Even if you haven’t tried pickleball yourself yet, you’ve probably seen the courts popping up in your local parks or even watched a match from a nearby walking trail or playground. The popularity of this badminton-like sport, which was originally invented in 1965, has been continuously growing over the past several years. It’s a great, active, outdoor pastime, perfect for families to enjoy together or with friends. Once you’ve got the basic rules down, you have plenty of free or low-cost places to play in parks and community centers around Central Indiana.
What is Pickleball?
Like tennis, ping pong, and badminton, pickleball is a sport that uses elements of serving the ball diagonally crosscourt to the opposite diagonal court and then volleying the ball back and forth, until one side is unable to return the ball or commits an infraction. The game is played with pickleball paddles, which are larger than ping-pong paddles. The plastic ball is like a wiffle ball, but smaller, and the game is played on a 20×44 feet court.
Pickleball courts can be constructed specifically for pickleball, but lately, we’ve also seen a lot of parks converting existing tennis or badminton courts. The court has right and left service courts for singles and doubles play with a 7-foot non-volley zone in front of a 34-inch-high net. The 7-foot non-volley zone is on both sides of the net and hitting the ball to the opposition is prohibited within this area.
Pickleball also has a specific two-bounce rule where once the ball is served, the receiving team must let it bounce before returning, and then the serving team must let it bounce before they hit it back. After the ball has bounced in each team’s court once, both teams may either volley the ball (hit the ball before it bounces) or play it off a bounce (ground stroke).
Where Can I Play Pickleball?
Looking for a pickleball court near you? If you’re ready to try out this athletic phenomenon, you have plenty of options around Central Indiana. As the sport catches on more and more, parks throughout the region are scrambling to add even more courts, leagues, and competitions. We’ll update this list as we learn of new venues for playing pickleball, but feel free to alert us if you find a new court in your neighborhood.
Athletic facilities may change their open gym schedules to accommodate special events and new programs. We recommend calling ahead or verifying current availability online before you visit any venue on this list.
Free Community Parks
Marion County
Brookside Park, 3500 Brookside Pkwy S Dr., Indianapolis
Dan Wakefield Park, 6510 E. 25th Street, Indianapolis
Dubarry Park, 3698 Dubarry Rd, Indianapolis
Ellenberger Park, 5301 East St. Clair St., Indianapolis
Gardner Park, 6900 E 46th St., Indianapolis
Sahm Park, 6801 East 91st Street, Indianapolis
Windsor Village Park, 6510 E. 25th Street, Indianapolis
Lee Road Park, 6200 Lee Rd, Indianapolis
Leonard Park, 5400 W 15th St, Speedway
Boone County
Abner Longley Park, 1601 Longley Drive, Lebanon
Memorial Park, 130 E. Ulen Drive, Lebanon
Main Street Park, 4286 S. Main St., Whitestown
Lions Park, 115 South Elm Street, Zionsville
Mulberry Fields, 9645 Whitestown Road, Zionsville
Hamilton County
Lawrence W. Inlow Park, 6310 E 131st St, Carmel
Meadowlark Park, 450 Meadow Ln, Carmel
Cyntheanne Park, 12383 Cyntheanne Road, Fishers
Roy G. Holland Memorial Park, 1 Park Drive, Fishers
Finch Creek Park, 16233 Boden Road, Noblesville
Forest Park, 701 Cicero Road, Noblesville
Hancock County
Lions Park, 301 N Buck Creek Rd, Cumberland
Riley Park, 152 North Lincoln Street, Greenfield
Hendricks County
Washington Township Park, 115 S County Road 800 E, Avon
Arbuckle Acres, 200 N Green St, Brownsburg
Stephens Park, 605 Stephen Drive, Brownsburg
Ellis Park, 600 E Main St, Danville
Scamahorn Park, 130 E Main St, Pittsboro
Swinford Park, 1007 Longfellow Dr., Plainfield
Franklin Park, 300 N. Mill St., Plainfield *coming soon
Johnson County
Kephart Park, 3936 W. County Road 144, Bargersville
Craig Park, 10 E. Smith Valley Rd. Greenwood
Central Indiana Family and Recreation Centers
While some are free, most of these indoor facilities charge a small fee for the use of their pickleball courts. Please note that all costs are accurate at the time of publishing, but are subject to change. Please verify current prices directly with the venue.
