Pickleball in Burlington: A Plethora of Possibilities

Some call it life-size ping pong. Some say it’s more fun than tennis. But pickleball–a racket game played in singles or pairs—is proving to be a sport in its own right. More than 50,000 pickleball courts have been built across the nation in the last few years, and four of those are right here in Burlington’s Simonds Park; you can also play pickleball in Burlington at the courts inside the Parks and Recreation building.

Brendan Egan, Burlington's Director of Parks and Recreation, had a feeling that Pickleball would grow in popularity, due to its similarities to tennis and the ability to learn and practice it easily. “It hadn't exploded yet but was moving in that direction. We decided to take one of the [tennis] courts and make four dedicated pickleball courts,” said Egan.

“I think it's here to stay because it allows people who used to play tennis—and maybe used to be more athletic—a smaller, shorter court to play a sport that they love,” Egan said. And people of all ages enjoy playing, he says.

Kevin Martin, a certified pickleball coach, would agree with Egan. He teaches pickleball at the Recreation Department to adults ages 50 and older. Martin says his classes typically fill, with 16 players spread out across four courts.

Martin, who is 69, said that many of those beginners are older adults like himself. “I have as much fun teaching beginners how to play this game as I do playing it myself,” he said. “It's not just people that are really athletic. I get all types of people. I'll have some people in their 50s and 60s,” Martin said. “And no matter what skill level you have, if you can get together with three or four other people that are around the same level, you can have a great time.”

But Brandon Mackie, an avid Pickleball player based in Scottsdale, AZ, struggled with exactly that. “I had a small friend group I would play with,” said Mackie, “but if somebody backed out, the whole game fell apart. Because of that, I only got to play once every two weeks.”

Brandon’s website, Pickleheads—self-described as a “digital home for pickleball”—has solved that problem by creating an exhaustive list of pickleball courts that can be found based on your area. The inspiration behind the Pickleheads web feature of “Find Pickleball Near Me” was for Mackie and his team to attract new pickleball players as they first started to learn about the sport. But they’ve got more in store for the site. Mackie and his team are also working to add a ‘round robin’ option, which places players in a tournament bracket in an organized format to keep track of scores and stats.

Looking to stay active and find an activity to do with your friends In Burlington? Use the Pickleheads “Find Pickleball Near You” feature, head to Simonds Park, or sign up for a class through the Recreation Department to start playing!

Jonny Ratner is a student at Endicott College studying journalism.