The door has closed on 2024, and what a year it was for pickleball, which took giant steps forward both at The Landings Club and around the country.
The Landings Club saw the pickleball population grow, keeping pace with the continuing stratospheric growth nationwide. Our program, as measured by DUPR ratings, continues to become more competitive. Andrew Jones leads the men with a 5.056 rating, followed by Scott Mckessy (4.778), Johnny Moran (4.662), Jason Pearce (4.449) and Adam Hecht 4.433).
The top five women are led by Kristen Berger with a DUPR rating of 4.795. Kristen is followed closely by Amy Paderewski (4.740), Katelyn Hilliard (4.712), Maddie Phillips (4.655) and Courtney Neely (4.421). An additional reliability score helps DUPR arrive at a player’s ultimate rating. Those who post scores more frequently will have a truer, often higher, overall DUPR rating.
Not only are individual ratings on the rise, the number of players added to The Landings pickleball rolls continues to increase as well. According to Jack Higgins, the New Neighbors pickleball coordinator since July, 350 new Landings residents have taken up pickleball in the last three years. Anywhere from thirty to sixty New Neighbors meet every Sunday morning to play on six reserved courts. The bottom line is, as New Neighbors continues to prime the pump, the need for additional courts becomes more acute.
On the national scene, The Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) and Pickleheads recently released their annual pickleball participation report which measured year over year growth of 51.8% and an incredible 223.5% in three years. Every age group experienced growth. While the most dramatic increase has been with the under twenty-four players, the largest number of players currently fall in the 25-34 age range. Over one million children under eighteen played pickleball, and growth at this level appears to be driven in part by the increasing numbers of colleges and high schools offering the sport as an activity.
According to the report, an estimated 13.6 million Americans over the age of six participated in 2024, meaning pickleball is closing in on outdoor soccer with 14.1 million participants. For you data wonks, here are some facts that support the hypothesis that pickleball is here to stay. The highest participation is in the South Atlantic Region, which most certainly contributes to the continued growth in popularity at The Landings Club. Men represent 51% of core participants, while 41% are women. The average age of players is 46 and the average income of all players is approximately $86,000. Close to three thousand pickleball facilities were added in 2024, an increase of 25% over 2023.
Finally, Jessica Golden of CNBC.com, reports the average pay of more than sixty women on the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball was $260,000 -- which is higher than the highest-paid WNBA player's annual salary, and more than double the average salary in the National Women’s Soccer League. Anna Leigh Waters, the number one ranked, seventeen-year-old pickleball prodigy is reported to have made over $3 million in salary and endorsements, making the sport a far more attractive alternative to babysitting for spending money!