DRIGGS, Idaho — The pickleball community of Teton Valley raised money and worked with city officials and the brand new pickleball courts in Driggs are ready for play.
The courts are just north of the Courthouse in Driggs and have permanent nets and new windscreens. Teton Valley Pickleball offers open play on Saturdays and Mondays from 9 to 11 a.m. and Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 5 to 7 p.m. There are always people at Open Play available to help new players get started with the basic rules of the game. Extra paddles are also available as needed
According to USA Pickleball, 2022 marks the 57th anniversary of the sport that was invented on Bainbridge Island in 1965, a short ferry ride from Seattle, by three enterprising dads – Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum. As of 2021, there were 38,140 known courts, with 66 new locations built per month.
Even Lebron James has jumped in on the growing racquet/paddle sport’s explosion. According to the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar is part of a new ownership group announced last week by Major League Pickleball, which has a team-focused format that differentiates it from other nascent professional leagues in the sport.
