If you’ve heard an odd little pop-pop-pop drifting across Coochie lately, you haven’t stumbled into an unusually enthusiastic neighbourhood dispute.

That is the sound of pickleball, and it is getting louder

In just over two years, more than 250 people have stepped onto Coochie’s pickleball courts. Around 40 to 50 players now take part across a typical week, and the island’s annual tournament has grown from one division to potentially six.

Much of that story began with Dave

The game that became an exercise program

Dave first discovered pickleball on the mainland about eight years ago, after finishing a long and stressful career. He wanted to improve his health and fitness and find an activity that did not punish the body quite as much as tennis or squash.

He also had a mate whose knee and foot injuries had put those sports out of reach. “I found pickleball, played it a few times and said, ‘You’ve got to try this,’” Dave recalls.

His mate is still playing eight years later

Before long, Dave was not only playing but organising sessions around Brisbane. What began as exercise gradually became something close to a part-time job, sometimes taking up almost 20 hours a week.

But fitness was only part of the appeal. Pickleball brought people together, created friendships and offered fresh air, sunshine and plenty of laughs, all within a game that could be social or seriously competitive.

Dave had fallen well and truly down the pickleball rabbit hole.

Could it work on Coochie?

Dave had visited Coochiemudlo more than 20 years earlier and never quite forgot it. Later visits for weekends and music at the Golf Club reinforced the feeling that this little island was somewhere special.

After successfully helping establish pickleball groups in several mainland locations, he began wondering whether the game could work here too.

The early days required persistence

For the first few months, the group operated on a trial basis through the Recreation Club. Each session meant marking out a temporary court, setting up the net and then washing away the lines afterwards so they would not interfere with tennis.

It was a fair bit of work for a game that most people had barely heard of.

But people kept turning up

After about six months, the group had demonstrated that pickleball was more than a passing fancy. Equipment had been purchased, paddles and nets were available, and committee approval was given to paint the first permanent court. Two more followed.

Dave moved to Coochie full-time at the beginning of 2025, making it much easier to lead a team of coordinators and help the sport grow to sessions on most days of the week.

And grow it has

A very Coochie kind of competition

Coochie pickleball now regularly fills all three courts, with players ranging from teenagers to those in their 70s+.

There are social games, youth sessions and more advanced play for those wanting a faster challenge. At only $3 a session through the Recreation Club, Dave believes it is the most affordable organised pickleball in Australia.

But its real success is not measured by painted courts or player numbers.

It is the culture that has developed around them

“When there’s a weaker player on, we’ll generally soften our game down to include them,” Dave says. “I think that’s the good Coochie spirit coming out.”

Nobody plays a perfect game. Bad shots happen, accompanied by groans, laughter and the occasional noise of disbelief, and then everyone resets for the next point.

Dave puts it rather neatly: “It’s just like life. You can do a bad shot, but you move on, and the next point can be something different.”

He is also quick to credit Val, Jane, Lilly, Ali, Darren and the many others who help run sessions, step in when needed and make new players feel welcome.

“It is a team effort. We’ve created a community of fun exercisers who just happen to be pickleballers.”

One tournament becomes five...or perhaps six

Last year, Coochie held its first pickleball tournament with one handicapped doubles division, eight or nine teams and around 18 or 19 games.

This year, organisers are preparing for five divisions, with a sixth still possible, and approximately 33 or 34 games.

There will be social and advanced levels across Women’s Doubles, Men’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles, giving newer players a chance to enjoy the tournament atmosphere while the more experienced competitors test their skills.

That is quite a leap in just twelve months

The main tournament action begins on Saturday 26 September from 9 am until approximately noon, followed by further games on Sunday 27 September from 3 pm to around 5 pm. Additional matches are also planned for the morning of Saturday 3 October to accommodate the growing field.

Spectators are warmly invited to come down, watch the games and discover what all that popping, cheering and occasional groaning is about.

You may not get onto the court during the tournament itself, but there will be plenty of opportunities to have a go in the days afterwards.

As Dave says, Coochie’s players are not training for the Olympics. They are exercising, enjoying themselves and making new friends.

Although, judging by how quickly pickleball has grown here, perhaps we shouldn’t rule anything out just yet.

To learn more about Coochie pickleball, contact Dave on 0408 079 098.