Broad Ripple Family Center
1426 Broad Ripple Ave Indianapolis
Adult Open Gym (18+): $3; Youth Open Gym (13-17): $1; Youth Open Gym (under 12): Free
Specific pickleball court schedules change monthly, so contact the facility for more information.
Garfield Park Burello Family Center
2345 Pagoda Dr., Indianapolis
Thatcher Park Family Center
4649 W. Vermont St, Indianapolis
Daily admission:$3; Monthly Pass: $15
Concord Neighborhood Center
1310 S Meridian St, Indianapolis
Although pickleball is scheduled on Mondays from 6 pm to 8 pm, contact the facility regarding playing during open gym times.
Daily Admission: $3 for Adults
Richard A. Recreation Center
651 Vestel Rd, Plainfield
Daily Rate: $13 for non-residents; $8 for residents
Go West Sports
9225 W 10th St, Indianapolis
Go West Sports has five indoor pickleball courts that host court reservations, open play, leagues, and tournaments throughout the year. Pickleball court rentals are appointment only by email.
Greenwood Fieldhouse
411 South Madison Ave., Greenwood
Early Bird Pickleball Rate (Tues & Thurs, 8 am-12 pm): $3
Daily Rates: Adults (18 – 64): $6; Seniors (65+): $5; Youth (3-17): $5
Greenwood Community Center
100 Surina Way, Greenwood
Early Bird Pickleball Rate (Mon, Wed, and Fri, 8-11:30 am): $3
Thursday Open Pickleball Night (starts at 5 p.m.)
Daily Rates: Adults (18 – 64): $6; Seniors (65+): $5; Youth (3-17): $5; Military or Veteran: $5
The Cultural Arts & Recreation Center
396 Branigin Boulevard, Franklin
Daily Rates: $10/day
Monon Community Center
1235 Central Park Dr E, Carmel
Daily Rates: Youth (3-15 years old): $13; Adult (16-64 years old): $16; Senior (65+ years old): $13
Contact the facility regarding specific times for Pickleball.
Community Sports and Wellness Center
395 S Heritage Way, Pendleton
Contact the facility regarding specific times for Pickleball.
JCC (Jewish Community Center) Indianapolis
6701 Hoover Rd, Indianapolis
*Free for members of the JCC
First Baptist Athletics
8600 N College Ave, Indianapolis
Daily Rate: $5 per person
Churches
Connection Pointe
1800 N. Green Street, Brownsburg
Pickleball open play runs from October to April. Court reservations are available from May to September.
Daily Pass: $3
Saint Elizabeth Seton
10655 Haverstick Road, Carmel
Women’s Pickleball is on Monday and Tuesday from 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm. Open Pickleball Wednesdays from 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm.
Restaurants
MashCraft Fishers
11069 Allisonville Rd, Fishers
Chicken N Pickle, Fishers *coming in 2024
Central Indiana YMCA Locations
Ransburg, 501 N Shortridge Rd, Indianapolis
(317) 357-8441
Fishers, 9012 E 126th St., Fishers
(317) 595-9622
Arthur Jordan, 8400 Westfield Blvd, Indianapolis
(317) 253-3206
Benjamin Harrison, 5736 Lee Road, Indianapolis
(317) 547-9622
Arthur R. Baxter, 7900 S Shelby St Indianapolis
(317) 881-9347
Orthoindy Foundation, 5315 Lafayette Road, Indianapolis
(317) 297-9622
Irsay Family, 430 S Alabama St, Indianapolis
(317) 955-9622
Pickleball makes a great date night activity!
Does your child love sports? Don’t miss the Sports Legends Experience at the Children’s Museum!
