Pickleball Exploding Across New Jersey

One of the following is probably true: You either play pickleball, or you know someone who plays pickleball (and they won't shut up about it!).

Pickleball continues to be the fastest-growing participation sport in America - and New Jersey is no exception.

Actually, New Jersey is one of the states where pickleball is growing the fastest.

New Pickleball indoor facility opens in Manahawkin

Recently, the newest indoor pickleball facility opened in Ocean County. The Picklr in Manahawkin is home to seven indoor courts.

The Picklr is a nationwide pickleball chain with facilities in 28 states, including two in New Jersey.

In the Atlantic City area, you'll find indoor facilities in Egg Harbor Township (Proshot Pickleball) and in Ventnor (Pickle Juice Pickleball Club).

There are now outdoor pickleball courts throughout the area and the state.

In New Jersey, according to Google Trends, Garden State residents have the 13th most interest in Pickleball across the country.

Why is Pickleball so popular?

The number of pickleball players in the USA has exploded over the last few years.

According to statistics from Pickleheads.com, there are now 19.8 million pickleball players in the US, up from 4.8 million in 2021. That's a huge jump!

Pickleball has been the fastest-growing sport over the last 4 years.

The average pickleball player is - surprise - 34.8 years old. The biggest age segment playing pickleball is now 25-34. The second largest group is 65 and over.

Men make up almost 60% of pickleball players.

Why the jump in popularity? Pickleball is generally easy to learn and easy to play at any age.

Pickleball vs. tennis

One thing that has certainly helped pickleball is the concept of open play or drop-in play.

If you show up at a pickleball facility, you can usually jump in and play with others pretty quickly.

Even during the boom time for tennis, if you wanted to play tennis, you had to plan an outing with a player. Show up with a partner or with a foursome.

For pickleball, you just show up and play.

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Learning to play pickleball

As stated above, learning pickleball is easy and fairly accessible. Indoor facilities often offer clinics or lessons, and many municipalities offer lessons and clinics, too.

So, are you ready to dink?

SOURCE: Pickleheads.com