MOVE over lawn bowls, golf and tennis. The fastest growing sport for over-55s in America is now in Australia with a dominant Queensland following.
A cross between badminton, ping-pong and tennis, pickleball was devised in the US in 1965 by an enterprising duo tired of hearing holidaying family members moan that they were bored.
What’s developed is a sporting hybrid, played outdoors on a badminton-sized court with a lower tennis net, and using paddles rather like table tennis bats and a hard plastic wiffle ball, the size of a tennis ball.
Marilyn and Howard Stone came across the sport in 2014 and now play several times a week on Australia’s first purpose-built pickleball court at the Halcyon Glades community, north of Brisbane.
“It’s social and it’s active. We work up a sweat and a laugh,” Marilyn, 68, told The Senior.
Neighbour Helene Harris agreed. “Tennis courts are just a bit too big for me now.
“Pickleball has proved a great leveller – I can take on the grandchildren, have fun, and even give them a run for their money.
The Halycon group plans to host a tournament later this year. Meantime, it’s investing in another 10 pickleball courts in its communities from the Sunshine Coast to the Gold Coast.