Mason City IA Grows Pickleball

by Deb Nielsen

“What’s pickleball?” was a topic of many conversations in Mason City, IA located in north central Iowa during the summer of 2013.  Sue and Mike Finn of Mason City who winter in Mesa, Arizona introduced the game of pickleball to a handful of interested people.  Mason City Parks and Recreation Department allowed the pickleball players to use underused city tennis courts which were in need of repair. Chalk lines were used to mark the courts, lessons were given and the game of pickleball quickly caught on in north Iowa.  By the end of the summer, many people had caught “pickleball fever.”  People from 10 communities in north Iowa come to Mason City to play.               

The Mason City Pickleball group continued to grow and the Mason City Parks and Recreation agreed to renovate the existing tennis courts for pickleball. The City of Mason City budgeted $45,000 for the $75,000 renovation project with members of the pickleball group writing grants for the remaining amount.  In June 2017, the City of Mason City completed the project with 6 dedicated pickleball courts and 2  tennis courts.

The Mason City Pickleball club has over 100 members and plays seven days a week with most days having 2 scheduled play times.  If you are traveling on Interstate 35 in north Iowa, stop in for a game of pickleball, we welcome all visitors!