Is pickleball on the decline already?

travlerajm said:
The crash is coming.
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Not seeing it my corner of the planet:

Pickleball is experiencing explosive growth in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2026, driven by high demand for dedicated facilities and a shift toward younger demographics. The region is seeing rapid infrastructure expansion, including major indoor club developments and public park renovations aimed at addressing a 311% increase in nationwide participation over the past three years.

Key 2026 Growth Trends in the Bay Area
  • Infrastructure Surge: Large indoor facilities are filling the gap in the market. The Picklr is opening a 16-court facility in Milpitas in May 2026, which will feature "championship-sized" courts. Another indoor facility with seven courts is set to open in Fairfield in Spring 2026.
  • Public Park Upgrades: Cities are actively expanding access, such as a $6.5 million project adding 6 new courts in Berkeley and renovations planned for 12 dedicated pickleball courts at Galvin Community Park.
  • High Demand: Existing and new facilities are seeing high utilization rates, with some peak hours in the region hitting 85% capacity.
 
SystemicAnomaly said:
Not seeing it my corner of the planet:


Pickleball is experiencing explosive growth in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2026, driven by high demand for dedicated facilities and a shift toward younger demographics
. The region is seeing rapid infrastructure expansion, including major indoor club developments and public park renovations aimed at addressing a 311% increase in nationwide participation over the past three years.
Key 2026 Growth Trends in the Bay Area
  • Infrastructure Surge: Large indoor facilities are filling the gap in the market. The Picklr is opening a 16-court facility in Milpitas in May 2026, which will feature "championship-sized" courts. Another indoor facility with seven courts is set to open in Fairfield in Spring 2026.
  • Public Park Upgrades: Cities are actively expanding access, such as a $6.5 million project adding 6 new courts in Berkeley and renovations planned for 12 dedicated pickleball courts at Galvin Community Park.
  • High Demand: Existing and new facilities are seeing high utilization rates, with some peak hours in the region hitting 85% capacity.
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A crash happens at the moment when it is least expected.
 
J011yroger said:
How did we go from talking about stringjobs to blowjobs?

J
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“we” are multitaskers with attention span disorders … oh, also sick puppies.

btw … yes I think there will be a period of “too many new pickleball facilities built” … and some won’t make it. That said … my guess is it is not going to be like racquetball … at least the indoor facilities. The wiffle is both addictive and social … a weekly gathering of new friends (that’s coming from someone who doesn’t like people ;) ).
 
@ByeByePoly I just finished playing outdoors at a Univ court. I was resting on the bench when an old female pickle reached for a bag behind the bench and said Don’t worry, I am not trying to fondle you from behind.

Then a old guy came over and said My favorite lady and gave her a hug.
 
Unfortunately, I have observed initial construction of new pickleball courts here in the very Deep South. The project is apparently being funded by a gringo.
 
It would be weird scenario if Pickleball was in decline in the USA while Australia and Australian’s were just learning about it. We are like 4 years behind the US with many tennis centres only now in the last year building PB courts and local tennis shops stocking the bats. Mind you some are selling padel bats but that’s even more small scale here, and they are expensive.
I’m not saying that Pickleball is not happening or vibrant in Australia, because it is, but Australia is still in the upswing phase where according to this thread the game has already matured and on the slide or decline as it says in the title thread or is asking the question
Don’t forget it wasn’t that long ago that the mainstream media narrative was saying the PB was the fastest growing sport in the USA and even the world and that tennis should be worried. There were videos on YouTube showing a racquet centre that was split in half with one side dedicated to tennis and that other PB and the tennis section was empty while the PB side was all booked out. Has this situation now changed or has PB just stabilised ?
The last time we had this rise and fall of a racquet sport was when racquet ball hit the scene here and they converted squash courts to racquet ball courts when squash was in decline. Squash centres were everywhere in Australia in the 70’s and 80’s but hard to find now. Racquet ball has also disappeared and the courts were changed into more gym space and/or things like palates reformer rooms. Off course tennis’s response to the gym trend was cardio tennis.
 
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Fads come and go and Pickleball doesn't have a lot of intrinsic appeal. It will reach a plateau, level out and find a minor niche.

All the classic sports date mostly from the Victorian period - football, rugby, tennis, etc. - all will last until the clock ticks to midnight.
 
J011yroger said:
Feels like fewer people are talking about it and they are building facilities left and right. I don't think there will be enough people to support all of them.

Having lived through racquetball, rollerblading, pogs, and poker, I have seen this movie before.

