RACINE – A grand opening and dedication ceremony for the county’s newest public pickleball courts is set for 3 p.m. Wednesday at Pritchard Park, 2800 Ohio St.
Community members are invited to see the new facility and bring along their paddles and balls for a friendly game after the event. No registration is necessary.
The new pickleball courts are the latest addition to Racine County-owned Prichard Park, a 79-acre public space located on the city’s southwest side. The park is also home to the S.C. Johnson Sports Complex which includes an outdoor aquatic center and a multipurpose stadium. Also on the property are baseball diamonds, softball fields, a picnic pavilion, playground, and Veteran’s Memorial.
The Pritchard Park outdoor pickleball courts are the second to be built in the county’s park system. The first courts opened in 2020 at the Browns Lake Golf Course, 932 Browns Lake Drive, Burlington.
Other pickleball courts in Racine County
Publicly-accessible pickleball courts are easy to find in eastern Racine County.
City of Racine Pickleball locations:
- Solbraa Park, 3825 16th St. (outdoor courts)
- Cesar Chavez Community Center, 2221 Douglas Ave.
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, 1134 Martin Luther King Drive
- Tyler-Domer Community Center, 2301 12th St.
- Humble Park Community Center, 2200 Blaine Ave. (outdoor courts)
Village of Mount Pleasant
- Campus Park, 8500 Campus Drive (outdoor courts)
Village of Wind Point
- Village Green Park, 215 E. Four Mile Road (outdoor courts)
Exploding in popularity
Pickleball is a paddle sport played indoors or outdoors with short-handled paddles and a perforated plastic ball on a court that is the size of a doubles badminton court. Pickleball was invented in 1965 as a children’s game in Washington state, according to a Wikipedia entry.
Accessible to players of all ages and skill levels, pickleball has exploded in popularity in recent years. The Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) named it the fastest-growing sport in the United States in 2021 and 2022 with an estimated 4.8 million players.
Racine is no exception to the pickleball craze. A Racine Area Pickleball Club Facebook page launched in 2014 now has 487 members.
The website Pickleball WI lists pickleball events and the location of pickleball courts throughout the Badger State.
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