This site is an independent pickleball reference for players in the United States. Every page summarizes what the governing documents and public sources actually say, links to those sources, and avoids opinion dressed up as fact. The sport's official rules are published by USA Pickleball, the national governing body, which also maintains the approved lists for paddles and balls used in sanctioned play. Where this site summarizes those documents, the originals always take precedence.
Guides to how pickleball is played, served, called and scored. Each page summarizes the official rules and links the documents it draws on. All rules & scoring pages →
How to playNew to the game? One doubles game walked through step by step, from "0-0-2" to the winning point, with a diagram.Rules summaryServe, two-bounce rule, kitchen (non-volley zone), faults and line calls.Kitchen rulesNon-volley zone in detail: momentum, partner contact, Erne and around-the-post, with a scenario diagram.Serve rulesVolley vs. drop serve, foot faults, ball release and spin, net serves, with a diagram.Scoring explainedSide-out vs. rally scoring, the three-number call, and a live score caller.Rally scoringPoint on every rally: USA Pickleball's provisional Rule 14.A, freeze and win-on-serve variants, MLP.Faults listEvery fault in the 2026 rulebook with its rule number and who is charged, plus what is a replay instead.Line callsWho calls which line, the 2026 out-call timing rule, partner splits, referee overrules, line judges and replays.Open-play etiquettePaddle-rack queues, 2-on/2-off vs 4-on/4-off rotation, game and warm-up limits, stray balls and line-call manners, from posted parks rules.StackingDoubles partners on the same side: stacking on serve and return, a formation diagram and the 2026 Rule 5.B/5.C fault risks.Singles basicsHow singles differs from doubles: serve side by score, side outs, the two-number call, mini-singles, and where coaching guides say to stand.Wheelchair rules2026 Section 25: two bounces, serving and kitchen rules for the large rear wheels, the 44 × 74 ft surface and hybrid doubles, with diagrams.Pickleball termsGlossary of court, shot, scoring and doubles terms, from dink to stacking, with 2026 rule numbers.
Guides to the court and the gear: measurements, nets, surfaces, building costs and noise, plus paddle and ball specifications. Each page links its sources. All courts & equipment pages →
Court dimensions20 × 44 ft court, 7 ft kitchen, net heights, line widths — with a diagram.Net height & setup36 in at the sidelines, 34 in at the center: how to measure, portable vs. permanent nets, lowering a tennis net.Court size comparedPickleball vs. tennis, badminton and padel: court sizes, lines, nets and run-off, with a to-scale overlay.Court surfacesAcrylic on asphalt or post-tensioned concrete, cushioned coats, sport tile and maple gym floors, with a layer diagram and bid-spec numbers.Court costWhat cities actually paid: bid and budget examples for new courts, tennis conversions, resurfacing and lines, with scope and year.Pickleball noiseConsultant sound measurements, city setback and decibel rules, barrier specs and USA Pickleball's Quiet Category, with where sources disagree.Paddle specsSize limits, surface rules and how the USA Pickleball approved list works.Paddle weight & gripNo weight or grip limit in the rules: published weight classes compared, how to measure grip size, tennis-elbow notes.Ball specsSize, weight, bounce and 26–40 holes, indoor vs. outdoor balls, and how to read the approved ball list.
How skill ratings work, how to place yourself, and how leagues and tournaments are organized, including recurring events in Wisconsin. All ratings & tournaments pages →
Skill ratingsDUPR, USA Pickleball UTPR and the 2.5–4.5+ self-rating descriptions.How DUPR movesExpected vs. actual score, match type, the 60% Reliability Score and DUPR's own worked examples. No fake formula.Skill level self-checkTick-box checklist from USA Pickleball's 2.5–5.0 assessment sheets, with the 10-ball marks. A self-rating, not a DUPR.Ladder leaguesThe formats parks departments and clubs use to sort players by level.Tournament formatsRound robin, pool play, double elimination and medal rounds under the 2026 rules, with tiebreakers and a match-count calculator.Wisconsin tournamentsRecurring events by month — Badger State Games, Madtown Open, Wisconsin PPA Challenger, Green Bay 70+ — with organizers, sanctioning rules and a checklist.
