How to get into pickleball if you’ve got no one to play with

When I decided I wanted to try playing pickleball, I knew exactly who to call: my neighbors.

I live in Fox Hills, a neighborhood in south Culver City anchored by a public park. That park has four paddle tennis courts that frequently ring with the distinctive “thunk” of plastic balls hitting pickleball paddles. I texted three friends who live within a couple of blocks of me: What weeknight would work for everyone to start up a game after our kids go to sleep?

When we got to the courts, it turned out all four of us, at some point during the pandemic, had ordered a pickleball set off Amazon — and all four of them were still unopened. We also realized that, though we’d each tried pickleball on vacation or at other points in our lives, none of us had ever thought to Google the rules. We decided to just jump in and get a rally going. Within 20 minutes, we were competently hitting the ball back and forth over the net. A short break and a brief “how to play pickleball” YouTube video later, we were playing our first game.

We had a blast. We got a good workout in. (My thighs were sore for two days.) Only one person face-planted onto the court. We made plans to meet again, and then again, and again.

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We had a semi-regular game going until a pregnancy (mine) put a pause on our burgeoning micro-league. Once I’m cleared to return to regular physical activity sometime in early spring, I’ll be back on the court.

Not everyone in L.A. has pickleball-curious neighbors and courts withing walking distance. But there’s good news: You still have lots of options for getting involved in America’s fastest-growing sport.

Here are opportunities to start playing pickleball in and around Los Angeles as a solo player. Note that this is not an exhaustive list, as new opportunities to play pickleball pop up all the time.

A lot of local pickleball enthusiasts use Facebook groups to plan events, share open play schedules and coordinate private games. Search “pickleball” and your city or area, and you’ll likely find a group nearby. There are active groups for Pickleball Glendale California, the Santa Monica Pickleball Club, WeHo Pickleball, Westchester California Pickleball, Pasadena Pickleball at Allendale Park, San Fernando Valley Pickleball and many others.

Your local parks department may have a list of available lessons as well as organized open play and general free play (i.e., just show up and take an open court) options. The City of L.A.’s parks department maintains a list of free and pay-to-reserve pickleball courts. There are also pickleball opportunities in West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Burbank and other cities within and around L.A.

Pickleball leagues around the city host what’s called “open play,” where anyone can show up and jump into a game with strangers. Usually, there’s at least one court reserved for beginner players, with the rest split between intermediate and advanced. Some places charge a small fee for open play; at some locations it’s free. Most open-play setups will have a pickleball “ambassador” on-site to answer questions and help you find the right court.

Mike Koss is one of those ambassadors. He’s a certified coach with the Professional Pickleball Registry and runs Westchester L.A. pickleball. The Westchester league hosts open play six days a week for $7 a player at the Westchester Recreation Center. Courts are designated by player level and coaches walk around to give pointers and make sure everyone is in the right place and having a good time. The league limits how many players can be on the courts, so it’s a good idea to register online ahead of time. If you’re eager to socialize off the court, Koss said open-play players typically hit a local bar like Cinco, the Hotel June or even the nearby Elks Lodge after Friday night sessions.

Marshall Pura is a pickleball ambassador at Pacific Park in Glendale. He started playing the sport 13 years ago (“I was hooked in 15 minutes”) and says it’s changed a lot since then. Pickleball “used to be just a grandma-and-grandpa kind of sport in the senior community center,” he said. “The last few years it’s down to about 38 years old in terms of median age.”

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At open play in Glendale, loaner paddles and balls are available for anyone who needs them. Technically residents need an activity card from the Glendale Parks Department to play ($25 for people ages 18-59, $10 for people 60 and older) and visitors to the city pay a $2 fee, but Pura says he likes to let people try out the sport and the venue first. Glendale has open play on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Pickle Pop in Santa Monica hosts open play several days a week. Pickle Pop’s co-owner and CEO, Stephanie McCaffrey, said she sees brand-new solo players all the time. The schedule varies, but typically there are options for beginner play and all-level $5 open play. Pickle Pop has paddles available for rent for $6. You don’t need to become a Pickle Pop member to sign up for open play.

Also in Santa Monica, the Santa Monica Pickleball Club runs open play seven days a week at Memorial Park. It’s free and no preregistration is required. At more popular times, like weekend nights, it’s so popular that you might have four players on a court with eight more waiting to play, says club president Lynn Soodik.

A lot of leagues offer group lessons for beginners to go over the rules and learn the basics. Unless otherwise advised, you typically don’t need to bring anything with you — they will have paddles, balls, nets and other equipment. Just show up dressed to work up a sweat on the court, preferably in shoes designed for tennis or pickleball, though regular athletic sneakers will work.

Koss teaches a group introductory clinic at Westchester on Sundays at 3 p.m., timed so that players can get in their first hour with him and then transition directly to open play beginning at 4 p.m. That costs $50 per student.

Pura teaches introductory group classes at 9 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Pacific Park in Glendale. He said he can get a brand-new player competently playing pickleball in just over an hour. It’s free and you don’t need to sign up ahead of time.

The Santa Monica Pickleball Club holds beginner clinics on Sunday mornings at 8:30 and charges $40 per player.

There are a number of pickleball clubs and centers around the city where you can pay a coach for a private lesson. If you’d prefer to get a handle on the basics before you hit a ball in front of strangers, a lesson might be the way to go, but they can be pricey: A private lesson at the L.A. Pickle Club in Griffith Park will run you $100. At the Santa Monica Pickleball Center, the going rate is $150 to $200.