MACON, Ga. — You'll see the courts at Tattnall Square Park filled up as a pickleball tournament comes to town this weekend.
The folks at the Convention and Visitors Bureau say it should generate $199,000. It's not a lot when it comes to the economic sports pie, but pickleball is looking to get its slice.
Joseph Garcia is a Mercer student. He and his friends took a break from the books to battle it out at the courts.
“I was surprised to see five other students who knew how to play pickleball,” he said.
It's growing in popularity. Macon hosted one tournament last year and this year they've got seven on the books, including ones they had to bid for against other cities in Georgia.
Paul Midkiff plays a key role in getting those big events to choose Central Georgia.
“The newly formed Pickleball Association is going to hold their state tournament here in November,” he said.
Midkiff says it's an easy sell because of our central position in the state and the fact that folks can bounce quickly to downtown.
“We can get a lot of pickleball players here and then we can send them out to a restaurant, a bar, and then for a tournament they come back the next day and do it all over again,” he said.
That routine can really boost economic impact.
“Some of the bigger tournaments in Atlanta have 900 players,” he said.
Midkiff says we might be able to poach some of those folks, especially if the city opted for flooring at the Macon Centreplex to create an indoor pickleball experience.
“That is a prime spot because you have the hotel attached to it,” he explained.
The Convention and Visitors Bureau will have a better idea of how pickleball is growing in the area once they track this year’s tournaments.
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