Calculators and generators for planning courts and organizing play. Each tool runs in your browser and shows the method it uses. All tools →
Courts, indoor venues and open-play times in La Crosse, nearby Wisconsin towns and Minnesota, each listed as city and venue pages give them. All places to play →
Onalaska, WIOak Park, Parkridge, the Houser YMCA and the city's Dash Center, with listed open-play times.Holmen & West Salem, WIRemington Hills Park drop-in times, the Holmen Area Community Center open play and West Salem's six Village Park courts with their paddle-rack rotation.La Crescent, MNThe Wieser Memorial Park courts, the city's 2026 expansion plan and Caledonia's courts in Houston County.Sparta, WIThe 8 free outdoor Memorial Park courts, the Barney Community Center open gym and St. John's gym, with listed leagues and times.Winona, MNThe Winona Indoor Tennis Center, the Winona Bluff Pickleball Club and city recreation space.Rochester, MNThe rebuilt Cook Park courts, five other city park sites, Recreation Center winter session times and fees, and indoor clubs.Eau Claire, WIThe 12 city courts at McDonough Park and their rental rules, Owen Park, DeLong Middle School and the YMCA's September–May indoor season.Madison, WIGarner Park's dedicated courts, dual-striped tennis courts in 23 city parks, the new Warner Park courts and the WPCRC indoor courts with 2026 fees and hours.Minnesota guideThe largest public court sites from Maple Grove to Mankato, city gyms for indoor winter play, and where directories and city pages disagree.Winter pickleballLa Crosse winter temperatures against the 70 °F ball test, what cold does to balls, frost and snow on courts, and indoor options near La Crosse and Winona.
Where pickleball came from, who governs it in the United States, the La Crosse-area club's story, how to start a club, what injury research reports, participation data and safe-play tips for seniors, and youth and school programs. All background pages →
History of pickleballTimeline from the 1965 Bainbridge Island backyard game to 24 million US players, and the four stories behind the name.USA PickleballWhat the national governing body does, and where its rulebook and equipment lists live.La Crosse clubA neutral background page on the local club and how it grew.Start a clubSteps from regular group to organized club: venue permits, insurance options, USA Pickleball's club and ambassador programs, nonprofit filings.Pickleball injuriesEmergency-room studies compared: fractures, sprains, falls, eye injuries, who gets hurt and published prevention advice.Pickleball for seniorsPlayers 55+ by the numbers, what exercise studies measured, federal activity guidelines and published safe-play adaptations.Youth pickleballYouth resources from USA Pickleball, PE standards and minutes, gym court setup, junior events and La Crosse-area youth programs.
The game in one paragraph
Pickleball was created in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington, by Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum. It is played with solid paddles and a perforated plastic ball on a 20 × 44 ft court — the same footprint as a doubles badminton court — with a net that is 36 inches high at the sidelines and 34 inches at the center. The serve is underhand and diagonal, each side must let the ball bounce once before volleying (the two-bounce rule), and nobody may volley while standing in the 7-foot non-volley zone next to the net. Games are traditionally played to 11, win by 2, with only the serving side able to score. Washington made pickleball its official state sport in 2022.
How this site is put together
This domain was previously home to a local club website for the La Crosse area. The new site keeps its old addresses alive with independent, sourced local pages, listed above under Where to play and Background.
Each article ends with a numbered list of the sources used, and every number on a page — a court measurement, a fee, a court count — comes from one of those sources. Court listings and venue fees change often, so local pages note when the information was checked and point you to the venue or city page to confirm. There are no ads, affiliate links or sponsored rankings here. Read more on the about page.
Looking for the La Crosse Area Pickleball Club itself? This site is not the club and cannot take memberships or sign-ups. The club and local venues publish their own schedules; see the where-to-play page for the public sources we use.