Traditional pickleball scoring is nothing like that of tennis.
The vast majority of recreational pickleball games are doubles. These players were on the court Tuesday at Garner Park in Madison.
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Photos: Pickleball continues to grow in Dane County
Jenny Rilling, left, and Ann Wilson compete during a pickleball match with friends at Hitters Tennis and Pickleball Club in Middleton, Wis. Monday, July 21, 2025. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Pickleball enthusiasts compete on one of three courts dedicated to the sport at Hitters Tennis and Pickleball Club in Middleton, Wis. Monday, July 21, 2025. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Pickleball equipment shares shelf space in a retail area of HItters Tennis and Pickleball Club in Middleton, Wis. Monday, July 21, 2025. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Kim Robertson practices returns during a lesson with Hitters Tennis and Pickleball Club pro Greg Isermann at the business in Middleton, Wis. Monday, July 21, 2025. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Andrew Province helps prepare the future Dill Dinkers pickleball facility for opening in Madison, Wis. Monday, July 21, 2025. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Pickleball enthusiasts associated with the Who’s New in Madison organization gather for matches at Garner Park in Madison, Wis. Tuesday, July 29, 2025. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Building supplies for the new Dill Dinkers pickleball club are stored outside the business as work progresses on the new enterprise in Madison, Wis. Monday, July 21, 2025. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Andrew Province assembles a net standard at Dill Dinkers new pickleball facility in Madison, Wis. Monday, July 21, 2025. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
The vast majority of recreational pickleball games are doubles. These players were on the court Tuesday at Garner Park in Madison.
Pickleball players Al Spallato, left, and Wayne Barsness compete in match at Hitters Tennis and Pickleball Club in Middleton, Wis. Monday, July 21, 2025. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Pickleball is no longer a slow-paced game for Mike Lemke, Wayne Barsness, Bo Palenske and Al Spallato, who all played a heated game recently at Hitter's.
The six pickleball courts at Garner Park on Madison’s West Side are the city’s only outdoor public courts dedicated solely to pickleball. On Tuesday, players with “Who’s New in Madison” filled the courts that opened in 2016, but city officials have plans for more courts in city parks beginning next year when eight lighted courts are set to be built at Warner Park.
Zach Feldman has been hobbled by a ligament injury sustained while playing pickleball, but it has not deterred him from opening Dill Dinkers, a 10-court indoor pickleball facility at 5004 Tradewinds Parkway on Madison’s Southeast Side. Dill Dinkers is a national chain with 25 locations in 12 states.
Pickleball players at Garner Park in Madison show off their paddles during a meeting at the net, which is a few inches lower than a tennis net.
Three dedicated pickleball courts were added to Hitter’s Tennis & Pickleball Club in Middleton in 2022. Players can be members and pay $99 per month or do pay-as-you-go at $15 per person for a two-hour session.
Jenny Rilling, center in yellow shirt had little tennis experience when she started playing pickleball seven years ago. She now plays three to four times a week, which includes Mondays at Hitters Tennis & Pickleball Club.
A pickleball, seen here at Hitter’s Tennis & Pickleball Club, is similar to a Wiffle Ball and reacts nothing like a tennis ball. Hitters was built as a baseball facility and then became a tennis facility before adding pickleball courts. The game accounts for 30% of the facility’s revenue.
The site for new pickleball courts, at right, is being prepared next to the existing eight courts at McGaw Park in Fitchburg.
Pickleball players compete in a round-robin event that happens weekly on Tuesday mornings at the eight-court setup at McGaw Park in Fitchburg. The city this year is also building four more courts adjacent to these.
