What is Pickleball?

Pickleball is a paddle sport that combines elements of badminton, tennis, and table tennis. It is played on a badminton-sized court with a modified tennis net. Players use paddles to hit a perforated plastic ball over the net. The goal is to score points by grounding the ball on the opponent's side.

Pickleball quickly became popular on Bainbridge Island, and soon spread to other parts of Washington state, then to other parts of the United States. Today, the sport has gained popularity worldwide and is enjoyed by people of all ages and skill levels.

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History of Pickleball

Pickleball was invented on Bainbridge Island, Washington in 1965 by three fathers looking to entertain their children. They used ping pong paddles, a wiffle ball, and a lowered tennis net. The game was named "pickleball" after the "pickle boat" in crew races, where the crew is made up of leftover oarsmen (though the origin of the name has been in dispute, with the alternate story claiming it was named after one of the inventors’ dog, Pickles)

Pickleball quickly became popular on Bainbridge Island, and soon spread to other parts of Washington state, then to other parts of the United States. Today, there are pickleball courts all over the world, and the sport is played by people of all ages and abilities.

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How to Play Pickleball

Pickleball is a simple game to play. The game is played on a badminton-sized court with a slightly modified tennis net. Players use solid paddles to hit a perforated plastic ball over the net. The goal of the game is to score points by grounding the ball on the opponent's side of the court. The first player or team to reach 11 points and win by 2 wins the game.

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Equipment

Its easy to get started! The only equipment you need to play are paddles and a ball. All Copper Union locations have everything you need, but feel free to bring your own equipment, or purchase your own from the Pro Shop (coming soon).