Pickleball Courts Doubling In Horsham Township

HORSHAM TOWNSHIP, PA —On the night that Horsham Township was expected to vote, David McPhillips was holding court.

McPhillips, the township's ambassador for USA Pickleball, had a teammate and two challengers as he batted a ball around using a bigger version of a racquet you might find on a ping-pong table.

Games took place on each side of him and people were waiting in chairs outside the court grounds to get their shot at America's latest recreational sport.

With pickleball's popularity continuing to soar, Horsham Township Council awarded a bid to build four pickleball courts behind the Community Center in the Horsham Township Municipal Complex for $147,375 to Cousins Inc. of North Wales.

In March, the council discussed doubling the number of pickleball courts, going from four to eight, approving the additions at its meeting last week.

The racquet sport has become popular with adults and children since it's an easy activity to understand and play.

Township Manager Bill Walker said that time that money was set aside in the township's 2023 municipal budget if the council decided to expand the courts.

Construction could begin would be July.

The township had opened up membership for pickleball for 300 people but that quickly filled, Walker said.

"This is bursting at the seams," he added.

Walker said that he sees people playing pickleball when he arrives at the township building at 7:30 a.m. and when he leaves around 5:30 p.m.

Neighboring towns are getting into the act too.

Last September, the Upper Southampton Township Parks & Recreation Department introduced the popular recreation activity with some sessions and lessons.

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.

Patch Staff Writer Caren Lissner contributed to this story.