Declared “the fastest growing sport in America” by The Economist, Pickleball has surged in popularity the past few years. Mirroring its ascension nationally, Pickleball’s footprint has grown dramatically at Reynolds Lake Oconee as well. What started as a small group of players, with often just enough people for a four-person match, has grown to an (estimated) 350 Members who play regularly across Reynolds nine courts.
The growth in popularity and participation in Pickleball has continued in 2022, as evidenced by the attendance of more than 200 Members at our recent Pickleball Open House to kick off the Spring season, the increased demand for Pickleball programming and court time, and high participation in Pickleball camps over the last year.
To help support this growing increase in participation and demand, Reynolds has expanded its Pickleball program in several ways:
Professional Pickleball coach and player Mark Price recently held a Signature Pickle Camp for Reynolds Members. Over the course of three days, Members worked closely with Mark to advance their skills, participated in drills and played games with one of the best coaches in the area.
Work has begun to expand the Pickleball program to Linger Longer Park with the conversion of the two existing tennis courts into eight new permanent Pickleball courts.
Reynolds has also named Drew Hebert as Head Pickleball Professional at Reynolds Lake Oconee. Drew has earned his Professional Pickleball Playing and Teaching Certification from the USA Pickleball Association.
Lastly, we’re proud to share that Reynolds Members Sara and Victor Betancourt recently won the Gold Medal in the Mixed Doubles 65+ Division at the U.S. Open Pickleball Championships! Held in Naples, Florida, over 2,700 players from all over the world competed in the Championships.
