Looking to play pickleball and don’t know how to find a pickleball court nearby? Here’s what I do when I want to play pickleball.
Unless you are looking to construct a pickleball court on your own, the best way to play this sport is to find yourself a playing partner, get hold of a pickleball court near you and book it.
Given the growing popularity of the sport, it’s far easier to find pickleball courts these days than it was a few years ago but it also means at times supply doesn’t quite meet the demand. So what do you do?
Below I have listed a list of methods I use to find a pickleball court near me and play the sport.
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Places2Play.org
The best part about pickleball is the amount of effort the official US pickleball association is putting in to spread the game. The USAPA or the United States of America Pickleball Association has an iOS app by the name of Places2Play you can download from the App Store and skim through for where you can play pickleball.
Please Note: The Places2Play app is different from the official app for the USAPA, so download the former, not the latter in case you are only looking pickleball courts.
This app obviously works only for Americans, so if you are from other parts of the world, you could consider leaving this section and scrolling down. However, if you also have bit of a software bent, you could consider making your own app and have pickleball courts register on it in order to enable fans to be able to book them.
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But I digress. The Places2Play.org app needs you to either allow them to pick up your location or you can also look to feed in your zip code or the city in which you are looking for a pickleball court.
Once you have downloaded the the Places2Play app to check which pickleball courts are available and put in the location in to the search box, you will get a list of all the available pickleball courts in that region.
There are three types of coloured icons associated with the searches:
- Red, to denote there are indoor pickleball courts
- Orange, to denote outdoor pickleball courts
- Blue, to signify a mix of both indoor and outdoor courts.
There are other options pickleball players can check for as well.
The weather, along with wind details are regularly updated on this app, while more importantly there is a dollar icon associated with any of these locations which charge money for the use of these courts. The court availability schedule is also updated on the app, along with the information on whom to contact to book your use of a pickleball court near you.
And a very awesome part about this app is it’s free to use.
Get in Touch with a Pickleball Ambassador
First things first, who is a Pickleball Ambassador?
The USA Pickleball Association appoints passionate pickleball players and fans as ambassadors for different regions in the USA in a bid to promote the sport throughout the country.
These ambassadors know about where pickleball is being played inside out. Depending on your location, they could help you to find out a pickleball court near you but more importantly you can also get in touch with a pickleball ambassador to talk to them about your game and what to do to improve it.
What you could is to zero down on the location using the Places2Play app and then get in touch with a USAPA ambassador in your location to understand the details around those regions. It is also a good way to network with fellow pickleball players you could get in touch through your ambassador.
Get in touch with a pickleball ambassador here.
The Places2Play app or using the Ambassador method is obviously restricted to USA alone, which is why the following methods have been listed for those outside the USA as well. If you are in USA and want to try some of these methods out, it would work for you too, especially if you are looking to meet like-minded pickleball fans!
Join Facebook Groups
Social media is known for many things negative but learn how to use it to serve your cause and it provides for excellent opportunities. One of the best ways to lay your hands on Pickleball courts is to use Facebook Groups or Pages.
There are many Facebook Pages on pickleball and while a lot of them are an extension of websites which give out general pickleball information, there’re a few which also help finding pickleball fans on which courts are available when.
What we would advise is to go out there and be a part of as many active Facebook Pages on pickleball and depending on your preference, to remain with only those you want to be a part of (for e.g., you don’t want continue on those pages which just want to sell you their products or affiliate products obviously).
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Check for Meetup Groups (or Set One up Yourself!)
Meetup.com is an amazing app/website you can look to use to search for local ‘meet ups’ for any topics of your interest including pickleball. You just need to register on their website using your email or Facebook login and can then search for any activity including pickleball near you.
Search for your term, i.e. pickleball and choose your location along with the radius around the location you want the search to be for. If there are other pickleball fans wanting to meet up to play the sport or even talk about pickleball, you could look to join that group.
As mentioned earlier, Meetup also allows people to create their own groups, so if you are looking for a pickleball hitting partner, you can accordingly create a group and hope for a hit.
It’s very simple to create a meetup; simply click on ‘Start New Group’. Choose your location, topic of interest, set up a name for the group, a description about the purpose of the group, and once you have agreed to the terms and conditions, you are set and ready to go.
What one could do is to also spread the word of a meetup created using other forms of social so that more people can potentially become interested in the same.
Talk to Fellow Pickleball Friends
Pickleball is quickly spreading throughout the USA as a much popular sport and as it’s doing so, it is also finding fans of all ages getting taken by it. In fact the beauty of pickleball is it can also be played by seniors, and without too many worries about injuries.
What that allows you to do is spread the word among friends whom you know, and get them to pass on the message to anyone they might be knowing who is interested in pickleball.
According to a report in 2018, more than three million people in the USA play pickleball – and that number is only growing – which means there is every possible chance of you knowing someone among your extend social circles who is a fan.
It’s always good to connect with fellow pickleball fans for starters but more vitally the information sharing on where one can play the sport could lead to your objective – understanding if there any viable pickleball courts near you.
Locate & Speak with Local Gymnasiums and Clubs
Spread all over the country and gymnasiums and clubs which allow its members to play a plethora of rackets sports like ping pong, badminton and even tennis. Such places, especially those which have the facilities for tennis, could be solid breeding grounds for pickleball fans too since it’s not too difficult to convert a tennis court into a pickleball one.
Get on the phone, talk to the organisers and see if they have pickleball as an option.
Some of these centres might allow non-members to play as well for a small entry fee, so do ask beforehand. Given the brilliance of the sport, it might not be too heavy a price to pay to book a pickleball court for an hour or so, even more so if there are other sparring partners you might get for then and for the future.
