If you're like most of us you probably played the game as a kid. Your parents or a friend's parents may have set up a net in the backyard, used string to draw some lines for a court and then got out of your way. You may even have happy memories of lobbing the bird over the net to your friend or brother or smashing it into your opponent's stomach.

Things have changed If you watched the Summer Olympics recently you may have stumbled onto Olympic badminton. If so, you have seen that it's not just a kid's game. It can be a very fun family game but also a way to compete and enjoy "the thrill of victory." As you may have seen, badminton on a competitive level is fast and furious and not for the faint of heart or the slow of feet.

Indoor badminton The competitive version of this sport is played indoors. There are courts available at many recreation centers or clubs. You may be able to catch on with one of these clubs or sign up for what's known as a ladder at your local recreation center or YMCA. One note of warning -- if you choose to play competitively, be sure to come with the right indoor shoes and a high quality racquet or you may find yourself getting totally schooled by your opponent.

The outdoor game If you're more into family fun than cutthroat competition, you can make a court in your backyard. Most of the better badminton sets come with everything you need -- a regulation-sized net, four racquets, two or three birdies and the cord you will need to lay out your court. The court should be 40 feet long and 20 feet wide. If your yard will not accommodate a court of this size, you can simply shrink it a bit. Or you can choose to just play singles as singles can be played on a court that's only 17 feet wide.

What badminton sets cost Generally speaking, complete sets are relatively inexpensive. However, like many things in life, quality costs and good quality sets cost more than the cheap ones. You can buy a complete set for as little as $30 or as much as $150. As you might expect, the sets costing $100 or more will have much better rackets and much sturdier nets than those costing $29.95.

Competitive rackets and shoes The same goes for competitive rackets and shoes -- you can pay a little or a lot for either of these. There are competitive rackets costing more than $200 or less than $70. The same is true of indoor shoes -- you can pay as little as $80 or more than $120.

The great thing about this sport is that it can be played and enjoyed by almost anyone. You can play badminton outdoors with your kids or indoors where you can work up to being the club champion or even a national champ. What's more, you can play it with an investment of less than $50 or go all out and spend hundreds of dollars. In short, you get to make these choices yourself instead of being required to spend a ton of money. And how many sports can you say that about?