The community’s response has been overwhelmingly positive . “ We softly announced on social me - dia that we would be opening ; we never had to place an ad for help because peo - ple wanted to get involved , ” Voelzke says . “ We had 510 members in 10 days . It has exceeded our wildest expectations . Bob and I are great entertainers , but we didn’t expect [ 6ABC ] Action News to show up . ” For the uninitiated , Voelzke describes pickleball as “ a combination of tennis , badminton , and ping - pong — life - size ping - pong , ” usually played on a court measuring 20 feet by 44 feet . Pickleball was invented in 1965 on a small island near Seattle , according to USA Pickleball . It has since become one of the most popular sports in America ; in 2021 , the sport grew to 4.8 million players in the United States , a two - year growth rate of nearly 40 percent . “ Our tagline is ‘ Where Fun and Fit - ness Meet on the Court , ’ ” Gabriele says . “ We have beginners to pros and every - one in between . Some members never picked up a paddle before coming here , but you can pick up the game after an hour of playing . It’s a great workout . ” To her point , anyone can play the game — young and old , novice and ex - pert . Gabriele , who describes herself as “ an advanced beginner , ” says the cush - ioned playing surface is forgiving on the body despite the game’s fast pace . “ It does tend toward the 50 - plus range , but we did our first under - 30 event , and it was fully sold out , ” Voelzke adds . “ Pickleball does not discriminate against gender , size , age , or body type . We have played against our husbands many times and we’ve beaten them . I like the equality of it . ” Each member of the ownership team brought his or her prior experience to the new venture — marketing , financials , leas - ing and contracts , etc . Considering how quickly Mercer Bucks Pickleball Club has taken off , the foursome is already talking about future growth . Quite an impressive feat for a modest post - retirement project . “ We’re not going to get to the point where we’re frustrating our members be - cause we’re so busy that they can’t get time on the court , ” Voelzke says . “ There must have been 10 people who reached out to us , from Green Bay to Pittsburgh , all wanting our ‘ secret sauce . ’ … People are even asking us to franchise , but we need to catch our breath . ” SUBURBANLIFEMAGAZINE.COM VOLUME 13 ISSUE 8 | 29