonderful public parks, and the phenomenon that’s having a huge impact on many lives: Pickleball!
Yes, you read that right. Pickleball really is a phenomenon for a few key reasons:
- If you can move freely, you can play. Unlike what you experience in tennis and most other racquet sports, a pickleball moves relatively slowly through the air. Well, maybe not slowly, if you’re hitting with highly skilled players, but slowly enough to give you much more time to react, which makes it a lot more fun.
- After a lesson or two, you can play pretty well. It can take years for most of us to become good enough to enjoy tennis because the ball moves so quickly and because so many different skills are required to keep the ball in play. Most people of average or below-average athletic ability can jump into a pickleball match after learning the basics and play well enough to win some points and have fun.
- It’s a great way to meet people. There are several hundred people – at least – who play a lot of pickleball at various spots around Sussex County. And the matches tend to be pretty sociable because people tend to have a good time while they’re out there. There’s also something interesting happening – two or three years ago almost everyone you saw on a pickleball court was in their early 60s or older. Today the game is multi-generational. You’re apt to see people of all ages out there – including grandparents playing with grandkids.
- There are so many places where you can play! Year after year more pickleball courts have been built for free public use and for playing at a nominal fee.
So how do you get started?
Your first stop on your pickleball journey could be the First State Pickleball Club https://www.firststatepickleball.org/. It only costs $30 for an annual membership, and for that you’ll immediately find lots of people to hit with, opportunities to participate in clinics and attend social events, and the opportunity to play in leagues and tournaments if that’s your thing. Another important benefit is the club’s vast network across Sussex County and into Dover, as its members frequently update the Places to Play list https://www.firststatepickleball.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=257338&module_id=473881.
And what if you’d like to find a home with a court just around the corner?
Lots of communities have recently been built with pickleball courts. So if you really love the game and want to be able to play often right in your own neighborhood, these are just a few of the options:
LEWES
Bay Crossing has a pickleball court along with a nice pool and club house https://www.activeadultsdelaware.com/neighborhood/bay-crossing/
Tower Hill also has pickleball courts and lots of other amenities including a pool, a clubhouse with lots of planned social activities, and scenic walking trails https://www.activeadultsdelaware.com/neighborhood/tower-hill/
Nassau Grove is a newer community with pickleball courts, a pool and an extra-large club house https://www.activeadultsdelaware.com/neighborhood/nassau-grove/
Four Seasons Belle Terre has pickleball courts, a large club house with a full-time activities director, a pool and nature trails https://www.activeadultsdelaware.com/neighborhood/four-seasons-at-belle-terre/
BETHANY – OCEAN VIEW - MILLVILLE
Bear Trap Dunes has pickleball and indoor and outdoor pools, a club house and a lot more https://www.activeadultsdelaware.com/neighborhood/bear-trap-dunes/
Bishop’s Landing has pickleball courts, an Olympic-sized pool with lap lanes, a fitness center, fishing pier and scenic views everywhere https://www.activeadultsdelaware.com/neighborhood/bishop-s-landing/
Millville by the Sea has pickleball courts and a club house, a pub, a pool and lots of social activities https://www.activeadultsdelaware.com/neighborhood/millville-by-the-sea/
SELBYVILLE
Bayside Resort has pickleball courts and the Aquatic Club at Bayside with a pool and fitness center along with all sorts of activities for people who love living on the water https://www.activeadultsdelaware.com/neighborhood/bayside-resort/
FRANKFORD
Forest Landing has a pickleball court, lots of walking trails, a pool and a great location near the Bear Trap Dunes golf course https://www.activeadultsdelaware.com/neighborhood/forest-landing/
MILLSBORO
The Peninsula is one of Delaware’s most amenity-rich communities, with several pickleball courts, a renowned golf course, a large pool and walking trails along Indian River Bay https://www.activeadultsdelaware.com/neighborhood/peninsula/