MUNDOOLUN man Wayne Jackson wants to help form a pickleball club at Beaudesert after seeing the sport flourish in the Redlands.
Jackson, whose brother Ron started a club in the bayside suburb of Ormiston earlier this year, said he was looking to hear from people who were interested in playing closer to home.
Pickleball is a fast-growing sport which combines elements of tennis, table tennis and badminton.
Played with a paddle and perforated ball, it is popular among the elderly and those with injuries because of the low-impact nature of game play.
"The set up they have out at Ormiston is brilliant," Jackson said. "If we could get something like that it would be perfect.
"It is basically a little game of tennis where you don't have to run as much.
"People with crook knees can play and older people can play. My 13-year-old grandson plays and he is a brilliant tennis player."
Players receive ratings based on their ability and play against those of a similar standing.
"The way that Ron has orgainised it at Ormiston, he has four different grades," Jackson said.
"He puts all the names in the different categories and they are matched up against people at their own level."
Jackson said it was a good way for people to keep fit, even if they were carrying injuries.
"You just don't have to run as much, that is really the bottom line," he said. "It is played with a plastic ball that has holes in it, so if it hits you it doesn't hurt.
"You can't play tennis shots, you have to play lofted shots otherwise the ball will keep hitting the net.
"We have a couple of guys in their 70s there (at Ormiston) and they say to me every week that they love it."
Jackson and his wife drive an hour each week to play in the Redlands competition.
He believed a Beaudesert club would take off.
"People in these rural communities, nearly all of them played tennis when they were growing up, so the coordination part of it is not a problem," Jackson said. "They take to it like a duck to water."
Jackson wanted people interested in forming a club to call him on 0421 204 084 or email wayne@firstaid4life.com.au.
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