Love Playing Pickleball? Charlotte Is A Good City For It
As a kid, I took tennis lessons and played a bit. My dad was a massive player, and one of my older brothers played in junior tennis tournaments around the Southeast. Now, after having shoulder surgery and numerous knee surgeries, I doubt my tennis game would be great. Although I think I could possibly play Pickleball. The sport is becoming incredibly popular, especially in Charlotte. It’s one of the fastest growing sports in the nation.
Here in Charlotte a new spot called Rally in LoSo offers inside and outdoor Pickleball courts, a bar, cafe, and more. According to Lawn Love, Charlotte is the 8th best city for Pickleball lovers. The Lawn Love study is coming out just before National Pickleball Day which is August 8. There’s also a Pickleball reality show in the works.
Charlotte is 8th overall in the Lawn Love study and here’s the breakdown for our city:
- Number of Pickleball Courts – 6th
- Number of Dedicated Pickleball Courts – 6th
- Number of Pickleball Groups – 5th
- Average Monthly Google Searches for Top Pickleball Keywords Over Past Year – 18th
To come up with their rankings, they compared the 200 biggest U.S. cities based on three categories; access to pickleball courts and tournaments, the size of the pickleball community, and local interest in the sport, among 11 total metrics. There were other North Carolina cities in the poll, but the closest to Charlotte was Raleigh, and they came in 48th.
Phil and I have talked about learning to play Pickleball. We think it’d be a funny video, especially since I am extremely clumsy. Although I do think I’d get the hang of it kinda quickly. Since the court area is smaller than a tennis court, there’s less running!
Check out the entire Pickleball study here and if you’re an instructor or proficient player, let us know! You can teach Phil and I!