Engage Pickleball " Balls "
 

Recently the Villages changed the Pickleballs to " Engage Pickleballs ".

They are terrible, cheap, soft, and have IMO changed Pickleball totally.

They are soft and a cheap replacement .

Bottom Line Buy Cheap...Buy Twice .

Get Rid of them . They are ... LOUSY...!!!

Buy Cheap.....Buy Twice ++

They really are terrible , very few players players like them...so why... ?

Who made the decision on switching..?

Do you get to use them free?

Free? Isn't that what your amenity fees pay for? With the fees going up wouldn't you expect a better quality of equipment, not less?

If it makes the sound from the courts quieter, they get my vote! :duck:

They buy your own. Tennis players don't get free balls.

cost of pickleballs - Bing - Shopping

That would make a good t-shirt :-)

This is going to be fodder for punsters. We have some great ones.

AND......….No one expects The Villages to provide golf balls.

Balls said the Queen.

You'e telling me that tennis players don't have balls!! That is harsh!

They have no pencil sharpeners in any of the art rooms but we art people are managing to soldier on.

gracie, i think you miss the op's point.. TV has always offered free pickleballs as they do softballs, water volleyballs, and many other freebies for the various programs, I guess we are used to a certain level of quality especially from TV. As far as changing the balls to another brand I would like to know who gave input into the decision. We have a Pickleball club here that has a lot of input did they ok them?

Agree with OP
 

I'm a member of the pickleball community. I'm an avid player. There is a strong consensus among many that indeed the Engage ball represents a significant change in how the game is played. Many players that I play with do not like the Engage ball. The ball gets soft quickly, it becomes "dead" and is harder to put away. The Engage ball will be used in a tournament this week, and many of us are playing with it in order to get a feel for the ball.

I hope The Villages stays with the Dura ball until a better alternative is available. The Dura ball is more fragile in the winter, and perhaps that is part of what is driving the proposal to change the ball.

I appreciate the fact The Village continues to provide balls for the players. We all play with the same ball, which establishes a consistency for all. If players were forced to buy their own balls, that consistency would probably be lost. Moreover, the attitude of "make the players buy their own..." is perhaps expressed by those who don't play the game, or sports in general. Pickleball costs have been factored in the budget for years. Trying to get players to band together and buy the same ball would be difficult as personal biases do exist when it comes to equipment.

The ball matters in many sports, consistency is key.

Although I only play for the fun of it and to stay in shape, the Engage ball is different than the Dura ball. Even at my level, the game play changes using one then the other ball. It’s my understanding that the Engage does cost less and is USA made which is a good thing. However, I am use to the Dura ball and it’s easy to note replacement time when it cracks.

It’s always easy to say if you don’t like it move, change sports, or buy your own. I don’t believe that’s the correct call in this situation.

Those prices don't represent what The Villages pays for pickleballs. Not when thousands are bought at a time, which The Villages does.

Usually, TV pilot tests new balls and then decides whether or not to purchase them. I haven't played with these yet but, according to the Engage website, these balls are supposed to be quieter and built so they crack less than other balls. They also have been approved by the USAPA for tournament use.

I wonder if the major tournaments are moving to the Engage balls this year ? Also, since Engage is located right here near The Villages the rec department might have received a deal too good to pass up to use these balls as it would be great for marketing for Engage to say The Villages uses these balls.

Thank you for the explanation. That certainly makes sense. Sorry for my incorrect conclusion.