3 Florida Cities Ranked As Most Pickleball Obsessed

The fastest-growing sport in America is showing no signs of slowing down. Now in the warmer weather months, pickleball can be seen (and heard) being played on courts in all corners of the country. In a recent study by Solitaire Bliss, three Florida areas ranked in the top five most pickleball obsessed cities.

"The Association of Pickleball Professionals reported more than 36.5 million players in 2022," Solitaire Bliss begins. Pickleheads, which is an extensive online resource for all things pickleball, has taken their research a bit further. To fully show backing information on what is happening with this phenomenon they provide some statistics that show incredible growth numbers.

For example, pickleball has shown 185.6% growth over the past three years. The forecasted compounded annual growth rate over the next five years is 7.7%. Finally, Pickleheads states there are approximately 10,320 places to play pickleball.

For starters, the 2023 Minto US Open Pickleball Championships was held in Naples back in April. Florida is second to California in states with the most courts in the country.  Furthermore, in Solitaire Bliss' report, the top two pickleball cities in America are in Florida. The third city in the sunshine state comes in at number four. So in short, Florida has three of the top four most obsessed pickleball cities in America. Here they are.

Only Atlanta, Georgia stands in the way of Florida claiming the top three cities.

Organizations like Pickleball Orlando allow players not only enjoy the game, but socialize and create and create a fun social community.

The same can be said for the #1 ranked most obsessed pickleball city. In fact, Miami even has its own Facebook group dedicated to a city pickleball club. A simple Google search on the best places to play here will produce tons of results.

Finally, Florida only has to edge out Hawaii and Massachusetts. The state will then claim the top spot for the most obsessed pickleball area in the country.

The 2023 Minto US Open Pickleball Championships came to East Naples Community Park last weekend in Naples, Florida and did not disappoint. Much of the hype was the play of Fort Myers resident Parris Todd. She won three gold medals after winning the triple crown which consists of gold in singles, women's doubles and mixed doubles. So who is Parris Todd?

Parris developed her tennis skills at a young age where at age eight, her father took her to the renowned Bollettieri Tennis Academy. If that name sounds familiar - Serena Williams and Venus Williams worked with Bollettieri and trained at the academy. According to her bio "As the pandemic slowed down the globe, Pickleball emerged and summoned her to the courts. It wasn't long before her tennis talents crossed over and her peers confirmed the calling. Since then, Parris has enjoyed herself more than ever on the courts, and voilà... the rest is history."

Elsewhere in the Pickleball Championships, the Naples News reported "On the men’s side, the Florida tandem of Kyle Yates and Andrei Dăescu were dominant in doubles."

The biggest takeaway for me, is the amazing facility at the East Naples Community Park. If you've never been, it's certainly one to check out. Collier County Parks and Rec have equipped 6 Pickleball Championship Courts and 59 Pickleball Courts. So let's have a look at last weekend's action.