J
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Although I see the social part anyone who actually wants their sport to also be a workout will be disappointed. It’s almost always doubles and pickleball players are quite thrifty. I held my nose when someone was complaining about $5 court fees at a resort while the same place charged $30 for nice clay tennis courts. Pickleball players seem to also be fine with waiting for a loooong time to play while they play cards or shoot the breeze. Not for me, even though I’m a senior but still improving tennis player.
 
Bartelby said:
Fads come and go and Pickleball doesn't have a lot of intrinsic appeal. It will reach a plateau, level out and find a minor niche.

All the classic sports date mostly from the Victorian period - football, rugby, tennis, etc. - all will last until the clock ticks to midnight.
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70% of tennis facilities in the US now offer one more racket sport.
 
They are fad chasing because that brings in more clientele and grows the business.

When I regularly attended a tennis centre they had a new fad every year to push.

sureshs said:
70% of tennis facilities in the US now offer one more racket sport.
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Tenthinker said:
Although I see the social part anyone who actually wants their sport to also be a workout will be disappointed. It’s almost always doubles and pickleball players are quite thrifty. I held my nose when someone was complaining about $5 court fees at a resort while the same place charged $30 for nice clay tennis courts. Pickleball players seem to also be fine with waiting for a loooong time to play while they play cards or shoot the breeze. Not for me, even though I’m a senior but still improving tennis player.
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I paid $5 by Venmo today to play
 
travlerajm said:
The crash is coming.
Click to expand...
Winter is coming here!

Don’t see a crash happening anytime soon — or ever? It may stop “exploding” some years down the road and its numbers will likely stabilize for quite a well in the future.

For the past decade or two, pickleball has become part of the PE curriculum in high schools and middle schools in many areas of the US. As a result, the avg age of pickleballers has dropped dramatically in the recent past.

Note that racquetball was invented in the 1950s. Its popularity peaked in the 1970s & 80s. Racquetball popularity somewhat gradually decreased since the late 1980s / early 1990s — not so much of a sudden crash from I saw in the SF Bay Area. Pickleball was developed in 1965 and took a bit longer to become popular.

Pickleball may very well be faddish but it is also a decent lifetime sport — especially for those who find tennis, golf and other sports too difficult to master. I suspect that it will still be going strong in a decade.

I would have rather seen Soft Tennis (Sofuto Tenisu) or badminton become the sport for the masses in the US but it appears that Pickleball has filled that bill.
 
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Zara said:
Is pickleball for the elderly?
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Yup. Nope.

Pickleball, a low impact sport, is quite a bit easier on the corpus, than tennis, for those over 50 and for others who might have arthritis, disabilities, minor injuries, etc. OTOH, pickleball has been the source of a whole lotta lower back pain, ankle sprains, wrist fractures, rotator cuff tears, Achilles tendinitis, “tennis” elbow, knee issues and other overuse injuries for the elderly and others who might not be in peak physical condition.

In recent years, however, pickleball has been embraced by young adults, teens & pre-teens. On community college pball courts the vast majority of players I’ve seen are college students and others under 50.
 
I've not noticed any decline in pickle. The courts are still packed, the ladders filled 6 weeks in advance, new faces abound, facilities still upgrading and more ladder sessions still being added by all the local clubs.

There's only so much it can grow due to population and the rate of change will eventually decrease. I can see that happening in the next couple of years years before it peaks 5 years from today. I don't see it going the way of racquetball because it's so accessible, more social, more fun, cheap and easy to learn.

On the other hand, padel is starting to grow now but at a much slower rate than pickle did. I can see it going the same path as racquetball eventually. It's very fun but more exclusive and expensive. The courts are much more expensive to construct and the maintenance is high to keep them in top condition. The rackets are more expensive harder on the arm + wrist than even tennis racquets and the balls are twice the price. The learning curve is closer to tennis so it's more difficult to play quickly and improve. The attrition rate is much higher than pickle from what I see. Definitely a niche sport and will remain that way after it peaks in the next few years - before eventually declining to nearly zero 10 years in the future.
 
SystemicAnomaly said:
Yup. Nope.

Pickleball, a low impact sport, is quite a bit easier on the corpus, than tennis, for those over 50 and for others who might have arthritis, disabilities, minor injuries, etc. OTOH, pickleball has been the source of a whole lotta lower back pain, ankle sprains, wrist fractures, rotator cuff tears, Achilles tendinitis, “tennis” elbow, knee issues and other overuse injuries for the elderly and others who might not be in peak physical condition.

