Some Pickleball History

Have you ever wondered how pickleball was started? Or had friends ask you where the name pickleball came from? What about those questions from people who haven’t heard of pickleball? Here’s some answers to help you out.

Where did Pickleball come from?

Pickleball was invented in the summer of 1965 by Congressman Joel Pritchard and Bill Bell. They needed an activity to entertain their kids and were forced to improvise when they were missing some of the equipment needed to play badminton. Using ping pong paddles and a wiffle ball, they created a new game! The adults soon became hooked on playing this new game and it was further developed in the next few years with the help of Barney McCallum.

Why is it called Pickleball?

No one is entirely sure where the name comes from. According to USAPA there are two possible stories. The first one is that the Pritchard’s had a dog named Pickle that loved chasing after the balls. The second story is that Joel Pritchard’s wife chose the name pickleball based on the “pickle boat” which used a combination of crewmen from other types of boats, reminding her of the combination of sports used to create pickleball.

What is Pickleball?

What is pickleball? Pickleball is FUN! It’s a great social game played on a court with a paddle and a ball that is similar to a wiffle ball. It’s a combination of several different games, such as tennis, ping pong and badminton! Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in the US and can be played as doubles or singles. It is an easy sport to pick up and a lot of fun to play with a group of friends!