Pickle Ball in Tennis Courts?
 

We need more pball courts~plain and simple. All the pball courts have lines of people waiting to play, even in the off season.

One solution is to change some of the tennis courts over to pball. The tennis courts are usuallu pretty empty.
Everyone has heard by now that pball is the fastest growing sport in America. It's only going to get more crowded here.
My question is who can we talk to about this problem and about this solution? Does anyone know who we talk to?
Thanks in advance for your time and your suggestions.

John Rohan

It’s not uncommon to duel purpose courts. Our beach club in Rhode Island included pickle ball on two of four Tennis courts by including pickle ball lines on two of the courts plan on expanding to remaining two courts 2023 season everyone seems to be happy

It ain't gonna happen. BUT, some of the rec centers have enough room to expand/add more PB courts.

:agree: Or maybe Helen Waite. :shrug:

You might contact the PCVG (Pickleball Community Volunteer Group). You are not the first to make this suggestion.

Many times when I walk to get our mail I often see the pickleball courts empty in my neighborhood! I won't name it for fear of retribution. :duck:

How does one get in touch with John and Helen?

I emailed John Rohan, Director of Recreation, with this suggestion (add lines to existing tennis courts) a few years ago and received a curt reply saying there were enough pickleball courts in TV.

See post #7.

Be thankful you don't want to use the woodworking shops.

Pickle Ball in Tennis Courts
 

Personally I think we need more Tennis players . I pay my
dues & don’t think they should
Change or reduce any Tennis
Courts .

The problem is everyone wants to play in the morning. Finding tennis courts before 11am is also tough.

Lopez tennis courts little use but TV pays for ALL night bright lights..not necessary. Why not convert just a couple??

Yes, that sounds like John Rohan!

Easy solution, PB courts are empty most afternoons. Change the time you play.

That seems to be a good solution until they build more pickleball courts. The one small issue with using the tennis courts is having to set up a removable pickleball net, and it crowds the court with many lines. But I do think it would help.

Empty pickleball courts?
 

I have been here 1 year and have noticed a lack of use on many pickleball courts. I assume the lines are at courts north of 466 because in other areas courts sit empty except when scheduled leagues are playing which seems to be in the mornings.

Pickle ball courts
 

I don’t play any court games BUT I do notice the courts in Eisenhower “empty” at least half of the day. I also noticed the same in other centers.

The courts at Lopez are all Har-Tru, not hard surface. The only other Har-Tru courts are at Glenview. Players pay an additional fee aside from their amenity fee to play there. They are a source of extra income for TV. Many of the more serious players utilize these courts as they are much easier on the knees than hard surface. Trying to get them repurposed for pickleball is not only false economy but is a guarantee that as whole lot of people who play on them on a regular basis would be VERY put out.

Unused tennis courts may quickly be converted to temporary pickleball courts by putting down painters tape at the exact
pickleball court dimensions. This will not damage the tennis courts and may be removed after pb play. The small difference in net height shouldn't diminish recreational play enjoyment.

Tape and chalk.
 

That leads to another problem…Pickleball players marking up other courts with either chalk or tape. This is dangerous, as the chalk leaves a slippery area, and tape (of any kind) leaves a sticky residue. And no, don’t tell me painters tape doesn’t leave a sticky residue.

Don’t just think of yourselves, think of the potential injuries to others, due to your actions.

Quiet Tennis
 

Any residents living along side tennis courts never hear the tennis players. Many pickle ball courts are full at 7:00/8:00 AM and the neighbors definitely will hear that activity full time until noon. They will agree with Mr. Rohan.

I have no problem getting on a court in mid-afternoon.

Court Time Reservations
 

Why not use a scheduling program similar to what is used for golfing? The executive courses are way over used, but with the point system "most" are able to get tee times.

I'm also one who has seen many "empty" courts throughout the day. You may have to be a little more flexible with your times.

