Pickleball was invented in the summer of 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington. USA Pickleball credits Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum with developing the game.
Where Did Pickleball Start?
The first game took shape at Pritchard's Bainbridge Island home after Pritchard and Bell returned from golf and found their families looking for something to do. They used an existing badminton court and improvised with available paddles and a perforated plastic ball.
Who Invented Pickleball?
USA Pickleball names three founders:
- Joel Pritchard, a Washington politician.
- Bill Bell, a businessman and friend of Pritchard.
- Barney McCallum, who helped develop equipment and rules.
Short retellings sometimes leave McCallum out of the first afternoon or compress the sequence. It is more accurate to credit all three with the sport's development.
What Equipment Did They Use?
The origin story describes a badminton court, improvised paddles, and a perforated plastic ball. The founders adjusted the net and rules as the game developed. Modern paddles, balls, court markings, and equipment standards came later.
How Did the Rules Develop?
The game borrowed familiar ideas from other net sports while becoming its own sport. The 20-by-44-foot court, non-volley zone, serve rules, scoring, and equipment requirements are now defined in the current USA Pickleball rulebook. Players should not assume every modern rule existed in the first backyard game.
Why Is It Called Pickleball?
The name has competing family stories, including a reference to a “pickle boat” in rowing and a dog named Pickles. USA Pickleball's history discusses the origin; because versions differ, a careful account should present the disagreement rather than declare one story proven.
When Did Organized Pickleball Begin?
Pickleball spread beyond the founders' families over the following years. USA Pickleball's timeline records later milestones in equipment, tournaments, organizations, rules, and participation. Those dates should be taken from the current history rather than approximated.
Pickleball's Scale in 2026
SFIA reported 24.3 million U.S. participants in its June 2026 release. That modern figure shows the distance from the 1965 backyard game, but it should not be projected backward or used as an international count.
Sources and date checked
This history was checked July 25, 2026 against USA Pickleball's About and history page and SFIA's 2026 participation release.
Related reading
Continue with what pickleball is and how it works and the five basic pickleball rules.
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