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We can now add pickleball to popular sports-centered vacation getaway themes such as golfing, skiing and scuba diving.
The racket game invented in 1965 has been the fastest-growing sport in the U.S. these past two years, now standing at close to 9 million players, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. So it’s no surprise that the tourism industry is getting in on the action.
All-inclusive resorts, from Beaches in the Turks and Caicos Islands to the historic Broadmoor in Colorado, have added pickleball programs to their activities. Travel outfitters such as Road Scholar will book your pickleball-centric trip, and individual professional players turned trip leaders are setting up destination visits for picklers, novice and pro.
There is no official data on how much pickleball-related travel has increased, but Ernie Medina Jr., USA Pickleball board member and ambassador, thinks it’s exponential growth. As a frequent traveler himself (he’s on a quest to play in a tournament in all 50 states), he has seen how hotels and resorts are adding courts and instructors, sponsoring tournaments and marketing their pickleball availability to bring in new guests.
Medina, a doctor of public health and an assistant professor at the School of Public Health at Loma Linda University in California, says pickleball – played at home or away – can greatly improve public health. “When you look at physical activity from a public health intervention standpoint, you’re looking for something that is easy to learn, easy to do, that you could do anywhere. It’s cheap, it’s fun, it’s social and it still gets the heart rate up,” he says. “Pickleball checks off all the boxes.” Below are ideas for fun getaways for pickleball enthusiasts.
Pickleball resorts
Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico, a wellness retreat, is investing in pickleball. While pickleball lessons and open play have been offered for years, the resort has scheduled nine full “Pickleball Specialty Weeks" in 2024 with top experts to teach. Tired picklers may find an array of other fitness classes, from yoga and Pilates to hydro-fit and circuit-training, plus miles of trails for mountain foothill hiking. (Note: In early December, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] issued a health advisory about an outbreak of tick-borne Rocky Mountain spotted fever among people who have recently traveled to Tecate. Check the U.S. State Department travel advisory website for more information.)
Let’s Play Pickleball!
Become a part of the country’s fastest growing sport. Learn the rules, tips for playing and ways to win. Plus, how to warm up, what to wear and where to play.
Beaches on Providenciales in Turks and Caicos is just one of the travel franchise’s resorts in the Caribbean. It may be best known for its azure waters and white sand seaside, but it added a pickleball instructor and eight permanent pickleball courts in recent years, and can turn eight tennis courts into pickleball play, too. The family-friendly resort has multiple other activities to keep everyone happy, including a water park.
Turtle Bay Resort in Kahuku, Hawaii, on Oahu’s North Shore, is famous for its fantastic surfing, but this resort has a lot of outdoor activities, including horseback riding and golf. Now, however, it touts six dedicated pickleball courts for practice, lessons, plus round-robin tournaments and other tournaments throughout the year.
