Katy-Fulshear area sees pickleball boom

Joining Houston’s growing pickleball scene, the Katy area has seen the addition of six dedicated pickleball courts in the last few years—including another on the way early this year.

What's happening?

Since opening in February 2024, Pace Pickleball Club owner David Rowe said he continues to see the community outpouring daily. The facility even expanded to full-time access with a key pad to ensure members have the opportunity to play when it is most convenient.

“People know it’s not a fad,” Rowe said. “People are now becoming healthier by pickleball—they have now integrated it into their daily routine to get their daily exercise.”

Meanwhile, Pickle Point owner Harry Singh said Katy was the perfect location for the business to get its start, given the growing area before the sports popularity helped to expand to Cypress and Meadows Place. Singh said the club has seen a range of ages, with its oldest club member being in his 90s.

“You see people of all ages and backgrounds—I think one of the biggest reasons is that the barrier to entry is very low. You don’t need a lot of training to start playing,” he said.

Zooming in

City of Katy officials previously explored building standalone pickleball courts or replacing existing tennis courts, but ultimately found that neither option was ideal given spatial, logistical, and financial considerations, Parks and Recreation Director Kevin Browne said.

City officials are looking at long-term solutions. In the meantime, officials will overlay pickleball lines onto two existing tennis courts at the council’s direction, he said.

However, city of Fulshear officials said they do not currently have any pickleball courts or plans to add any city-operated ones while the city focuses on adding baseball fields to Primrose Park.

Zooming out

Pickleball has seen a 223% increase in participation from 2020 to 2024, with a projected annual increase of 15-20% in 2025 and 2026, according to recent data from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. The association also named pickleball the fastest-growing sport in America in 2022.

The Greater Houston area is leading nationally in the number of pickleball businesses with 59 facilities, according to the September and October 2025 edition of Pickleball Magazine.

Meanwhile, Texas is third in the nation with 854 pickleball facilities and 3,584 courts behind Florida and California, which have 1,667 and 1,153 courts, respectively.

Pickleball players attribute the sport’s exponential growth to multiple factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the smaller court size and its multigenerational appeal.

However, Michael Kaplan, president of the Houston Pickleball Association, attributes the sport’s popularity to another reason—childlike discovery.

“When you’re little ... you’re just so pure and unadulterated, and you see something new, it’s like the greatest thing in the world,” Kaplan said. “This is what [pickleball] does to people because it’s fun, it’s social, it can be competitive and it’s inclusive.”

What else?

Alongside pickleball, the area has seen the opening of several pingpong businesses, including 5C Table Tennis and the expanded Houston International Table Tennis Academy.

Additionally, residents can play other racket sports at Padel County Club and Schafer Badminton Academy.

Looking ahead

Both Rowe and Singh said they anticipate the number of players to continue to grow in both the Greater Houston and Katy area as more people are exposed to the sport.

“I don’t know of another business that you could open right now and have a steady influx of people,” Rowe said. “We’ve had to expand our programming to facilitate all of the people who are just wanting to learn.”

Meanwhile, Electric Pickle will bring nine high-tech pickleball courts to Katy near Katy Asian Town, Community Impact reported. The business is also set to feature golf simulators, bocce ball courts, pingpong tables, gaming technology and a stage for live music.

The facility will also feature a restaurant with patio dining, according to a Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation filing.

Reporter Roo Moody contributed to this report.