The U3A Pickleball club plays indoors at Longridge Sports centre on Thursdays from 5.00pm until 6.15pm. 

Aspects of the sport resemble tennis and table tennis, but it has its own bats, a special ball and specific rules. 

Pickleball is a singles or doubles racket sport in which players use a smooth-faced paddle to hit a perforated, hollow plastic ball over a 34-inch-high net until one side fails to return the ball correctly. At Longridge we use this low tennis style net on a badminton court and play doubles 

The hard plastic pickleball produces less bounce than a tennis ball. The limited bounce, non-volley zones, and underhanded stroke, with which all serves must be made, combined with hard drive shots and overhead smash shots, give the game a dynamic pace. The growing popularity of the sport has been attributed to its short learning curve, its appeal to a wide range of ages and fitness levels, and its low startup costs.

We have 20 members and use 2 courts and we have a waiting list. New members will only be included when existing members leave. However, during the summer months we hope to again put on a Monday session at the same time when new players will be able to attend. We can only have 8 players on court at one time and we are conscious to ensure sufficient court time for players. The improvement in the standard of play amongst members since we started  has been dramatic and we have had lots of fun.