For a growing community of RV travelers, the best vacation amenity isn’ t a pool or hiking trail, it’ s a quality pickleball court. Resorts are responding as paddle-wielding campers map their journey around the game.
Pickleball on the
Open Road
For a growing community of RV travelers, the best vacation amenity isn’ t a pool or hiking trail, it’ s a quality pickleball court. Resorts are responding as paddle-wielding campers map their journey around the game.
L
by MATTHEW SCHWARTZ
Linda and Doug Strahm are in their 40-foot motorhome at The Great Outdoors RV Resort in Franklin, North Carolina. Their next destination is 2,300 miles away— an RV park in Kalispell, Montana. They are going not just for the hiking and biking, or to roast marshmallows on an open fire... the Strahms are hitting the road to hit some pickleballs.
“ We meet fun people and get to see this beautiful country,” Linda says about the couple’ s pickleball life on the road. She’ s 71, Doug is 68. They are Florida natives who were college sweethearts. Both are retired engineers— Linda worked at NASA, Doug at Honeywell. They raised two daughters in their longtime suburban Houston home.
In 2016, the Strahms started researching RVs. In 2018, they bought a 40-foot Tiffin Motorhome and sold their house.“ We said,‘ Let’ s go explore the world,’” Linda recalls. They are experienced long-distance travelers, since both had parents who were longtime owners of recreational vehicles.
Linda is a 3.5 player and on the court five or six days a week. Doug is more of a social player who also enjoys offroading in his Jeep Wrangler.
Most pickleball players at local courts play with and against the same people. When Linda and Doug play at campgrounds across the country, virtually every opponent is someone they have never met. They like that for both the social and strategic aspects.
“ When you play the same players over and over, you get to know the shots they make,” Linda explains.“ With travel playing, you don’ t know players’ shots. That puts us both on our toes and makes us better players.”
The Strahms are part of a fast-growing group within America’ s fastest-growing sport: recreational vehicle owners who are passionate pickleball players and travel the country in search of a game. Or 10.
“ Pickleball is the fastest-growing amenity in our industry,” says Monika Geraci, a spokesperson for the RV Industry Association trade group.“ Twelve percent of privately owned campgrounds have pickleball courts. In last year’ s survey of the industry, approximately 3,300 campgrounds were planning to add pickleball in the next 12 months.”
According to the association, there are more than 20,000 public and privately owned campgrounds nationwide, and 8.1 million households own an RV. How many RVers play pickleball is anyone’ s guess, but hospitality industry experts know that an increasing number of campers are packing their paddles.
Executives in the competitive business are aware of the boom, and if their properties didn’ t have pickleball courts before, they have them now. They don’ t want to
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SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2026 | MAGAZINE 41