PICKLEBALL TAKES OFF!

More Courts are Coming in Santa Fe and Albuquerque

By Wolf Schneider

It’s easy to learn. Inexpensive to buy the gear. Courts are cropping up everywhere. Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America with more than 36 million people picking up paddles in 2022, according to CNBC and the Association for Pickleball Professionals. APP determined that 14% of Americans played pickleball at least once between August 2021 and August 2022. CNBC reported that Pickleball has even attracted sponsors like Holland America, Anheuser-Busch, and Skechers. A combination of tennis, badminton, and ping pong, the sport was created in 1985 in Bainbridge Island, Washington.

According to Cindy Lawton, who’s president of the Santa Fe Pickleball Club, that club grew from 250 to 700 members in the last year. “Most people play at the public outdoor courts at the Fort Marcy complex,” she says. There are also courts at The Club at Las Campanas, Santa Fe Community College, Genoveva Chavez Community Center, and other locations. “It combines a bit of social, mental, and physical well-being, which appeals to the Santa Fe community,” comments Lawton. “In many cases, here in Santa Fe it is the socialization that makes it so popular, especially for those that live alone. People can just show up and have plenty of people to play with and without worrying about finding other players.”

In Albuquerque, the city has almost a hundred courts--some dedicated for the sport, some multi-use tennis courts with pickleball lines drawn. “We need more courts. We’re building more. We’re trying to get larger tournaments to come in, pro and amateur,” says Larry “Bud” Lite, who’s president of the New Mexico-Arizona Pickleball Association. Popular gathering spots include Manzano Mesa Pickleball Courts on the east side and Ventana Ranch Park on the west.

“We’re seeing new courts being built all over,” says Brandon Mackie, co-founder of Pickleheads, a resource site. According to that site, there are currently over 10,000 pickleball courts in the United States, with players aged 55 and up comprising the largest age bracket in 2021. Men made up 60.5% of players in 2021, while women made up 39.5%. California had the highest number of courts at last count (794), followed by Florida (770), then Texas (519). “Pickleball is a fun sport that anyone can learn and enjoy, regardless of athletic ability,” Mackie says.

“It’s not hard,” assures Lite. “If someone wants to learn about pickleball, come out to the courts and ask folks, how do I get some lessons?”

For more info: www.pickleheads.com; in Santa Fe contact sfepickleball@gmail.com; in Albuquerque contact larrybudlite@gmail.com.

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