In recent years, however, pickleball has been embraced by young adults, teens & pre-teens. On community college pball courts the vast majority of players I’ve seen are college students and others under 50.
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I lost 15lbs in first six months of pickleball doubles … indoors only, 3 times a week … 2 hour sessions. I started from my tennis typical doubles weight 170lbs and ended up at my tennis tournament singles weight from my 20s 155lbs. One of our regulars had lost 30lbs before we started 3 years ago. And yet … they tell me there is no exercise in pickleball. :-D Singles pb is an absolute biaaaatch … think non-stop spider drill without a changeover. I had planned to show up and give some singles beatdowns to 25 year old pickleball tribe members … that did not go well. Tennis singles skills transfer well to pickleball skills, but it’s much harder to end points with the wiffle against an opponent with speed. In general, pickleball is more weighted towards defense than tennis.

The sore back thing was over in a couple of months … tight calves and Achilles tendonitis lasted much longer. Nothing the small :p list that follows couldn’t fix:

(all just body weight, at the house)

- morning child pose
- morning and evening calf stretches on slant board
- single leg russian deadlifts
- two legged squats
- massage gun on calves before play
- roll arches of feet over a tennis ball
- stretchy band shoulder and back exercises
- recently added stretchy band above knees crab walk
- massage forearm and tricep before play … learned my lesson from late tennis TE
- use theraband flexbar on occasion

So far no duct tape … stay tuned. 8-B
 
ByeByePoly said:
I lost 15lbs in first six months of pickleball doubles … indoors only, 3 times a week … 2 hour sessions. I started from my tennis typical doubles weight 170lbs and ended up at my tennis tournament singles weight from my 20s 155lbs. One of our regulars had lost 30lbs before we started 3 years ago. And yet … they tell me there is no exercise in pickleball. :-D Singles pb is an absolute biaaaatch … think non-stop spider drill without a changeover. I had planned to show up and give some singles beatdowns to 25 year old pickleball tribe members … that did not go well. Tennis singles skills transfer well to pickleball skills, but it’s much harder to end points with the wiffle against an opponent with speed. In general, pickleball is more weighted towards defense than tennis.

The sore back thing was over in a couple of months … tight calves and Achilles tendonitis lasted much longer. Nothing the small :p list that follows couldn’t fix:

(all just body weight, at the house)

- morning child pose
- morning and evening calf stretches on slant board
- single leg russian deadlifts
- two legged squats
- massage gun on calves before play
- roll arches of feet over a tennis ball
- stretchy band shoulder and back exercises
- recently added stretchy band above knees crab walk
- massage forearm and tricep before play … learned my lesson from late tennis TE
- use theraband flexbar on occasion

So far no duct tape … stay tuned. 8-B
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I think this answers the question adequately.
 
travlerajm said:
I think this answers the question adequately.
Click to expand...

It definitely answers the question “am I old” :p

I was that guy that barely stretched before tennis matches … never needed to.

That list would have been longer but I had an appointment with a massage gun. Monday morning wiffle … retirement golden years (actually Lifetime ball is green).
 
J011yroger said:
Feels like fewer people are talking about it and they are building facilities left and right. I don't think there will be enough people to support all of them.

Having lived through racquetball, rollerblading, pogs, and poker, I have seen this movie before.

J
Click to expand...
Unless Alcarez plays pickelball at Wimbledon, pickel won't survive, its going to go down
 
SystemicAnomaly said:
Yup. Nope.

Pickleball, a low impact sport, is quite a bit easier on the corpus, than tennis, for those over 50 and for others who might have arthritis, disabilities, minor injuries, etc. OTOH, pickleball has been the source of a whole lotta lower back pain, ankle sprains, wrist fractures, rotator cuff tears, Achilles tendinitis, “tennis” elbow, knee issues and other overuse injuries for the elderly and others who might not be in peak physical condition.

In recent years, however, pickleball has been embraced by young adults, teens & pre-teens. On community college pball courts the vast majority of players I’ve seen are college students and others under 50.
Click to expand...
The other reason I asked is because my former locker owner, who’s retired and used to play tennis, told me one day that he recently switched to pickleball, because he hurt his shoulder when trying to hit an overhead. Anyway, I showed some interest to which he said that I should find a group of my age because his group had mostly retired people, so I wondered. But I was too lazy to find details about it.
 
I still see it everywhere on the West Coast. Perhaps done growing but definitely not shrinking.

I've never been curious to try it, kinda miss checking out other tennis players styles and rackets at public courts. Nowadays it's usually just us surrounded by dozens of pickleballers.
 
travlerajm said:
They are still using the kitchen rule. No bueno.
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I also noticed that, but the rules say:

Typti does not use the kitchen rule. Unlike traditional pickleball, Typti allows players to volley from anywhere on the court without a non-volley zone, and if the ball hits the net on your side, the rally does not automatically end. Players are also allowed to use parts of their body, such as their feet or hands, to keep the ball in play, which is a significant departure from the standard pickleball rules.
 
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