The reason for long lines in the morning is that the temps are cooler. Do you want seniors keeling over and dropping dead in the afternoon when the temps can be in the 90's? Of course, it is more sensible to play in the cooler mornings. Having more courts would help the lines in the morning. PB has become a very popular sport for those that are not more adept at other sports. It is easy and fun to play and really great for improving one's reflexes. Just about every rec center I have played at, has had lines in the morning. Just about every rec center I have passed in the hot afternoons has been empty. Not much can be done to change the heat. At least folks will play a game, move off the court and wait in line so that others can play. Otherwise, you would have to wait forever before someone would leave and you could play. The answer is more courts, and most rec centers have sufficient property to add more courts.

Districtgov.org

Play in the afternoon when the clubs are done, mostly after 6 pm in the summer.

Everybody who complains about lines is usually talking about morning play, both tennis and pb. I play pb multiple times a day and you can always get a court after 12 but nobody wants to play in the afternoons, we do. I also know of courts that don’t have anybody playing in the mornings, some mornings 0 players, some mornings 1 court being used, and some mornings all courts being used.

If somebody wanted to suggest to change a tennis court in multiple tennis courts, TV should demand that somebody visit those tennis courts every morning for a few weeks to make sure they don’t fill up and then you can make a case. Just like TV can drive by any pb after noon and say there are over a hundred open courts, just play then

This is true with the popular PBall courts, such as Eisenhower, Seabreeze, Lake Miona, Rohan, Big Cypress but others (Homestead, Ezell, Coconut Cove, Aviary, Bradenton, etc) have no lines and many have no players with at least 6 empty courts. IMO it would be nice to either build additional PBall courts at the busy places (even 2-3 more would do) or reline the tennis courts.

I am not positive, but I believe the net in tennis and pickle ball is of two different heights. Thus, it is not as simple a matter as just taping off some extra lines on the court.

Another and way cheaper solution than new courts would be to put netting over the top of the Pickleball courts. This netting would help reduce the temperatures on the court, making them more playable in the afternoons

Have other southern parts of the US come up with some kind of shading to keep the courts cooler ? I note they have shades up at Sawgrass.

Pickleball is easier to learn (like racketball) as compared to tennis. There is a smaller court half-court version of tennis that uses a lower bouncing ball which is easier to learn than regular tennis. One problem I see with pickleball is that there seem to be MORE injuries than in tennis. One reason is that pickleball players use a more "wristy" arm motion than tennis players. This adds more stress to the wrist of the pickleball player. Also, there is more shock to the whole arm in pickleball because the pickleball is hard like a rock and the racket is less forgiving. Another problem with pickleball is that you normally hit the backhand with only one hand. Whereas, tennis players can use 2 hands for their backhand if they find that they are developing elbow problems.

Tennis is normally more frustrating to learn than pickleball so pickleball is attractive to many people for that reason.
However, the half-court tennis game is about as easy to learn as pickleball and has the advantage of less stress and injury to the arm. My conclusion is that while pickleball has the advantage of the ease of learning, it is a mistake to encourage OLDER seniors to take up the game. But, I imagine that the many orthopedic professionals here in TV Land are NOT complaining.

True, the "clack, clack" of the plastic balls striking paddles is very loud and ANNOYING. And the sound carries a long distance. They need sound-deadening panels placed high around the fences. But, then there is a problem with high winds. The only solution is to plant some fast-growing tall trees, bamboo, or shrubs around the court. But, The Villages may not want that extra expense.

You dont play over the tennis net - you add a second set of lines.
On 2 tennis courts, you can fit 6 or 8 pickleball courts, 3 or 4 on each side of the net. (Depends how close you want the pickle courts.

Everything you just posted (with possible exception to the first and last sentences) is wrong...

You see more injuries because the players are typically older. Older athletes get more injuries...

You use your wrist more in Tennis than in Pickleball... The ball is much lighter, and mis-hits transmit much less "shock" to the arm...

What about the sound being transmitted lower, around the fences?

I can think of a simpler solution... Don't buy a home next to a pickelball court...

Thought the same thing when the pickleball courts are all full with people waiting and tennis empty.

“All the pball courts have lines of people waiting…” not only this is way long stretch of imagination but just a complete 100% lie. I’ve seen lots of pball courts not only with no line, but completely empty.

Maybe you might have to drive a bit farther out…