Take tennis, lower the net, sub in oversized ping-pong paddles and a Wiffle ball and put it on a badminton court, and you’ve got the hottest sport you’ve maybe never heard of.

Charlotte, like much of the country, has seen a pickleball explosion in the last five years as aging baby boomers seek ways to stay active that are easier on the body than tennis or running.

And younger generations are catching on, too — so much so that local rec centers, neighborhoods and private clubs can’t seem to build courts fast enough to meet demand.

More and more, tennis facilities are opting to draw extra lines on their tennis courts to make them dual purpose: tennis and pickleball. (Pickleball courts are about 1/3 the size of tennis courts.)

Enthusiasm for the sport is almost cultish. It has changed the lives of people like Dick and Desiré Osman, who at ages 71 and 69 are two local “pickleball ambassadors” who volunteer to spread the love of the game through the USA Pickleball Association.

‘Totally hooked’: Desiré Osman was frustrated with a golf game that was “in the tank” nearly six years ago, so she and Dick decided to try a free pickleball clinic in Matthews. “We’re dinking the ball across the net at each other,” she says, “and we were like ‘oh yeah.’ Within six weeks, we were totally hooked.”

Explosive growth: Osman found the pickleball community too fragmented, so she started an email thread to organize local players. Her list has grown from 15 to more than 1,000 and has become a monthly newsletter that circulates up and down the East Coast. As pickleball ambassadors, the Osmans also help maintain a list of places to play in the 11-county Charlotte region. When they started playing, they knew of two local sites with pickleball courts. Now, they’ve counted 94 in the 11-county region — and 30 in Mecklenburg County alone.

Michael Jackson has been the adult athletics recreation specialist with the Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department for nearly three years and has seen demand for pickleball skyrocket. When he arrived, there were about 40 players in county pickleball tournaments. Now there are at least 80 who sign up.

Mecklenburg County recently opened the outdoor eight-court John Stevens Pickleball Center at Clarks Creek Park near Mallard Creek, the newest of about eight county facilities where residents can play.

The barrier to entry is low: Pickleball paddles cost less than $50, and anyone can just show up alone on a court and circulate in, like a game of pickup basketball. Matches last between 10-20 minutes, so even if there’s a crowd waiting to play, turns come up often.

Staying power: “That’s what I think really separates pickleball from other sports,” Jackson says. “I don’t think it’s a sport that’ll be here today and disappear in a year or two.”

Leesa Walker ended her 36-year teaching career at Charlotte Country Day last spring to start up Pickleball Charlotte, which operates out of the Sports Connection facility on Granite Street in southwest Charlotte.

Since June, she’s signed up 865 members who take lessons, play in tournaments or come for open play. She estimates that 70% of her members are in the workforce — not retirees — and she’s got a growing group of kids who play in a junior league.

Walker chalks up the sport’s exploding popularity to several factors:

• It’s quick to learn
• It doesn’t require a set team or partners (anyone can walk onto a pickleball court and circulate into a match)
• It’s accessible to both young and old.

‘Addicting’: “Give me an hour, and you’ll feel good about it. You’ll say, ‘I can do this,’” Walker says. “The best analogy I could give you is that it’s like you’re standing on a life-size ping-pong table. Everyone will tell you it’s so addicting.”

And indeed, you’ll find some serious enthusiasts at Sun City Carolina Lakes in Fort Mill, a 55+ community with eight pickleball courts in three different locations around the community.

Residents circulate huge group texts to 50 or more players to organize pickleball meetups. The serious players start around 7:30 a.m. and the courts are humming until dark.

It’s serious business for court resurfacing companies, too.

Kenny Simms of Professional Tennis Court Services says he hadn’t even heard of pickleball until about five years ago. Now, it’s a huge part of his business.

He stopped to chat for a few minutes while resurfacing a clay court at Sun City on a recent sunny afternoon and smiled at the enthusiasm he sees from pickleball players.

“When I’m working on tennis courts, people rarely walk by and interact,” he said. “But the pickleball crowd? They come out a lot and watch and ask questions.”

This article appeared in the Jan. 13, 2020, edition of The Charlotte Ledger. Read the full newsletter here.