Centre Pickleball
Information and links about pickleball in and near Centre County, Pennsylvania
Evolving Suggestions, corrections, additions to admin
News
2025 Dinking In the New Year Tournament -- central PA's premier tournament will be January 11 & 12, 2205 in Altoona. Information and flyer here.
Bernel Road Park 5/23 -- signage and a "Paddle Saddle" have been added, pictures and details to be added here. Soon. Real soon now.
Current Drop-in signup for The Center and C3
Where To Play
The Centre -- Nittany Valley Sports Centre (NVSC) -- 7 (usually, but sometimes 4) indoor courts.
Drop In, 9-11am weekdays. See The Centre Drop-In Notes for details. Note, in good weather, most of the regulars for drop-in are playing outside at Bernel Road Park (see below).
Reserve-a-court (coordinate your own players) 11am-1pm and 1pm-3pm weekdays. Individuals pay when entering. Call 814-689-1802 or stop by the front desk, e-mail info@thecentrepa.com, or use the chat feature on the website. If you have a weekday court reservation and can't use it, please call to let them know so someone else can use it.
Weekends 9-11am and 11am-1pm most weekends and some evenings, reserve by phone, email or chat.
C3 Sports and Event Center -- C3
Three courts for private reservations and one for drop in play.
Two hour sessions are usually 9:00, 11:00 and 1;00 weekdays.
See the sign-up page for additional information and availability.
State College YMCA -- 1 to 4 indoor courts, 5 outdoor courts
Find everything at the YMCA Pickleball Page
You will find play schedules, lists of classes and tournaments, and all other things pickleball at the Y.
Bernel Road Park
6 outdoor courts.
Free for all (literally a "free for all"!), all daylight hours.
A TeamReach group is used to coordinate drop-in, Group Code: UP4145. But there are no reservations.
Tennis Courts
Various tennis courts in the region have pickleball lines.
Parks are listed at https://www.crpr.org/find-your-park, but unfortunately, tennis courts with pickleball lines can not be found that way.
However, see the CRPR Pickleball page. These tennis courts have pickleball lines: Suburban Park (2 courts), Highpoint (1), Tusseyview (1), Daleview (1), Nittany Orchard (1). Bernel Road Park has 2 tennis courts, in addition to the 6 pickleball courts, which can be used as overflow. Yield to tennis players.
Use the Find Your Park map for locations and directions to these parks.
Philipsburg -- Moshannon Valley YMCA
Tyrone -- Tyrone Pickleball Club
Outdoor court lines (4) at the Tyrone Reservoir Park Hockey Rink; bring your own net.
Schedule and signup at Pickleheads. Also look here.
We also know people are playing in Lamar, Altoona and Clearfield. If you have details worth listing here, message the admin.
Where To Learn
There are many ways to get started in pickleball. Some people with experience in another racquet sport can read about the rules online and play quite well in just a game or two. Others may need a class or clinic for beginners, or some experienced friends to get started.
This is a good site for beginners.
Be aware of the Official Rulebook, which has ALL the rules, but is a bit much for beginners. However, the Basic Rules Summary is a good start.
There are countless videos, web sites, mailing lists, social media groups and other resources online. If you think of a particularly good item worth listing here, email the admin.
Watch the News section above for announcements of upcoming classes and clinics.
Also, see the YMCA Pickleball Page for events, clinics and classes.
Private lessons with Penny Effen Smith are available. Contact information is here.
Donna Reese is an IPTPA Level 2 Instructor offering lessons for beginners, advanced beginners and intermediate players. Here is contact information. (Donna is also the USA Pickleball District Ambassador for NW Pennsylvania.)
When you are past the beginner stage, try some drills to improve your skills. A few are described here.
Paddles and Other Gear
A beginner can start with a low-end paddle. A friend may have one you can borrow. Then you should try different paddles before deciding what kind you like. Local stores don't have loaner paddles (corrections to admin), but there are a number of local "paddle ambassadors" who represent a brand or store and who have loaner paddles and usually a discount code if you buy one. Here is a list:
Michael Henry, many brands/models from Royal Pickleball, click "Book a Demo" on that page or text him at (814) 441-9556.
Penny Effen Smith, Bready & Butter, contact information here.
James Bradley, Six Zero, contact via email or text/call (814) 574-1196 .
Donna Reese, Selkirk Advocate, Code: adv-dreese. That will get you a free gift card with purchase and a free gift. She has most of the Selkirk line available to try and use before purchase. Contact her at 814-312-2068
Who else? Send info to the admin.
Shoes are the other important equipment to get. Court shoes are recommended; running shoes are not a good idea. Go to a reliable local shoe store such as Rapid Transit. No, sandals and slippers are not a good idea!