Pickleball

Contact: Julie Suckling
See Newsletter for contact details or
Email:   with “Pickleball  enquiry” as the subject

Pickleball is designed to give moderate exercise with a little competition and we play outdoors at the Bramhall Park Lawn Tennis Club (BPLTC) throughout the year. It is often described as a cross between badminton, tennis and table tennis. It is played on a badminton court with a light plastic ball and plastic paddles like oversized table tennis bats. The rules are specifically designed to limit aggression and powerplay and to encourage placement, positioning and tactics. To see it played either google it or go to YouTube and enter pickleball in the search box.

Previous experience is not needed – we are all beginners – and all necessary explanation and help will be given to new members. As a group we enjoy the competition involved in the game but not at the expense of fun and enjoyment.

Looking back over 2024

Several new members have joined this year as the sport continues to become better known, and we have regular enquiries from new members. We now have 2 outdoor hard courts which have recently been resurfaced, meaning that we can accommodate up to 12 players per session. We usually run a session most weekday mornings and play is possible in
the afternoon if there is a demand.

We intend to continue with outdoor play and the BPLTC have established an
Associate Pickleball Membership for U3A players, giving us access to the
clubhouse and security of venue.

The Pickleball group have recently had two new courts provided for them by Bramhall Park Lawn Tennis Club. Carol Wilson made the inaugural wreath with recycled old pickleballs to open the new courts on the first day of play.

Bramhall’s Fab Four

Four of Bramhall u3a’s regular pickleball players successfully completed their Pickleball Leaders’ training recently. The qualification is provided by the National Association Pickleball England. It gives the players the skills to help new groups get started, to learn the rules and to understand basic playing strategies so that newcomers to the sport can enjoy themselves from the beginning. The four new Leaders pictured below (L to R: John Bramich, Steve Goodall, Jackie Latham and Phil Kay) can now offer assistance to local groups as they set themselves up and grow. It is unusual for one club to provide four successful candidates from one course and Bramhall u3a is proud of their achievement.