Pickleball

Pickleball is a hugely popular game in the US with a growing fanbase in this country too.  It was invented in the 1960s and combines elements of badminton, tennis, and table tennis.

Four Pickleball courts can be set up based on the red ball court markings on Centre Court (the hard court nearest the clubhouse), using the mini-tennis nets / 1 Pickleball net that are kept there   Green dots show where the kitchen lines should be – you can mark these out with chalk or court markers (available from the Pickleball kit store at the club, along with bats & balls).

Pickleball club play session are running on Sunday afternoons 2 – 4pm, following successful taster sessions in October 2023.  There should be a coordinator at each session to explain the rules and ensure all equipment you need is available.  Non-Rackets members and guests are welcome (no fee payable) as well as children where accompanied by a supervising parent/carer club member.  Drop in at any time during the session to join in.

There is a Pickleball WhatsApp group you can join via the invite link in Useful Links on our App/members website which you can use to arrange social play amongst yourselves.

Not sure how to play Pickleball?  Click here to read the Pickleball England rules!

Or for the full US Rules handbook, click here

Unique Features of the Pickleball game

• Two-Bounce Rule – after the ball is served, each side must make one groundstroke prior to volleying the ball, i.e. neither the serve nor the return of serve can be volleyed
• Non-Volley Zone (NVZ) – commonly known as the kitchen.  This is an area that extends 7 feet from the net on each side, within which a player is not allowed to strike the ball without it first bouncing
• You only have one service attempt which can either be a volley serve (underarm serve, no ball bounce) or a drop serve (ball is dropped and bounces before it’s hit).  There is no let serve – the ball can hit the net on its way and will still be a good serve if it lands beyond the NVZ line on the other side.

Traditionally you only score when your side is serving however Rally point scoring is also an option, with Major League Pickleball in the US introducing this as of the 2023 season.  Read about the pros & cons of each scoring method and decide for yourself which you prefer!

In a traditionally scoring game (first to 11 points), teams play from the same end for the entire game.   In a ‘best of 3’ or ‘best of 5’ match, teams alternate ends for each game then in the last game teams switch ends when the first team reaches a score of 6

In a game to 21 points (such as Rally scoring), teams switch ends when the first team reaches a score of 11.

Questions?  Contact Mike Killpartrick