Play Pickleball at The Four Seasons Resort
Pickleball, the fastest-growing sport in America, has now made its way to the Caribbean island of Nevis. The Four Seasons Resort Nevis, the island’s premier luxury resort hotel, recently unveiled four new pickleball courts with breathtaking views of Nevis Peak. Ignacio “Nacho” Salom, the resort’s director of racquet sports, leads the pickleball program.
Guests participating in the resort’s Live Like a Local package have the chance to join a group pickleball tournament during their stay. Agile Courts constructed the new facilities. This expansion reflects the growing popularity of pickleball (#ad) in the Caribbean, with the Elite Island Resort portfolio in Antigua serving as the region’s pioneers.
The history of pickleball can be traced back to 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Three friends, Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum, invented the sport as a way to entertain their bored families during a summer weekend. Combining elements of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong, pickleball quickly gained popularity in the United States and eventually spread worldwide. Today, the sport continues to grow, captivating players with its unique blend of strategy, agility, and social interaction.
The Basic Pickleball Rules
- Court dimensions: Pickleball is played on a 20×44 feet court, similar to a badminton court, with a 36-inch high net at the sidelines and 34 inches at the center.
- Scoring: Matches are typically played to 11, 15, or 21 points, and a team must win by at least 2 points. Points are scored only by the serving team.
- Serve: The server must stand behind the baseline and serve diagonally to the opponent’s service court. The serve must be underhand, and the paddle should make contact with the ball below the server’s waist level. The ball must clear the non-volley zone (kitchen) and land within the opponent’s service court.
- Double bounce rule: Following the serve, each team must let the ball bounce once on their side of the court before hitting it. This means the receiving team must let the ball bounce, and after returning the serve, the serving team must also let the ball bounce before playing it.
- Non-volley zone (kitchen): The 7×20 feet area adjacent to the net on both sides is called the non-volley zone or kitchen. Players cannot hit the ball in the air (volley) while standing within this zone.
- Faults: Common faults include hitting the ball out of bounds, failing to clear the net, volleying from within the non-volley zone, or violating the double bounce rule. When a fault occurs, the serve switches to the other team or the other player on the same team, depending on the type of game (singles or doubles).
- Doubles play: In doubles, players on the serving team alternate serving, and each player serves until a fault occurs. The first serve of a new game is made by only one player of the serving team, and then the serve switches to the other team. After that, both players on each team will serve before the serve switches to the other team.
These are some basic pickleball rules, but there are additional rules and strategies that players can learn as they become more familiar with the game.