Have You Heard? Sandy Pickle Has Merged Two Of The World’s Fastest Growing Sports!

While Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America, Beach Tennis is trending upward internationally, especially in beach cities throughout Italy, Spain and Brazil. Now a new game called Sandy Pickle is making its way onto the scene, a hybrid blend of these two popular sports. Below is more information about beach tennis, pickleball, and finally the introduction of Sandy Pickle.

It is widely believed that beach tennis was invented in the early 1970s when some tennis players on vacation in Italy took their rackets to the beach volleyball courts and volleyed tennis balls back and forth. It must have drawn enough attention that somebody eventually created rules and played it for the first time in an organized fashion in Spain in 1976.

From what was originally just “something to do” rather than an intended invention of a new sport, beach tennis began spreading throughout Europe. Today it is estimated that there are over 250,000 beach tennis players in Italy where the sport is now second only to soccer in popularity. As the game began growing beyond Europe, it naturally found its way to Brazil and its world famous Rio de Janeiro beaches.

Pickleball was invented just 5 years prior to beach tennis, but it wasn’t until around 2010 that the popularity of both sports really caught fire. Prior to 2010, pickleball was recognized mostly as a sport for retirees, and while popular, it was mostly a recreational activity played in retirement communities. Today, the best players in the world include former tennis professionals, and the competitive nature of pickleball has it on the fast track to becoming an Olympic sport.

In 2020, a couple friends decided to try playing pickleball on sand and grass. Because the ball doesn’t bounce on soft surfaces, the “new” game was an all-volley version of pickleball. As the game matured and became what is now known as Sandy Pickle, people around the world noticed and began comparing it to beach tennis. Today, Sandy Pickle is making its way onto beach tennis courts in Italy, Spain, Brazil and beach cities around the world.

For more information* about Sandy Pickle, please see sandypickle.com.

*International distributors, please contact support@sandypickle.com.

Learn More

1. On the Beach

Sandy Pickle is sold as a complete set, including a sturdy carry bag which makes it a convenient beach game to take along with you wherever you travel. If you happen to be on a beach with volleyball courts, Sandy Pickle XL allows for more players, up to 4 per team.

2. In The Park

Obviously (and unfortunately), we can’t all live near a beach. Although the word “Sandy” refers to Sandy Pickle as a beach game, it is just as fun to play on grass…you can call it “Grassy Pickle” if you’d like, we can get behind that brand too!

3. In Your Own Yard

Do you have friends who have built pickleball courts in their yards? Good for them, but not everyone has an extra $50,000 for the project. But! For about what you’ll spend on your next backyard family barbecue dinner, you can be one of the first in the neighborhood to introduce a Sandy Pickle court!

4. Any Surface Will Do!

Sandy Pickle can also be played inside on a gym floor, in a parking lot, on artificial turf, in the mountains in a meadow, on dirt…hey, you can even play “Snowy Pickle” if that’s your jam! To be fully transparent, what makes Sandy Pickle a great alternative to pickleball is the ability to play on soft surfaces like grass and sand, easier on the joints and if you’re up to it, diving is actually a good idea. The same can’t be said for some of these other surfaces!