MACON, Ga. — Several tennis courts at Tattnall Square Park are transforming for a new sport called pickleball.
It's a funny name, but the love for the sport is growing nationwide, including Macon.
Paul Midkiff says, "It's a cross between tennis and ping-pong and badminton."
Midkiff is an active pickleballer, and he says, "It's easier on my body than tennis was, so I could play tennis maybe once a week, but pickleball, I can play five to six times a week."
Apparently, he isn't the only one in Macon. In fact, tennis courts get swarmed with pickleballers.
Midkiff says, "Anywhere from 30 to 50 people trying to play on four courts."
Macon-Bibb County saw a demand for designated pickleball courts.
"We have a lot of players now here, and we don't have enough space for them. We felt like the best location to build a pickleball facility is right here at Tattnall," says Midkiff.
Using SPLOST dollars, contractors are converting seven courts for the growing sport.
"Now on one battery where you only have two courts, you actually have six pickleball courts," says Director of Parks and Recreation Robert Walker.
Midkiff believes the new courts will grow the pickleball community even more.
He says, "This'll just open up way more courts to introduce a lot more people to the sport."
The county plans to have the courts complete within the next month.
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