The constant reported growth and popularity of pickleball have, of course, created opportunities for businesses to carve out their own stake in a city's pickleball community. Houston is no exception. 

The constant reported growth and popularity of pickleball have, of course, created opportunities for businesses to carve out their own stake in a city’s pickleball community. Houston is no exception. 

Javier Zayas Photography/Getty Images

For a time, pickleball was inescapable. Everywhere you looked in Houston, a new court was popping up, creating more and more pickleball connoisseurs daily. The game, originally made popular as a form of low-impact tennis for the elderly, suddenly became something people took incredibly seriously, and the demand for more courts and places to play followed. Driving through Houston, there seems to be no shortage of courts, but is it really that popular still??

The racket sport where players hit a perforated ball over a net, blending tennis, badminton and table tennis, has gained fans of all ages since 2020. Played in doubles and singles, outdoors and indoors, pickleball is easy to jump in and play, making it very accessible. But what’s the state of pickleball in Houston? Is the boom finally over? Has the hype died down? Was it a fad or is it here to stay?

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The boom in the tennis-lite sport is largely attributed to COVID-19 shutdowns in 2020 as a go-to, safe-distance activity people could do outdoors. In its 2025 activity report, the Sports & Fitness Industry Association listed Pickleball as the fastest-growing sport in America, a title it has held for the past four years.  

The constant reported growth and popularity have, of course, created opportunities for businesses to carve out their own stake in a city’s pickleball community. Houston is no exception. 

There are popular pickleball outposts such as Bumpy Pickle in East Downtown and PKL Social in the Heights that have plenty of courts, food and drinks to enjoy between sets. There are seemingly endless numbers of these institutions popping up to take advantage of the sport’s popularity and serve a community demanding more access to their favorite social sport. 

According to Pickleheads.com, a website dedicated to helping people find pickleball courts, tournaments and sessions, Houston has more than 100 locations with more than 450 outdoor and indoor courts, both public and private. 

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JW Johnson of the Dallas Flash prepares to hit a forehand dink shot against Hayden Patriquin and Gabriel Tardio of the St. Louis Shock during the men's doubles match-up in the finals between the St. Louis Shock and the Dallas Flash at the Brookhaven Country Club on November 2, 2025 in Farmers Branch, Texas. 

JW Johnson of the Dallas Flash prepares to hit a forehand dink shot against Hayden Patriquin and Gabriel Tardio of the St. Louis Shock during the men’s doubles match-up in the finals between the St. Louis Shock and the Dallas Flash at the Brookhaven Country Club on November 2, 2025 in Farmers Branch, Texas. 

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But has demand kept up with supply? According to pickleball pro and owner of Elite Pickleball Club & Academy, Shellton Jean Baptiste, the boom is still booming, though it may not seem like it looking from the outside. 

“There’s still high interest in [pickleball]. But obviously, due to so many pickleball facilities opening up, it kind of doesn’t feel like it as much,” Baptiste told Chron. “Facilities are not feeling the boom technically, because there are so many different places people can go play.”

There are so many locations that they might not realize how popular the sport still is. In 2023, it was reported that Texas needed to double the number of courts it had to meet the demand. At the time, Texas had more than 2,500 courts statewide, and as of 2026, there are more than 3,500 courts, with Houston ranking among the top cities for its number of courts, making it a true hotspot. 

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Elite Pickleball hosts free weekly sessions where they teach 50 to 100 newbies how to play. New players continue to try the sport, and casuals who have made pickleball a part of their weekly routines aren’t going anywhere, according to Baptiste. The growing competitive community is another factor driving pickleball to even greater heights in the area. 

“The competitive side in Houston is growing,” Baptiste, who played pickleball professionally for six years, told Chron. “The competition is growing, and players have gotten so much better since I opened my first facility in August 2023.”

Tournaments and competitions that pickleball players travel all over for are becoming more and more popular. On March 10 in McKinney, Texas, the 2026 Veolia Texas Open drew more than 20,000 spectators. The competitive scene, filled with training and academies like Elite Pickleball, continues to expand, but the casual side is still what gives the sport its staying power. 

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Pickleball is a social game at heart, with a low barrier to entry. Even competitive-focused venues like Elite Pickleball are instituting more social spaces, like bars, to foster more community because that is the essence of what pickleball represents. Pickleball is a huge part of people’s lives, and there’s more to living than just competing, according to Baptiste. 

“I think pickleball has now become a part of people’s routine. There are a lot of people who play at least three times a week to make it where it’s part of their lives,” Baptiste said. “So it’s not going anywhere.”Â