It is widely accepted that pickleball's genesis dates back to the summer of 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington. There, nestled in a backyard, sits the original court where the game was invented by Joel Pritchard, known as the Father of Pickleball. He was inducted into the Pickleball Hall of Fame in 2017.

Pritchard and his two friends, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum, were supposed to play badminton to entertain their families. But the lack of a shuttlecock meant they had to improvise the game, combining elements of badminton, table tennis, and tennis to create pickleball. They used ping pong paddles and a perforated plastic ball on the badminton court.

Later, Barney McCallum formalised the rules - the double bounce rule, non-volley zone, and underarm serves - and equipment, leading to the sport's development and eventual widespread popularity. By the 1970s, plywood paddles were being manufactured and distributed. In 1984, the first official rulebook was published.

The original court on Bainbridge Island has signage and a commemorative plaque. For pickleball enthusiasts, it is a sacred pilgrimage. It is even recognised by USA Pickleball, the governing body of the sport in the United States.

While most people agree about the inventors of pickleball, different historians have suggested different histories for the sport. Moreover, the true inspiration behind the sport's name remains a topic of debate, with theories ranging from a family dog to nautical terminology.

This is the most popular version most pickleball fans have heard of. The Pritchard family reportedly had a dog named Pickles, and the sport was named after him. The dog would chase after the ball during games, and someone quipped, "Pickle’s Ball." It stuck with everyone. It was eventually shortened to “Pickleball.”

However, some historians have contested that claim. They argued that the Pritchard family adopted the dog only after the creation of the game.

That doubt became stronger when Joan Pritchard, Joel’s wife, claimed at a public event that the name was inspired by “pickle boats” - a Franken-sport born from spare parts. It was a rowing term used to describe crews made up of leftover oarsmen from various other boats. Since the game of pickleball was a mashup of tennis, badminton, and ping pong, the analogy was fitting.

Both stories have their upholders. Both appear in official histories of pickleball. But now, a third origin theory is challenging not just the name - but the entire foundation of the sport’s beginnings.

A new book titled "Pickleball!: The Curious History of Pickleball From Its Origins As Picklepong 1959–1963" by Patrick W. Smith (published on July 1, 2023) suggests a completely different origin for pickleball.

The self-published book contests the popular claim that pickleball was invented on Bainbridge Island. Instead, it asserts that the sport was invented years earlier - between 1959 and 1963 - on Whidbey Island, just a ferry ride north of Bainbridge, where Smith grew up playing the backyard game with his family.

Smith writes that his aunt and uncle, Gretchen and Charles “Chuck” Bechtel, introduced the game to him as a child during his summer visits to the island.

Pickled in Kitchen?

The Bechtels, Smith writes, used to host a variety of events at their Whidbey Island home. They also hosted a number of political fundraisers. During one such event, Joel Pritchard, a notable Washington State politician, was present, and that event featured a casual lawn game involving ping pong paddles, a plastic ball, and a lowered badminton net. They called the game “Picklepong” and often “Pickleball.”

He further claims that the game was not invented by the Pritchards or McCallums. They rather discovered it, and later introduced it to Bainbridge Island, where they formalised the game and claimed it as their own.

But why is it called pickleball? Smith said that Gretchen Bechtel used to serve Gherkins - pickles - to the players before every match. They were “pickled.”

“The Gherkin… was instrumental in the naming of the Whidbey Island game,” Smith writes. “My aunt ‘pickled’ the Gherkins herself from a very old family recipe, while the libations were provided by Dimple, Smirnoff, and The Rainier Brewing Company.”

Smith also claims that the name 'kitchen' in pickleball, which refers to the non-volley zone, originated from Aunt Gretchen herself.

Naturally, these claims have been met with scepticism. But there is something about the Bechtel Theory that feels authentic.

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