SAN DIEGO — Pickleball pandemonium has been sweeping the country over the last year. Nowadays, it seems like everyone has been captivated by the part-tennis, part-badminton and part-ping-pong game.
Considered one of the fastest growing sports in the country, nearly 5 million people now play the game, which ironically, has no connection to pickles, according to industry statistics.
For people just picking up a paddle, you might just be in the right place, as San Diego has three of Yelp’s all-time top 20 places to play pickleball.
Bobby Riggs Racket & Paddle, San Diego Pickleball and Pickleball Club of Carlsbad were all listed on the business’s recent list of places to check out for some pickleball playtime.
Bobby Riggs Racket & Paddle, located in Encinitas, took the number one spot on the list. Meanwhile, Mission Bay-based club, San Diego Pickleball, ranked third and Pickleball Club of Carlsbad came in at number 11.
Each of the San Diego hotspots for pickleball playing offer something for people of all skill levels, looking to pick up a paddle, from classes and private instruction to open play and tournaments.
A few other California spots for pickleball made the list, including Liberty Park in Cerritos ranked at number 10, Oasis Park in Elk Grove took the number 12 spot and Rudgear Park in Walnut Creek came in at number 17.
The full Yelp list of top clubs and parks for pickleball playing can be found here.
According to Yelp, the list was created by identifying businesses on Yelp with a large concentration with reviews that mentioned “pickleball,” then ranking those spots by a factor of things like volume of reviews, the ratings and overall positivity.