Ten years ago, pickleball hadn’t gained its peak popularity in the Augusta area yet.
A group of players took to Montclair Park’s tennis courts to play the sport which was invented in 1965 in Washington state. On Oct. 24, they celebrated the 10th anniversary of Montclair Pickleball with open play, a kings court tournament, food and cornhole.
Over the years, the former tennis courts have been transformed to accommodate pickleball, and they are busy most days of the week.. A pickleball court is smaller than a tennis court.
Anne Rheins, a certified instructor who has taught at Montclair and at the Wilson Family Y, still heads activitiies.
The sport grew in popularity in the Augusta area during the pandemic because it’s played outdoors and social distancing came easy, according to previous Augusta Good News articles.
Montclair pickleballers even started their own tournament when the one in Atlanta was cancelled during the pandemic. About 236 pickleball players came from around Georgia and the Carolinas to play in the annual NOT’Lanta Open Pickleball tournament at the Montclair pickleball courts May 15-17, 2026.
As the sport has gained in popularity so have tournaments, but Rheins said the tournament has held its own and continued to draw the maximum amount of players the weekend event can sustain.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years. She’s won multiple Georgia Press Association awards, is the recipient of the 2018 Greater Augusta Arts Council’s media award and was named best local writer by readers of Augusta Magazine in 2024 and 2025. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here
