You’ve heard about it, but what exactly is pickleball? Pickleball is a paddle sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong using a paddle and plastic ball with holes.

Did you know pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the United States? According to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, it’s estimated more than 4.8 million people play pickleball. No wonder courts are popping up all around us!

Pickleball has become an addictive sport due to how easy it is to play, it’s low impact and appeals to a wide range of ages. Grandparents can play with grandkids, and all get exercise!

When it comes to our area,there are courts at Shawnee Park Sports Complex, Cape Girardeau Country Club,Osage Centre, Arena Park in Cape and Litz Park in Jackson. The Country Club even took their tennis courts and changed them into six pickleball courts to meet the demand of the sport.

Interested but not sure where to start? The SEMO Pickleball Club and SEMO Pickleball Ambassadors are great resources if you’re getting started or want to connect with other players. They have information on tournaments in and around the state and when “free play” is open to the public.

The sport has become so popular that Cape will soon be home to what will be one of the largest indoor pickleball facilities in our area with 14 climate-controlled courts, enabling Cape to be a destination for pickleball tournaments and bringing more visitors to town. See the KFVS storyon this exciting venture.

One last fun fact! Why is it called pickleball if there aren’t pickles involved? It’s named for one of the inventors, Congressman Joel Pritchard’s dog, Pickles!

Check out our other adventures, on the VisitCape Discover Cape page!