Dear Editor,
After a couple of votes, pivots, and re-votes, Baldwin County Commissioners recently decided to invest tax dollars in the growing pickleball community that frequents the recreation center outdoor courts at the intersection of Hwy 212 and Hwy. 22.
All who play there are thrilled and anticipate new and improved pickleball courts and more of them.
Putnam County, you may want to take notice.
As I understand it, some SPLOST money is set aside to build new pickleball courts, but the information is not forthcoming. I think it should be shouted from the rooftops of downtown Eatonton, including from the fancy rooftop bar planned on top of the soon-to-be renovated hotel.
Imagine a state-of-the-art pickleball facility right off Hwy. 441 in Putnam County. Imagine tournaments and out-of-towners who need places to eat, sleep, and shop while in town to play. Imagine the tax revenue for the county.
While in Seattle this summer, we took a ferry ride to Bainbridge Island. I walked into a quaint gift shop and was intrigued by all the pickleball-inspired souvenir items. It was there I learned that pickleball was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island. The story goes that three families were vacationing and a bit bored one day, so they found an abandoned badminton court, ping-pong paddles, and a waffle-type ball and made up rules as their families played.
It caught on, slowly perhaps at first, but by 1990, pickleball was being played in all 50 states. A governing association was formed and national tournaments sprung up. In 2023, the Sports and Fitness Industry Association declared pickleball the fastest-growing sport in the USA for the third year in a row. The U.S. has 8.9 million pickleball players.
Pickleball, like all sports, brings out-of-county money to a community. Shops and restaurants nearby benefit from those who play, shop and eat.
Tournaments bring in additional people and money.
Playing pickleball gives people a community to belong to, creates opportunities to meet people, and is a fun way to build fitness. While senior citizens love the sport, younger people are joining in because of the inclusive structure of play. No serious commitment is needed, a player does not have to show up with a partner and can come and go as their schedule allows.
Putnam County has underutilized tennis courts at our rec center. We have land.
What if we built a nice indoor facility for a sport played by all ages and fitness levels? What if we think big and capitalize on a sport with a proven record of tremendous growth? Wouldn’t that go nicely with a fancy new hotel downtown? I think so.
Bonnie Kallenberg, Putnam County