Whether you are new to pickleball, new to the Greater Madison Area (GMA), or just looking for ideas to expand your current set of playing venues and pickleball friends, here are some suggestions for how to find new or additional places to play in the GMA in 2024:
- Create a free account on Meetup.com and join the Madison Pickleball Meetup Group! The Meetup Group provides instruction for new players and offers various levels of open play for recreational players at different courts all over the GMA, usually for free!
- Create a free account on playtimescheduler.com! Then, in My Account, you can create a profile and indicate at which locations you would like to play. When someone (including you) sets up an organized play session at one of those locations for your skill level, you will be notified and can sign up. Almost all these play sessions are free, and if they are not, it will say so in the notes.
- Join the Capital Area Pickleball Association (CAPA) at capareapb.com. CAPA promotes and supports the game in the GMA and sponsors fun events, skills & drills, leagues, and tournaments for all levels. They also provide information about other local pickleball events and tournaments that may be of interest to players. It costs $15/year to join but is well worth it!
- Consult your community recreation department! Check the websites of your city, village, or school district under “Recreation” or a similar tab on their website to see if they offer classes, leagues, or open play. In Madison, go to mscr.org to add your name to the email list to receive a free course catalog the next time it comes out so you will know when to register for the next session of pickleball classes and open plays!
- Check out open play at a nearby court! To locate outdoor courts in the GMA, go to capareapb.com and click on “Where to Play”. Then visit some in person and look for the posted days and times for open plays. Open play information is usually posted near the main court entrance doors.
- Play at a local indoor commercial facility! To locate indoor courts in the GMA, go to capareapb.com and click on “Where to Play”. Local indoor facilities have fun activities, including open plays, leagues, and “King of the Court.” Most will usually also let you reserve a court of your own if you want to invite friends to play with you.
For some of the suggestions listed above, it will be necessary for you to have some idea of your ranking. You can rank yourself by going to the USA Pickleball
website’s “Definitions of Player Skill Ratings” page and seeing where you think you best fit on the skills continuum.
You should also be aware that here in Wisconsin, you will undoubtedly find many more opportunities to play pickleball, especially outdoors, during the warm weather months of April to September.
Happy pickling! See you on the courts!
