Pickleball at Sagecliffe Resort

The fastest-growing sport in the USA is coming to Sagecliffe Resort. 

Pickleball has been rapidly growing in popularity over the past few years, but it was first played in Bainbridge Island back in the summer of 1965. Friends Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum invented the game and named it “pickleball”, which was a reference to the term “pickle boat”. 

For those who have never heard of a pickle boat, it’s a term from rowing used to describe a random crew of rowers that were leftover from other teams and put together to compete in races. Usually, the pickle boat would end up in last place, but it’s the idea of multiple people coming together to create a new team that shares some identity with pickleball, which is often described as a mix of tennis, badminton and ping-pong.

Now, pickleball is the sport of choice for over 4.2 million people in the USA. It’s played on a court that’s the same size used in badminton doubles but with a low tennis net, using a “paddle” and a hard, hollow plastic ball. Because the ball has holes in it, it travels at about a third of the average speed of a tennis ball, making the game much more accessible for children and seniors.

Our brand new Pickleball court will be ready to play on soon. To use it, simply speak to frontdesk during your stay to arrange your game.

Locals are also welcome; if you’d like to use the court, please let a member of our team know so we can ensure the court is free.