At Hammock Beach Golf Resort & Spa in Palm Coast, Florida, a recent bachelorette party swapped champagne toasts for pickleball paddles and took their celebration to the courts.

Instead of sticking to standard doubles play for the full two-hour session, the resort’s director of racquets Gene Paul Lascano served up a surprise: A Texas Hold ’Em–style tournament for the 12 attendees. Players drew cards between matches (the winning team got to pick two cards and choose which card to keep; the losing team just got one card) and, at the end, the best five-card poker hand walked away the winner.

“We love getting creative with our guests to make an already fun activity even more engaging and exciting for them,” says Lascano.

For the fourth year running, pickleball has claimed the crown as the fastest-growing sport in the U.S., according to a January 2025 report from Pickleball USA. The Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP) found that 48.3 million U.S. adults—about one in five—have played the sport in the past year, marking a 35% jump since August 2022.

Considered a cousin to tennis (with badminton and ping-pong in the family tree, too), pickleball’s meteoric rise is in part due to the number of younger players joining in on the fun: The average player age is now 34.8 and reflects the game’s growing popularity among adults ages 18 to 44.

What’s Driving the Pickleball Craze?

Hammock Beach debuted its four pickleball courts in February 2024 after receiving occasional calls from players inquiring if the resort had dedicated courts.

To christen the pickleball facility during its grand opening, legendary tennis player Ivan Lendl—who won the U.S. Open three consecutive times between 1985 and 1987—took to the courts playing an exhibition match. The tennis champ is now a serious pickleball player, competing in top tournaments.

Pickleball is catching on quickly because it's accessible to players of all fitness-levels and ages, says Brice Chevalier, the pickleball and tennis pro at Chaminade Resort & Spa in Santa Cruz, California.

“The learning curve is much slimmer than the learning curve for tennis—pretty much anyone can pick up a paddle and start enjoying a game of pickleball within minutes,” he says. “But there's also plenty of opportunity to level up and play more challenging games against talented players.”

Also driving the demand is the social nature of the sport and the low barrier of entry, with not much equipment needed, experts say.

To meet the demand for the sport, Chaminade Resort & Spa has converted a tennis court into two pickleball courts and they’ll consider adding more courts if the momentum continues. The resort has also hosted pickleball socials called “Dinks and Drinks” for members of the health club as well as pickleball clinics for corporate groups.

Leveling Up Your Pickleball Game

For some travelers, it’s all about the beach. For others—it’s the baseline, and travel agents are starting to notice an uptick in the number of pickleball-loving travelers who want to weave the sport into their vacation itineraries.

Saddlebrook Resort near Tampa is a destination for players serious about improving their game. It’s home to the Professional Pickleball Registry (PPR), the leading organization for certifying and supporting instructors who are growing the sport nationwide, as well as the Professional Tennis Registry (PTR).

With eight dedicated pickleball courts, Saddlebrook offers “stay and play” packages that include two hours of court time for each night of your stay. Programming caters to all levels, from elite athletes fine-tuning their skills to beginners learning the basics.

Part of pickleball’s appeal is that, in addition to being social, it’s a sport that allows adults to tap into their competitive side, says Sarah Ansboury, managing director of the Professional Pickleball Registry.

Saddlebrook also hosts multi-day tournaments, charity events, and the annual PTR/PPR Racquet Sports Conference every February, drawing top coaches and players from around the world.

Margaritaville Lake Resort Lake Conroe | Houston is another destination where you can enjoy R&R (rallies and relaxation) with boat rentals, tee times and spa services along with solid pickleball facilities. The property features two permanent courts and a convertible tennis court that adds two more. Its strong pickleball offerings even earned national recognition in The Wall Street Journal as part of a feature on the sport’s surging popularity—and the travelers who plan their vacations around it.

Pickleball Tips

While pickleball is an easy sport to learn, it’s a tough one to master, which is part of the fun. Here’s pro tips to help you level up your game.

Beginners: Take a Lesson

If you're just picking up a paddle for the first time, consider taking a lesson, which will walk you through the fundamentals of pickleball, including how to serve, proper footwork, how to keep score, and the essential rules of the game. You'll also learn some beginner-friendly drills that you can practice on your own to improve your technique.

“Learn the right way early so you feel confident getting on the court,” says Ansboury.

One thing she always reminds beginners: Keep your paddle where you can see it—in front of you. This positioning keeps you ready to respond quickly.

When you're just starting out, don't focus on hitting hard or going for flashy shots. Instead, aim for consistency and control.

A smart beginner strategy is to keep the ball in play, even if that means slowing things down. By hitting steady, well-placed shots rather than trying to overpower your opponent, you'll gain confidence and extend rallies, which gives you more time on the court to learn and grow.

Intermediate Players: Learn Where to Position Yourself on the Court

One of the most effective strategies in pickleball, especially for those looking to improve quickly, is learning to control the area near the net. This zone is called “the kitchen,” a no-volley area that spans 14 feet across the middle of the court (extending 7 feet from each side of the net).

“You can tell a proficient player from a novice by where they position themselves on the court,” Chevalier says. “Good players move directly in front of the kitchen at the first opportunity, while novices will hang back and position themselves toward the back of the court.”

Moving up to the kitchen early in the rally allows you to cut off angles, react faster to dinks, and even pressure your opponents into making mistakes. Hanging back, on the other hand, gives your opponents more space and time to set up aggressive shots.

Master the short drop shot into the kitchen, and you can throw off your opponent's rhythm, and control the tempo, Chevalier says.

Advanced Players: Work With a Coach

When you’re ready to advance to the next level of pickleball and perhaps start playing in tournaments, one of the best things you can do is start working with a coach who can help you better your game, Ansboury says. Drills become more important in this stage.

As you hone your skills, check out some of the free tutorials on Ansboury’s pickleball academy website.

Her videos cover everything from why it’s better to loosen your grip and swing faster, not harder when you’re working on power and how to master the “around the post” shot, which is a specialty shot where your opponent hits the pickleball around (instead of over) the net post onto the court.

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