The fast-growing sport of pickleball will be on display in a big way this weekend in Bend.

More than 500 players have entered the, USA Pickleball Association Pacific Northwest Regionals, three days of competition starting Friday at Pine Nursery Park.

Entries are closed, but spectators are welcome to watch players ranging in age from 12 to 87, men and women, play a fast-paced paddle sport that, according to the USAPA, combines elements of tennis, badminton and pingpong. Pickleball is played with a somewhat rectangular paddle and a plastic ball with holes. The game is played on a badminton-sized court with a modified tennis net.

The Pacific Northwest Regionals will be staged on 16 courts at the Pine Nursery facility, off Yeoman Road in northeast Bend. The tournament will include both singles and doubles competition.

According to organizers, the regional event will showcase more than 90 participants who are among the highest-ranked players in the United States. Players are expected from as far away as Hawaii, Florida and Canada.

The Pacific Northwest Regionals is a qualifier for the USAPA national championships in November at Indian Wells Tennis Garden near Palm Springs, California.

Matches at Pine Nursery begin at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, at 7 a.m. on Saturday, and at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday.

Pickleball Zone, a new indoor pickleball facility expected to open in Bend this fall, is the regional tournament’s title sponsor.

For more information, visit www.bendpickleballclub.com.

— Bulletin staff report