hosted the first-ever Pickleball Senior Games event in 2013.
Since then, new courts and playing groups have been spreading
like a wildfire – most recently with six new outdoor courts at
Tuckaseegee Park in Charlotte.
If you’ve ever visited North Carolina, you know that it is
easily one of America’s great vacation destinations. With a
diverse climate and landscape, North Carolina is popular to
many travelers, whether you fancy some beach time on the
Outer Banks, want to get some miles on the Appalachian Trail,
or take a scenic drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Many of
the top tourist locations also include plenty of places to play
pickleball — from the Outer Banks in the east to the Great
Smoky Mountains in the west.
Pickleball Road Trip Through
North Carolina
Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill/Cary
Pickleball in the Triangle revolves around a number of
citywide venues in Raleigh from Lake Lynn, Optimist Park,
Brier Creek, Method Road Park and soon-to-be-opened Laurel
Hills. Method Road Park has the city’s only outdoor facility
with six dedicated courts that are home to the Triangle
Pickleball League. It’s not uncommon for some pickleball
players to compete for a couple of hours on the courts and
rehydrate with a few craft beers at BottleMixx, a local bottle
shop in town. Pickleball has brought together groups of
all ages, from college students to retired seniors, from all
neighborhoods. Players have formed bonds and have college
baseball nights and even once-a-month socials, which include
pickleball training tips.
comes with the quintessential southern hospitality with one of
the club members hosting players after Wednesday night play
for a little “R & R” – and a few beverages.
Charlotte
Pickleball has literally exploded in the greater Charlotte area
since 2014. Before then, there was only one regulation-size
indoor facility with three courts, one mini-sized facility and
no properly lined outdoor courts. Now two years later, there
are six great indoor places to play and a brand-new outdoor
facility with six courts. Much of the growth has to do with
some very dedicated and hardworking USAPA Ambassadors and
players. Their tenacious pursuit of new venues coupled with
their outreach and inclusion of a constant stream of beginners
has caused a happy boom in the sport. Along with that, the
inception of an email database and monthly newsletter has
brought a very disparate group into a well-informed, more
cohesive unit. In many ways, Charlotte Pickleball has become a
virtual community with different public venues.
Over the last two years, not only has the area’s pickleball
community grown in size (estimated 400-500 area players), but
Continued »
Pinehurst
The “Home of American Golf,” Pinehurst is now a destination
for pickleball enthusiasts. Since the introduction of pickleball
to the resort, three senior game events, two open tournaments,
and a Club Championship have been hosted there. Combined
with the innate good nature of people who live (and visit) the
Pinehurst area, pickleball is a welcome addition to the many
activities you can find at the resort, which include much more
than world-class golf. Playing pickleball at Pinehurst even
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