Staying Active November 13, 2026

Pickleball After 60: Rules, Gear and Where to Start

Mark Godfrey

Pickleball is a paddle sport played on a small court with a plastic ball and a low net. The rules are short and the equipment list is shorter. This guide explains how the game works, what you need to bring, where to find a beginner session, and how players over 60 can move into organized play if they want to. All of the rules and figures below come from the sport's official bodies.

What pickleball is

USA Pickleball, the sport's national governing body, describes pickleball as a paddle sport that blends tennis, badminton and table tennis. It can be played indoors or outdoors, as singles or doubles.

The game began in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Three fathers, Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum, made it up to keep their children busy. They used ping-pong paddles, a perforated plastic ball and a lowered badminton net.

How many people play

The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) tracks participation through a yearly national survey of Americans ages 6 and older. Its pickleball participation research counts 24.3 million US players in 2025, up from 4.2 million in 2020. Of those, 7.5 million were "core" players, meaning they played eight or more times in 2025.

SFIA also notes that ages 13 to 24 now have the highest participation rates of any age group. Expect a mix of ages on public courts.

The court

A pickleball court is 20 feet wide by 44 feet long, according to USA Pickleball. The same court is used for singles and doubles. The net is 36 inches high at the sidelines and 34 inches high in the center.

On each side of the net there is a 7-foot strip called the non-volley zone. Players call it "the kitchen." It has its own rule, covered below.

The basic rules

The USA Pickleball rules summary is the best short reference. Here are the points a new player needs first.

Rule	What the official summary says
Court size	20 feet wide by 44 feet long, for singles and doubles
Net height	36 inches at the sidelines, 34 inches in the center
Non-volley zone	7 feet on each side of the net
Serve direction	Diagonally crosscourt, into the opposite diagonal court
Serve attempts	One per server
Two-bounce rule	The serve must bounce, and the return of serve must bounce
Standard game	To 11 points, win by 2
Who scores	Only the serving team, in traditional side-out scoring

The serve

The server's arm must move in an upward arc, and the paddle must contact the ball at or below waist level. At least one foot must be behind the baseline at contact. The serve travels diagonally and must land in the opposite diagonal court. Each server gets one attempt.

The two-bounce rule

The receiving team must let the serve bounce before returning it. The serving team must then let that return bounce too. After those two bounces, either team may hit the ball out of the air (a volley) or after a bounce.

The non-volley zone

You may not volley while standing in the non-volley zone, and the lines count as part of the zone. It is also a fault if your momentum carries you into the zone after a volley. You may step into the zone at any other time, for example to play a ball that has bounced there.

Scoring

In traditional side-out scoring, only the serving team can score. Games are normally played to 11 points and must be won by 2. Tournament games may be played to 15 or 21, also win by 2.

In doubles, both partners on a team serve before the serve passes to the other side. The one exception is the start of a game, when only one partner serves. The first serve after each side-out is made from the right-hand court. When the serving team wins a point, the server switches sides and serves again.

The summary also describes rally scoring, where a point is awarded after every rally no matter who served. Ask which system is in use before you start.

What a beginner needs

USA Pickleball says you need a paddle and a ball to get started. The paddle is solid, not strung, and made of a rigid material. The ball is plastic and has 26 to 40 circular holes. Indoor and outdoor balls have slightly different designs, so check which one suits the court you will use.

Paddles and balls must meet USA Pickleball specifications to be approved for tournament play. For a first session, ask the venue whether it lends equipment before you buy anything. Some do.

Finding courts and beginner sessions

USA Pickleball's Places to Play page links to Pickleheads, which it names as its official court and game finder.

Your city or county parks department is the other good place to look. Many list courts, open play hours and lessons on their websites.

An example: Tallahassee, Florida

The City of Tallahassee's pickleball page shows what a parks program can look like. It lists indoor play at community centers and senior centers, and outdoor courts at several parks. Three terms on that page are worth knowing, because other cities use similar ones:

Open play is free and drop-in.
First-come, first-play courts are free. A 90-minute limit applies when others are waiting.
Reserved play is booked ahead and carries a fee.

The city also lists clinics at beginner, advanced beginner and intermediate levels, and its two senior centers host open play. Schedules change by season, so confirm times with the facility before you go.

Your first session

Find a nearby court through the USA Pickleball court finder or your parks department website.
Look for a session labeled "beginner" or "open play," and confirm the day and time with the venue.
Ask whether paddles and balls are available to borrow.
Read the one-page rules summary before you go. Focus on the serve, the two-bounce rule and the non-volley zone.
Tell the other players you are new. Ask which scoring system they use.
Play a few short games and call the score out loud before each serve. It is the fastest way to learn it.

If you have health concerns, check with your own clinician before starting a new sport.

Organized play for older adults

Pickleball is an official sport at the National Senior Games. The National Senior Games Association pickleball page lists four events: singles, doubles, mixed doubles and non-ambulatory singles.

The next Games are in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Pickleball competition is scheduled for July 1 through July 8, 2027, with a practice day on June 30. Athletes bring their own paddles, and balls are provided.

Who can enter

The 2027 National Senior Games rulebook says athletes must be 50 years old on or before December 31, 2026. Individual and doubles events use five-year age divisions: 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75-79, 80-84, 85-89, 90-94, 95-99 and 100+. Pickleball is also grouped by skill, and athletes must have a current skill rating or rate themselves when they register.

How qualifying works

Players qualify at a State Senior Games held the year before the national event. For pickleball, that means placing in the top three of an event within your age and skill division. The qualifying period for 2027 runs from January 1 through December 31, 2026.

In doubles and mixed doubles, only one partner must qualify in that pairs event. The other partner must qualify in any pickleball event. Non-ambulatory singles is an open event and needs no qualification.