When you’re just starting something, you have questions.
It doesn’t matter if you’re learning to use a new computer program or trying to start a new hobby. Everything has a learning curve, including America’s fastest-growing sport!
At Pickle Goddesses, we’re devoted to bringing the fun and excitement of pickleball to women around the world! We love seeing that competitive spark. So, to help you along your journey, we’re answering some common pickleball questions.
Today, we’re starting the series with a big one: What exactly is a pickleball ball?
The Anatomy of Pickleball Balls
Like a pickleball, a standard Wiffle® ball is made of hollow plastic. Typically white, these balls feature evenly spaced holes along their upper halves. However, unlike a pickleball, Wiffle® balls have long, oblong holes.
Compare that to a pickleball ball, which has either 26 or 40 round holes across its entire surface! Pickleball balls are also smaller than any Wiffle® ball, measuring 2.87–2.97 inches in diameter. Pickleball balls are typically made with neon green plastic.
Why Do Pickleball Balls Have Holes?
So, why does the ball have those holes?
We won’t bore you with the scientific specifics, but we can say with certainty that those perforated holes add to the ball’s aerodynamics.
Indoor balls have 26 holes. These larger holes are approximately 10 millimeters in diameter. They’ll work perfectly at your local indoor recreation center, but we don’t recommend taking them to your outdoor courts.
Outdoor balls have 40 holes. Predictably, these are smaller holes, typically measuring around 7.2 millimeters in diameter. Those smaller holes give the balls better wind resistance and aerial traction.
What Are Pickleballs Made Of?
Regardless of the specifics, both indoor and outdoor pickleballs are made of similar materials. Pickleball players can expect a certain degree of conformity, as all regulation pickleballs are made of plastic.
There are some exceptions, though! There are non-standard foam pickleballs. You can’t use these in tournament play, but they’re great for reducing the noise a pickleball court generates. Recently, USA Pickleball has also announced and spearheaded an effort to develop quieter tournament-grade pickleballs.
Indoor balls typically use a softer plastic to reduce wear and tear on less durable flooring. These plastics bounce readily without damaging the wood and tile you’ll usually find on an indoor pickleball court.
Conversely, outdoor balls use harder plastics. Aside from being a more durable material, harder plastic adds ample bounce against the less flexible surfaces of outdoor courts.
Where Do Pickleball Balls Come From?
Today, pickleballs are manufactured in specialized factories.
Most are made with two-part molds. A machine casts the upper and lower halves separately. Then, near the end of the assembly line, a third machine melds the two parts together with molten plastic.
There are also high-end one-piece molds. These manufacturers forgo the joining process by molding the plastic ball within a rotating mold. As the machine spins the cast, the molten plastic adheres to the walls. It sounds unbelievable, but this is the same scientific concept behind carnival Gravitron rides! At a sufficient speed, anything — from the plastic for a pickleball to the riders in a Gravitron — will be naturally held against the furthest edges of the spinning object.
However, pickleballs weren’t always so advanced! The earliest pickleballs were, indeed, Wiffle® brand balls.
The Origins of Pickleball
Let’s wind back the clock.
Think of the distant year of 1965. NASA’s Mariner 4 has drifted past Mars and given humanity its first intimate photos of the red planet. Muhammad Ali has bested Sonny Liston. And, amidst this incredible era, two men sought a way to keep their children entertained.
Bill Bell and Joel Pritchard gave their children a monumental task. They asked their young ones to create a game, a sport that anyone could play. However, it had to work at their Bainbridge Island estate, and supplies were somewhat limited.
Thus, the game with the funny name was born from some paddles, a tennis court, and a Wiffle® ball. It combined elements of multiple sports, including badminton, tennis, and ping pong.
The Evolution of Pickleball
Bainbridge Island is located in Washington state.
Soon, the sport spread beyond the Bainbridge Island tennis court.
By 1968, Joel Pritchard has entered his first year of service as a Washington state senator. He also enlisted a business partner, David McCallum, and formed Pickle Ball Inc. (Though acquired by Pickleball Central in 2016, Pickle Ball Inc. still exists and manufactures gorgeous wooden paddles.) This sparks the growth of the sport. Soon, pickleball begins to bounce across the nation. Its northwestern roots spread and take firm hold within the warmth of the South.
And the sport has only blossomed from there!
Today, pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in America. Its compact court size fits within a standard badminton court’s footprint. Its social interactions encourage rapid growth. Its simple rules make it fun to learn and easy to understand.
Learn More About Pickleball
Today, over half a century later, the purpose-built balls may be the biggest difference between the pickleball of yore. The rules remain mostly unchanged; even the paddles resemble those developed in Barney and David McCallum’s workshop.
We still have the same court. The core of the sport remains the same.
At Pickle Goddesses, we believe in the power of pickleball. We want to empower women with this amazing paddle sport. So, join us!
Browse our blog to learn more about America’s rapidly growing sport. We also encourage you to share this post if it helped you learn more about pickleball!
