November 2nd, 2026Pickleball

Wendy Vorstenbosch first called her pickleball group Hit and Giggle, as you do, but it has been renamed All together Pickleball Ballarat and Surrounds covering Daylesford, Castlemaine, Clunes, Maryborough and Buninyong – with help from her son Brett.

“We say come for the fun, come for the laughs, come and make some new friends. We’re not competitive, we just want people to come, have a go and just enjoy

Mind you, being purely social means members who come for the fun and then want to get involved in competitions often leave after a while. So Wendy is always on a drive for more people.

She jokes that she is thinking about putting in a clause that people must bring in a new member before they leave.

“Some people say we are like a stepping stone but I also want people to hang around. We just say that everyone is welcome. And all of the equipment is provided.”

The group plays at the ARC in Daylesford with an age range from those in high school up to people in their 60s.

Wendy got involved as a former badminton player. “They brought pickleball to the stadium and I thought ‘I can’t play that’ and then one day I had a go. Now I can play up to six days a week – twice on some days.”

Wendy said while playing the sport was important, it was also about community. “We do have a small charge but that is to cover our insurance and court hire. It’s mainly about the community and being with people and bringing people together.

“If people just want to come that’s fine but I always tell them to wear sneakers because they’ll probably end up having a hit.

“I even had some people I met at the Leonards Hill Market and they were visiting from Melbourne for a family reunion – and the next day we had them playing pickleball. It was absolutely lovely to see.”

Contact Wendy on 0458 372 906. Above, from left,Wendy, Carolyn, Wendy and Jenny at Clunes | File photo Words: Donna Kelly | Image: Contributed