The Queenstown Pickleball Club originated from Queenstown council’s ‘Leisurelys’ group, in 2018, when Andi ‘P’ Smillie came up with the idea as an activity for the Whakatipu’s young at heart.
But word spread, and it wasn’t long before it got bigger than what was initially intended, and so the club was formed.
Pickleball’s like a hybrid between tennis, badminton and table tennis, and involves either two players (singles) or four (doubles/mixed doubles) using a paddle to hit a perforated, hollow plastic ball over a net.
That’s set at the same height as a it would be in tennis, and it’s played, essentially, on a badminton court.
After a Covid interruption, player Andy Smith says when he joined about 18 months ago, there were 24 members in the club.
"Now we’re up to 117."
They range in age from about 17 to 75, speaking to the inclusivity of the sport.
Smith says it’s particularly attractive for people who may have played tennis their whole lives, but find their bodies can’t take that amount of running around any more.
"The game’s not about big hitters — it’s more about strategy," he says.
Club president Kerrie Galbraith says the club’s enjoyed "staggering growth", and celebrated that earlier this month during the inaugural ‘Andi P Tournament’, held at the Queenstown Events Centre, which attracted about 60 players from across Otago and Southland.
"We wanted to honour Andi P for starting our adventure," she says.
The club hosts sessions five mornings a week, primarily at the Queenstown Events Centre, along with Sunday afternoons and "a couple of evenings", each one designed for different levels of experience, with people on hand to coach.
The full details are on the website — shorturl.at/1F107 — Galbraith says anyone wanting to give it a go just needs to "bring a smile".
