The History of Pickleball

How did Pickleball come about?  Whats the History of Pickleball?  Why is it called Pickleball, are there pickles involved?  Find Out!

The Birth of Pickleball.  The whole family can play pickleball and have a great time playing it too.  It makes sense that it was invented by a family, too. The game got its start back in 1965, in Bainbridge Island, just a short ferry ride away from Seattle, WA.  The creators, Joel Pritchard, William Bell and Barney McCallum came home from a game of golf one day to find their kids bored and restless, they set out to create a game that would engage them through the summer.

They wanted to create a game that would be challenging, but still accessible. They handed the kids ping-pong paddles and a wiffle ball.  Next they lowered the net on their badminton court.  After a few days, both kids and adults alike fell in love with the game, and as they played the rules evolved (to include the non-volley zone, or kitchen, for instance) and solidified to their present incarnation.

So where does the Pickle come in?  Do you play with pickles or cucumbers? No, there weren’t any pickles, or cucumbers or kitchens involved.  The name came from the family dog, named Pickles. Pickles, the dog would chase the ball that went off the court and hide it in the bushes, so ‘Pickles Ball’ was born, and later the name of the game was shortened to Pickleball.