The rise of pickleball in Logan

Photo courtesy of Brandon Mackie

Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the U.S. with an estimated 36.5 million players in the country. Logan has been quick to jump on this popular sport as its impact has exploded in Cache Valley.

Brandon Mackie is a co-founder of Pickleheads, a resource for players trying to find a court or other players nearby. 

“We have one of the most comprehensive databases of pickleball courts in the country,” Mackie said. “Over 13,000 profiles between the U.S. and Canada. So, no matter where you are in this country, you can use our site to find a place to play.”

Users of the site can organize games, invite others to play and make a game public to find new people to join.

“The sport has grown times 10 in maybe two years,” Mackie said. “Utah, as you know, is an absolute hotspot for pickleball. Some of the first-ever pickleball tournaments back in the 90s were played here.”

According to Mackie, by tracking the number of pickleball facilities and available courts, he has found that this growth is also true for Logan.

“Utah has the highest number of Google searches for pickleball of any state,” Mackie said.

Mackie, who has been a player for three years,  attributed the sudden rise of pickleball to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Pickleball is a very social sport,” Mackie said. “It lets you get out, socialize responsibly, it gets activity when all the gyms were closed.”

According to pickleball statistics, Logan is the 6th most popular city in Utah to play pickleball.

“Pickleball is a social activity as much as it’s a sport. It’s commonly played in an open-play format where 50 or even more players show up and rotate games and partners,” a Pickleheads team member wrote. “You also almost always play pickleball as doubles, which leaves many opportunities to socialize and meet players.”

Mackie said in the past, pickleball was very popular among seniors. Now high schoolers, college students and young professional players are the fastest-growing demographic for pickleball players.

“The magic of pickleball is it’s easy to learn, but hard to master,” a Pickleheads team member wrote. “Beginners can go out their first time, learn the game, have fun, and even win a few games. But advanced players stay challenged, and keep coming back for more. This dynamic is a big reason why pickleball continues to grow like crazy.”

According to Mackie, pickleball is great for the community because it’s a good source of exercise, it’s a social outlet and it brings people together.

“I would call it a mix between ping pong, badminton and tennis,” Mackie said. “It’s basically a mini version of tennis but the premise is similar to ping pong- it’s a plastic paddle, plastic ball. The scoring is closer to badminton.”

According to Mackie, pickleball’s easy nature is what draws people to the sport.

“You don’t really have to have an athletic background to be able to pick it up and enjoy it,” Mackie said. “If you go into pickleball, people are always welcoming.”

Mackie recommends that beginners check out Pickleheads.com for their virtual clinic series of short videos to learn the basics before hitting the court.

“I’ve never seen somebody go out and not have fun on their first time playing pickleball,” Mackie said. “Something tells me you’ll be back for more.”