Nobody really knew what Pickleball was until the world shut down a few years back.  In Illinois, it's now one of the fastest-growing sports to exist.

Just the other day, one of my best friends hit me up and asked if I wanted to play Pickleball.  I'm like, "Pickle-- what?" Then, I Googled it and realized everybody and their freakin' mom plays this sport.

Related: Fastest Growing Sport in Illinois Doesn’t Actually Involve Pickles

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What is Pickleball?

"Pickleball is a paddle sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton & ping-pong." [usapickleball]

Since it's a really popular sport in the state of Illinois, as of lately, where can we find Pickleball courts to test our skill?

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Illinois Gears Up For 12 New Pickleball Courts Opening in 2023

In Algonquin, it was just announced that Pickle Haus will be moving into a former furniture store at 1621 South Randall Road.  I love the name!

Pickle Haus - FB
Pickle Haus - FB
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Not only will there be 12 Pickleball courts, but there will also be 3 golf simulators, a bar, entertainment center, and an outdoor patio for guests to enjoy.

With no actual set date to open yet, they're aiming for November 2023!

Related: Your Entire Family Will Have a Blast Playing Pickleball in Rockford

I'm actually really excited to check it out because tons of my friends are picking up the sport, getting their own paddles and gear, and say it's such a fun sport to play.

Honestly, when I first heard about Pickleball, I totally thought it had something to do with pickles.  The story behind it is actually pretty cool!

"Joel Pritchard’s wife, Joan, started to call their game pickleball because “the combination of different sports reminded me of the pickle boat in crew where oarsmen were chosen from the leftovers of other boats.” But according to Barney McCallum, they named the game after Pritchard’s dog, who was (as you might’ve guessed) named Pickles! Despite the sour taste of actual pickles, their dog was sweet and known to run off with the ball while it was still being played!" [Long Cove Club]

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