The opening of pickleball courts in Delta Township raises a pressing question: What the heck is pickleball?

It turns out it’s a sport played on a badminton-sized court with a net in the middle. Players use what are basically giant ping-pong paddles to hit a ball that's similar to a whiffle ball over the net.

About four years ago, Delta Township Parks and Recreation Director Marcus Kirkpatrick was invited by a group of Delta Township residents to join them for a few games of pickleball. They played on tennis courts in Mason that had pickleball lines added.

After seeing the turnout and learning about growing interest in the sport, Kirkpatrick decided it was time to bring pickleball to Delta Township.

"In 2014, we added pickleball lines to the tennis courts at Delta Mills Park," Kirkpatrick said. "We had 20 to 30 residents playing three to four times a week on those two courts."

From there, conversation turned to adding dedicated courts. In 2015, Delta Township Parks and Recreation applied for a Land and Water Conservation Fund grant through the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, which it got.

The project cost about $65,000, half of which was covered by the grant.

Construction began in April 2016 and was completed in September. A dedication ceremony was held Wednesday morning at the new courts, which replaced the tennis courts at Delta Mills Park. The courts are free and open for public use.

Currently, an organized group calling themselves the Delta Mills Pickleball Group, meets at the court five days a week. The group draws between 30 and 40 players.

"It's a very unified group," Kirkpatrick said. "They are very welcoming and inviting."

Kirkpatrick also added that the group is open to teaching beginners the basics of the game.