This Pandemic-Era Trend May Have Finally Reached Full Saturation—Here’s the Hobby That’s Taking Its Place
Quick question: Did you pick up a new hobby during the COVID-19 pandemic? Many of us, stuck inside or venturing out sparingly with those in our chosen pod, were desperate to find something to fill our time. We were trying things we thought impossible the year before (hello, knitting), just to do anything except read a book or stare off into the middle distance. Well, that era may be behind us, but the hobbies stayed—including one that took off faster than your mask when you walked through the front door.
But according to a new report from the Trust for Public Land (TPL), one hobby in particular might be coming back down to earth after what can only be described as a meteoric rise. You might scoff once you learn what it is, since it’s still wildly popular. But numbers are numbers, and ahead, I’ll take you through the latest TPL report as well as data from other research and polling. Read on to see which hobby may have already reached peak saturation.
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Which big trend is now past its prime?
It’s pickleball! During the pandemic, many of us were clamoring to get outside and do something. We were stuck at home, gyms were closed, and we were making so much homemade bread that we really needed an outlet for our pent-up emotions (and waistlines, for those of you not wearing sweatpants). Enter pickleball, a previously little-known sport that we took to like crazy. Right now, there are more than 82,000 pickleball courts in the U.S., according to USA Pickleball. Compare that to 2019, when a report from sports research company Longitudes Group put the number at 18,000 courts.
Shockingly, the addictive, easy-to-play (if not to master) and beloved social juggernaut appears to be on the downhill slide. In 2026, the number of new pickleball courts in the top 100 most populous U.S. cities was up just 4% from last year, according to the TPL. Compare that to 14% growth in 2024 and a still-feverish (but waning) 13% in 2025, and you get the feeling this trend might have already hit its peak.
USA Pickleball, which tracks new pickleball court locations across the U.S. in its “Pickleheads” database, shows even starker recent numbers. Between 2024 and 2025, the org reported a 47% decrease in the number of new pickleball locations added to their database—from 4,000 in 2024 to 2,300 in 2025. Of course, USA Pickleball and the TPL track different metrics, but overall they both indicate a little less rabid enthusiasm for the sport among the American public.
What hobby is taking its place?
Three outdoor activities are currently giving pickleball a run for its money: Gardening, disc golf and “outdoor fitness zones” (which will get an explanation coming up, since we didn’t know what those were either). It seems like people are still interested in getting outside and enjoying nature, even if fewer of us are clop-clopping our way around the pickleball courts.
According to the TPL report, garden spending is up 8%, and disc golf, aka golf with frisbees, saw a 4% bump from last year. Gardening, of course, is an age-old hobby that’s both relaxing and boosts our home’s curb appeal. Disc golf is a newer craze, but it likewise satisfies our urge to be outside while giving those who like a little competition and social interaction some people to spar with.
Outdoor fitness zones are those mini-gyms that you sometimes see at your local park. They’re like scaled-down versions of the outdoor “Muscle Beach” gyms made famous by California bodybuilders, where people can use pull-up bars, balance beams and other equipment for resistance and aerobic workouts.
Does this mean we won’t be seeing pickleball anymore?
Nope! With 82,000-plus courts around the U.S. and more than 3,700 in America’s 100 biggest cities alone (a 900% jump from 2017), pickleball is alive and well. Just head down to your local park on any given Sunday (or Saturday or Tuesday) and you’ll no doubt hear the distinctive thwack thwack of multiple pickleballs being knocked around. According to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, more than 23 million people played pickleball in 2025—up 479% since 2020—so unless there’s a massive influx of frisbee golf courses and outdoor gyms, it seems like pickleball is here to stay.
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Sources:
- Trust for Public Land: “City Park Facts”
- Axios: “Pickleball craze peters out”
- USA Pickleball: “Annual Growth Report”
- Longitudes Group: “Longitudes Group Makes Available Its First Pickleball Distribution Report”
- Michigan State University: “What is an outdoor fitness park”
- Sports & Fitness Industry Association: “U.S. Pickleball Participation Statistics”
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