PICKLEBALL - A New Naples Trend

Every time I tell someone I just started playing tennis, they suggest I should play Pickleball!  I played this in high school physical education however had long forgotten about it.  In the past year many of the communities in town have been organizing Pickleball tournaments and now Naples is hosting first edition of the U.S. Open Pickleball Championships from April 26-May 1.

What exactly is Pickleball? 

Its basically a mix of badminton, tennis, & ping pong! Since I have not played in over 10 years, I am going to defer to the Naples Daily News Article Click Here for Full Article

1. Pickleball paddles: the game is played with solid paddles made of wood or composite materials.

2. The ball: is very similar to a wiffle ball.

3. The court: is similar in dimension to a doubles badminton court, measuring 20 by 44 feet (about a quarter the size of a tennis court). The court is striped like a tennis court, but the outer courts are divided in half by service lines (as opposed to the inner courts like in tennis).

4. The serve: the serving team or player uses an underhand stroke, connecting with the ball below the waist and sending the ball diagonally to the opponent's service zone.

5. The details: There's no doubles alley in pickleball, and the ball has less bounce than in tennis. There is also a 7-foot no-volley zone, referred to as 'the kitchen,' extending from the net. The ball can be hit in this area only after it has bounced.

Who wants to play?!?