Some thought it was a fad, but it's here to stay: Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America, and the Bay Area is joining the fray.
The Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco is the newest venue in the city for indoor pickleball, but players are continuing to pressure San Francisco to keep up with the demand.
One pickleball player at the palace on Tuesday told NBC Bay Area there are a lot more courts in Southern California and said, "SF, get your act together."
It seems the city is heeding those calls one court at a time.
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The sport has grown in San Francisco: In 2018, there were 12 pickleball courts; today, with the addition of the three indoor courts at the Palace of Fine Arts, the city now has 67.
San Francisco Recreation and Parks, Non Plus Ultra and Dink SF came together to create the three-month pilot pickleball program at the Palace of Fine Arts. It it's successful, they hope to have it year-round.
"In working with rec and parks, we found that there weren't that many courts that were available to people," Shannon White with Non Plus Ultra said. "People kept calling rec and parks to find more courts. We have this giant building, this great open space, so, why not us?"
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For now, the courts will be open six days a week from 9:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Hours could be extended if there's enough demand.
Pickleball has been around for decades, but it exploded in popularity during the pandemic. Now the demand for open court space is very high.
Rec and Parks is addressing that demand with additional courts throughout the city. It even offers free 90-minute sessions 9:30-11 a.m. Tuesday-Sunday, with signups on its website.
While some pickleball courts are open play, meaning you can just show up and play with people you just met, courts at the Palace of Fine Arts are reservation only.
A couple of reasons why pickleball is popular is players from all age groups can play; all socioeconomic groups are able to play since it has a low cost barrier; it provides a good physical workout; and it offers a social aspect -- the potential for new friendships.
"Once they found out about pickleball, the success, the early adoption was easier than something like tennis or even golf," Dink SF co-founder Jonathan Padilla said.
For one mother-daughter tandem in San Francisco, it has been a nice bonding experience.
"Our whole family plays," Grace Kwan said. "Our son is in New York. He plays at Central Park, and our youngest is in SoCal."
Bethany Kwan added: "I don't have a lot of hand-eye coordination, but I still feel kind of adequate when I play, and I think people who play are generally pretty friendly."
Later this month, the pros take over Oracle Park for a pickleball tournament on July 21.
