Memphian Taylor Taylor loves tennis.

Taylor played Division 1 tennis at the University of Virginia, where she was her team’s MVP in 1992. After college, she continued competing in recreational tennis tournaments across the U.S. and taught tennis professionally for 20 years.

But, as Taylor said, “It’s hard to play tennis.” Especially after multiple knee surgeries. 

Pickleball gaining players and venues across the Mid-South

Then, in 2017, an acquaintance at the now-defunct Racquet Club of Memphis introduced Taylor to pickleball. 

Pickleball combines aspects of tennis, pingpong and badminton. The game is typically played in doubles, and players serve and return hard, plastic balls. Compared to tennis, pickleball features much smaller courts and lower nets; like pingpong, the sport uses hard paddles. 

“The court is so intimate, so there’s a certain amount of real, true respect for your opponents, more so maybe than in tennis,” Taylor said. “It’s not such a fight. It’s more of a fun battle.” 

Taylor isn’t the only one who’s caught onto the sport’s charm. Over the past three years, the number of local pickleball players has increased from a few hundred to around 2,000, according to an estimate from Taylor. New courts have also been popping up across Shelby County, with at least 18 more currently in the works. 

On the courts 

“Anybody can play, and that’s the good part about this sport,” Larry Mitchell said about pickleball’s court size and lower net. “It doesn’t matter what background you come from. ... You can be as good as you want to be.”

Mitchell, a former baseball player, founded Willow Grove Pickleball Club about four years ago in Cordova. 

Willow Grove provides pickleball clinics for all levels taught by certified instructors, including Mitchell. Additionally, it rents houses on its property to out-of-town players and periodically hosts pickleball tournaments.

Four new indoor courts are in the works at Willow Grove, which already has six outdoor courts.

Lakeland unveils first draft of new athletic park master plan

Pickleball has historically been most popular among senior citizens and retirees. But more recently, the sport has been attracting wider demographics. 

“Men, women, old and young: They all start to play and get addicted pretty quick,” Joe Galloway, sports director and pickleball coach at the Memphis Jewish Community Center said. 

In October, the Memphis Jewish Community Center opened eight new outdoor pickleball courts, which now accompany its four indoor courts. 

For many, the social aspect is a part of pickleball’s draw.

“A lot of people gain friendships and connect through different ways from being out on the pickleball court,” Galloway said. “It’s very much a recreational activity; people can socially get together, get some exercise and just enjoy their time.”

A bright, green future: suburban municipalities map park plans

On days with nice weather, the MJCC’s courts are often full. The facility also offers both adult and youth pickleball classes on weekdays. 

Other places to play

Both Willow Grove and the MJCC require either memberships or walk-in fees, but the Memphis area has free courts as well.

Bartlett opened six municipal pickleball courts in 2021. Along with these, there are free courts at Germantown’s Cameron Brown and Riverdale parks, and at numerous churches throughout Memphis, Germantown and Bartlett. 

For municipal courts such as those at Cameron Brown, Mitchell said it can be “a little bit like a zoo,” with the number of players wanting to use the facilities. 

That, he said, has provided the impetus for many of the Memphis area’s new courts. 

Pickleball players rejoice at new outdoor Bartlett courts

A Midtown resident, Taylor has a goal to establish another eight indoor courts and six outdoor courts in the Memphis area in the next year. 

Taylor called pickleball an “incredible vessel to connect with people and to engage lots of different types of people.”

That’s the idea behind her organization, PickleMania, which began in 2019 to increase pickleball’s availability and expose more people in the area to the sport.

Anonymous donors to fund Universal Parenting Place

“For me personally, it’s been good for me from a growth standpoint, in just being able to learn how to be more disciplined on the court, but also in my life,” Taylor said. 

For an inventory of pickleball courts in Memphis, click here.