Pickleball is 'blowing up' in Lake County and across the country

Jun. 13—It's fun, free, not too crazy of a workout and competitive for players of all ages, and skill levels.

This is how Terry Schaller, a Lake County resident, describes the sport of pickleball, a sport that is becoming a phenomenon not just locally, but nationally and internationally as well.

Schaller, who has been playing pickleball for four years, had a helping hand in bringing pickleball courts to fruition in Willoughby Hills alongside other local volunteers. The city's courts are now open and located at Campbell Park, 35405 Chardon Road, behind City Hall.

"Pickleball is a hit because of the lifelong friendships you make with the people you meet," Schaller said.

The sport was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island in the state of Washington by three fathers — Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum, whose kids were bored with their usual summertime activities. Pickleball, a sport that combines many elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong, has evolved from original handmade equipment and simple rules into a popular sport throughout the U.S. and Canada, according to USA Pickleball.

On a local perspective, pickleball got started in Mentor about 11 years ago by Brian Murphy and his brother.

"He went to Texas and came back, and said, 'I saw a sport you'll love,' " said Murphy, a Lake County pickleball ambassador who worked for Mentor for 36 years in the Parks and Recreation Department. "Next thing you know, he ordered some paddles and we started playing. It was just four of us in the beginning and I got my boss at the time into pickleball."

After grants were received, Mentor gained six pickleball courts at Mentor Civic Center Park, 8600 Munson Road. A couple years later, six more courts were installed and then another three courts followed.

"We have 15 now," said Murphy, who has been teaching pickleball for nine years. "It's blowing up. We have probably 125 to 150 players a day."

At the 15 courts, located between the Mentor Ice Arena and the pool, players are there from 8 to 11 a.m. every day or at night from 4:30 to 8 p.m., Murphy said. In between, when it's the heat of the day, not so much, he said.

"I call them my working players and non-working players," Murphy said. "The non-working players usually play in the morning and people who work usually come up after 5 p.m., but both three-hour sessions are filled."

Murphy now receives calls from cities all over the country, asking him how much it would cost to turn a tennis court into one for pickleball.

"All these places have tennis courts that are just sitting there empty," Murphy said. "They want to know how to start pickleball and stuff. Willoughby has put some in, Perry, Concord just put some in, Willoughby Hills just finished, so they're going up everywhere now."

When Mentor put in 12 pickleball courts, it was one of the biggest facilities in the country, Murphy said. Now, there are facilities nationwide that are being built with 24 courts, courts outside and indoor courts.

"You can play singles, but 95% play doubles," he said. "Most people ask me, 'How come these people are all so friendly?' It's usually the same age group. It's a lot of retirees and they have time, and same interests, so they get done and they become friends. Next thing you know, they're going on vacations together and everything else from pickleball."

Today, it's a rarity for someone to not have heard of pickleball, Murphy said. In the beginning of its popularity, tennis facilities didn't want pickleball taking over, but now, tennis instructors are becoming pickleball instructors, he said.

"It's not an expensive sport at all, which is good," he said. "A ball is $3 and a paddle is $100, and then you're set. I'm comparing it to golf where you're paying $30 each time you play. This is reasonable."

As far as the younger generation getting into pickleball, the trend is starting to turn to younger people nationwide, but not so much in Lake County, Murphy said.

"I've tried to get it going in junior highs and I imagine it will, but right now, it's predominantly over 50," he said.

With Ohio weather only allowing about six months for outdoor activities, Mentor opened up an indoor pickleball facility at Mentor Heisley Racquet and Fitness Club, 6000 Heisley Road.

"We put four indoor courts there and it's been open for three years, and that's open from October until April, so basically the months you can't play outside," Murphy said. "It was booked solid from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day."

With pickleball courts being one third the size of a tennis court, it's much easier for players to cover, Murphy said. It's also less wear and tear on their bodies with the serve being underhand.

"In tennis, they made the serve too hard," he said. "People can play tennis for five years and still can't serve. You can play pickleball for a half hour and get the hang of it, and enjoy it. In tennis, the court is too big and when you get 55 years old, very few people can play tennis. The court is too big, the racquet is too heavy and the ball is too fast."

Murphy describes pickleball as if it were a game of ping-pong on a small tennis court.

"What I tell people, when they start the game up, is if they have any hand-eye coordination and some mobility, they can enjoy the game right away," he said. "What always surprises me is I'll give a lesson to somebody and they're struggling, and barely hitting the ball. After an hour, I'm thinking, oh boy. They come up to me and they go, 'I love it.' I'm kind of blown away."

In his nine years of teaching pickleball, Murphy hasn't had anyone say they don't like the sport after a lesson.

"I've had to tell a few people it's not for everybody because if I'm nervous about them falling, I'll tell them it's not for everybody," he said. "If you have trouble going up steps, this is not the thing for you."

When Murphy started playing, there were about 400,000 participants in the world, he said. Now, there's 4.5 million. He believes the sport will triple in the next three years and surpass golf and tennis.

"Golf and tennis are going down, and this is going up, so we're gaining so much more by them losing players and us gaining players," said Murphy, who also sees pickleball becoming an Olympic sport. "A lot of people want something to do when they retire and the thing I hear all the time, and I tell people, is you can play pickleball for an hour and time flies."

He does a drill session on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at the courts in Mentor from 10:30 a.m. to noon. He currently teaches a group of 16 people, but has a waiting list for others.

"It beats walking the mall," he said. "Anytime you do pickleball, you're having fun and getting exercise. That's a big thing for seniors. They go out, have fun, play with their friends and they're getting a workout at the same time."