For anyone who hasn’t heard the term “pickleheads,” it isn’t the same as Jimmy Buffett’s “parrotheads.” But people can certainly claim to be both – at different times and places, of course.

Pickleheads are a part of a growing movement that is bringing pickleball courts to communities around the U.S. In fact, the USA Pickleball court location website, pickleheads.com, now includes 68,458 courts, with 18,455 new courts added in 2024.

Boerne, Texas, contains some of those new courts, having allocated and resurfaced two tennis courts in a city park last March for the purpose of playing pickleball. That brought the city’s number of courts up to eight for this ever-more-popular sport. And that’s just the start.

Breaking ground on an impressive expansion this summer, soon the Northside Community Park in Boerne will feature 12 dedicated pickleball courts. When the construction is completed, the temporary courts will be returned to the tennis courts.

The arrangement resulted from extensive discussion, planning and community input. A meeting in February brought out distinctly differing opinions from residents, most of whom favored pickleball over tennis – although tennis still has its following and facilities as well.

Pickleball, for a while now, has been a “thing” and has grown steadily, ever since a family vacation in 1965 on Bainbridge Island in Washington State. Two friends, Joel Pritchard and Bill Bell, returned from playing golf one Saturday and found their families were bored. Since one of the vacation properties had an old badminton court, the men searched for equipment; finding none, they improvised with Ping Pong paddles and a perforated plastic ball. With a ball that light bouncing easily on the surface, they lowered the net from 60 inches to 36 inches. The following weekend, a third friend, Barney McCallum joined in, and they created rules, never losing sight of the original goal – to provide a game the whole family could play together.

By 1972, a corporation was formed to protect the sport and by 1976 pickleball was being called America’s newest racquet sport. That same year, the first known tournament was held with tennis players who had practiced with wooden paddles and a softball-sized plastic ball. In the 1980s, the United States Amateur Pickleball Association was organized, and by the 1990s, pickleball was being played in all 50 states. No special gear is needed, just ordinary leggings, shorts and athletic shoes will do, and the basic equipment is available everywhere.

More than 13.6 million people played in 2023, which is more than double the year before, and there’s no reason to think this surge is going to cool down any time soon.

Where did the odd name come from? At first, a person wouldn’t be wrong in thinking pickleball is a child’s game. The name pickleball is primarily attributed to Joan Pritchard, Joel’s wife, who named it after the “pickle boat” in crew, the rowing sport, which was a boat made up of leftover or mismatched rowers. Because the game was created with leftover equipment from other kinds of sport, pickleball, as a name, seemed entirely fitting.

Apart from being just plain fun, why is it so popular? Maybe because pickleball can be played by just about anyone of any age, whether they have any athletic skills or not. It’s a fast-moving game but is easy to try out. The biggest challenges are the rules, which some may see as goofy, and the scoring, which takes some time to get used to. One rule says that a player “can’t go into the kitchen,” which is the seven-foot, horizontal zone closest to the net where players are prohibited from volleying or hitting the ball.

Boerne’s leadership knows the wisdom of giving the people what they want, and city officials have worked continually to make residents’ plans and hopes become reality. As one might expect, money was a big part of the decisions and had to be carefully considered. Bond elections were the answer, beginning in 2022. Wisely, they also focused on all the other attributes the project would add to the city park’s attendees: Boerne City Park is home to soccer fields, the municipal pool and more.

Christopher Shadrock, communications director for the city of Boerne, expanded on the amplified pickleball amenities.

“The park is being designed and built to be our next signature park, to accommodate various age groups and activities. Groundbreaking for Phase 1 is expected this summer, tentatively planned for July, with construction taking approximately 18 months,” he noted.
“An equally exciting ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony will take place upon completion.”

He added that pickleball, specifically in Boerne, has been growing in popularity for the last decade or so. “Since then, the city has taken multiple steps to accommodate the sport’s growing popularity, beginning in 2013 when we included dual-use striping on certain tennis courts at Boerne City Park.”

However, as participation in pickleball has increased in Boerne, so have requests for additional support and amenities.

“As a result, earlier this year the city resurfaced and restriped Courts 7 and 8 exclusively for pickleball, creating eight dedicated courts. These courts will revert to tennis usage once the Northside Park facilities are operational.”

As the lead public entity in the area providing pickleball opportunities, many of the players are appreciative of the city’s efforts to provide these amenities and are excited about what is to come, Shadrock reported.

“Additionally, we have increased the number of planned pickleball courts, with the new Northside Community Park bond project, from 8 to 12. Just as planning has been underway for several years on Northside Community Park, so too has been the future maintenance of the park. City staff and city leadership have been proactive in planning to ensure the park has the appropriate staff and equipment to maintain our new facility.”

Since pickleball is so popular, what might be recommended for any community wanting to get a court or two going for their patrons?

“For communities looking to expand their pickleball presence, we recommend actively engaging with local players to understand their needs and passion for the sport. Collaboration is key. That said, it’s important for the city or entity to maintain a leadership role in planning and resource allocation to ensure a balanced, equitable, and sustainable approach.”

According to Shadrock, “cities should remain focused on long-term planning and data-driven decisions, while preserving the broader community’s interests required in parks and recreation planning.”

Pickleball is pretty loud, and courts near a neighborhood often generate complaints – something that has made news around the country. There are more players in the same space that a tennis court occupies, but the courts are smaller –four pickleball courts can fit into a standard tennis court – so the overall noise level of the game exceeds that of tennis.

A cushion court system, made of materials such as rubber or foam, creates a surface that absorbs impact and minimizes sound. There are other solutions too: Try some of the new equipment available now, such as foam balls and quieter paddles. Sound blocking material can also be installed on fences and has been shown to reduce the noise by up to 12 decibels.

Some parks and courts now limit the hours when pickleball can be played, for the same reason. “As you see, this new space is a commitment to balancing the needs of all recreation facility users while prioritizing resources for all Boerne residents,” said Shadrock.

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