Madison has pickleball fever. Once seen as a casual retirement sport, pickleball is now an economic force: new businesses are opening around it, existing facilities are being repurposed to meet demand, and tournaments are drawing hundreds of players and spectators.
The Dane County area boasts at least 180 outdoor courts, 112 of which are dedicated to pickleball, according to records from the Capital Area Pickleball Association. In April, Madison’s Plan Commission approved a new indoor facility, Court and Cork, to be built at 8701 Blackhawk Road this summer. The Plan Commission also approved converting a former Amazon distribution center into a 28,000-square-foot indoor pickleball facility with 10 dedicated courts. Located at 5004 Tradewinds Parkway, it will be the first Madison-area location for Dill Dinkers Pickleball, a Maryland-based chain of indoor pickleball clubs. And the city is planning on building eight new courts at Warner Park in 2026.
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In Business Madison hit the courts to check out the popular sport and meet its devotees.
