Photos: Pickleball in Madison
From the Pickleball turns 60! See how it's evolved series
It seems you can't throw a wiffle ball without hitting a pickleball player. Here are some of the courts around the Madison area.
Pickelball
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.Â
Pickelball
The site for new pickleball courts, at right, is being prepared next to the existing eight courts at McGaw Park in Fitchburg.Â
Pickleball
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.
Pickleball
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.
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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
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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
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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
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Andrew Province helps prepare the future Dill Dinkers pickleball facility for opening in Madison, Wis. Monday, July 21, 2025. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
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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
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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
Pickleball
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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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Andrew Province assembles a net standard at Dill Dinkers new pickleball facility in Madison, Wis. Monday, July 21, 2025. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Pickleball
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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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
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.Â
From tennis courts to block parties, the game of pickleball has taken the world by storm. Read about its evolution and test your knowledge.
