AUSTIN, Texas — If you like pickleball, then Austin is the place to be, according to a new report.

What You Need To Know

  • Pickleball, a sport invented in 1965 by three dads with bored children, has become a phenomenon with over 8.9 million players nationwide, according to USA Pickleball

  • Every year, TeachMe.To releases its annual pickleball report and reveals a list of the top 50 cities for the rapidly growing sport. Austin came in fourth

  • The report used survey data from official pickleball coaches to determine the best places for the sport, and Austin had the most in the state with 11 coaches

  • According to the USA Pickleball, Texas boasts 2,081 pickleball locations, the third most in the country just behind California and Florida

Pickleball, a sport invented in 1965 by three dads with bored children, has become a phenomenon with over 8.9 million players nationwide, according to USA Pickleball. 

Every year, TeachMe.To releases its annual pickleball report and reveals a list of the top 50 cities for the rapidly growing sport. Austin came in fourth behind New York City; Orem, Utah; and Scottsdale, Arizona in the 2023 report. Dallas County, San Antonio and Dallas also made the list at 23rd, 33rd and 48th, respectively. 

But, why is Austin such a pickleball hot spot?

For starters, the sport in general has seen a 159% growth over the last three years, and has had national media attention as demand for courts increases across the nation. According to the USA Pickleball, Texas boasts 2,081 pickleball locations, the third most in the country just behind California and Florida. 

The report used survey data from official pickleball coaches to determine the best places for the sport, and Austin had the most in the state with 11 coaches. 

Austin has even hosted an official Association of Pickleball Players (APP) tournament back in 2022, with a prize pot of $50,000. 

The sport even has a section on the City of Austin’s website. It lists 19 official pickleball locations run by the Austin Parks and Recreation Department and nine recreation centers with pickleball programming. But, there are some ground rules city officials ask people to follow while using their courts, which you can view on the website. 

There are also non-municipal pickleball court locations scattered throughout the city, like Austin Pickle Ranch and Bouldin Acres. A website called Pickleheads has compiled a complete list of courts in the Greater Austin area.