HATBORO / HORSHAM TOWNSHIP, PA —The pickleball craze is picking up in Hatboro and Horsham.
One week after plans were announced for a new pickleball facility will open this summer in Hatboro, Horsham Township Council discussed plans for more pickleball courts.
At its meeting Monday night, the council reviewed a plan to build an indoor pickleball facility at 1250 Easton Road.
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The proposal calls for five pickleball courts in a building next to the Dunkin Donuts store on Easton Road across from the former U.S. Navy base on Route 611.
The applicants told the council that the courts would be open for all ages and would have scheduled court time, social events like birthday parties, lessons, a staggered playing schedule, a small office, and maybe two employees.
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The owner said the business would be “software-driven.”
The owner said that the capacity for the building would be 22 people, including players and employees, but he believed the staggered schedule would keep the building from being full much.
He said the nets would be mobile to allow for possible wheelchair players.
The applicants also told the council they would comply with issues raised by the township engineer, including the installation of sidewalks along a stretch of Easton Road.
Township Manager Bill Walker said the sidewalks could become important as the former military base gets developed by the township.
“We won’t know the plan for Route 611 for like 10 years out, but I would put them in,” he said.
Last year, Horsham doubled its pickleball courts from four to eight.
The council awarded a bid to build four more pickleball courts behind the Community Center in the Horsham Township Municipal Complex for $147,375 to Cousins Inc. of North Wales.
The new Hatboro indoor facility will be located on 330 S. Warminster Road. The owners, Dill Dinkers, say that it will have 19 courts with fences, an event space, a ball machine, pro shop, and an advanced reserve system for both members and visitors.
The Hatboro location will offer clinics, private and semi-private lessons, round-robin tournaments, and leagues.
5 Things To Know About Pickleball
1. It was invented by three dads in 1965. They were on an island near Seattle and wanted to keep their kids busy. They found an old badminton court and improvised with ping pong paddles, creating rules that were easy to follow.
2. The game combines tennis, badminton, and ping-pong, and basically involves hitting a Wiffle-type ball back and forth over a net. The game starts by serving underhand.
3. Because the court is smaller than tennis, it’s easy for all ages to play, either as doubles or singles. “Because the playing surface is about one-fourth the size of a tennis court,” says the L.A. Times,” there’s little ground to cover, especially in doubles. The sport is so physically forgiving that it’s unremarkable to see a gray-haired pair put a beating on their teenage grandkids.”
4. Here’s how it differs from tennis: After a serve, the ball must bounce once on each side of the net. There is a “no man’s land” 7 feet from either side of the net, from which you aren’t allowed to volley. And a pickleball is lighter than a tennis ball, so it doesn’t bounce as high.
5. The rules are uncomplicated. Here’s a video for beginners on how to play.
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