There are currently 36.5 million pickleball players estimated in the United States according to the Association of Pickleball Professionals in 2022, with the pickleball participation growing 158.6% over the past three years according to the 2022 Sports & Fitness Industry Association Single Sport Participation Report on Pickleball.
Brandon Mackie, co-founder of Pickleheads, said its website is dedicated to pickleball players from beginners to pros that shows what pickleball courts are in your local community. Mackie said Pickleheads is now the leading source for pickleball players looking for courts and looking to find games.
“Which are the two most important things, especially when you are just starting your pickleball journey,” he said. “It is like you use Yelp to find a restaurant, you use Pickleheads to find a court. We have more than 13,000 courts profiled throughout the U.S. and Canada, so no matter where you are in the world, there is a good chance you can use Pickleheads and find a court to use. Many people use it this time of year while they are traveling or getting out in the sunshine. Now, beyond that we have tools so you can organize your own games. So, if someone is visiting Chula Vista, they can browse people who are playing and go out and meet and play, which is pretty cool.”
Mackie said the website is easy to navigate. Go to the map, put in your location. Each court is profiled, has a calendar of when groups play there, and when other Pickleheads have scheduled games.
“The goal is to get Pickleheads together and get more people out on the courts playing pickleball,” he said. “There are many places to play. The nice thing about pickleball is that you can set up just about anywhere, a gymnasium, a basketball court, or a driveway.“
Both East County and South Bay have about 16 pickleball courts to choose from according to Pickleheads that range from beginners to professional courts and will also show which sites have trainers. Mackie said the filter on the website can help players find the right pickleball court that meets their needs.
“Our biggest source is people all over the country,” he said. “People open somewhere locally, add it to our site, and it grows that way. I think that is the best way. We rely on the millions of players across the country to help build the website.”
