Need more Pickleball courts
 

The local paper mentioned that The Villages has 182 pickleball courts, the most of any single location in the world. However, not a single court was added in 2018.

While it looks like twelve new courts at the under construction Everglades regional rec center will be added in 2019, they are a little bit behind the curve in my estimation of the need for courts.

You didn't mention if you had difficulty getting a court?

It is high season. All activities are more crowded and the popular ones there is a wait. That is because the place is flooded with those likeable, loveable, seasonal residents that pay their amenity fees year 'round. Bless their little round heads.

I have been playing year around for the past two years playing around 4 to 5 days a week. So, I understand the court situation fairly well. However, all of this talk doesn’t change the fact that not one pickleball court was added in 2018. Behind the curve which would be a little unusual for The Villages?

When my wife and I came here 20 years ago, and expansion was in full swing, recreational facilities were put in before, or alongside new housing.
The latest developments have reversed that trend completely. Now it is houses first, and recreational facilities after, which until the new areas catch up, is going to put a strain on existing facilities.
Also from what I can make out, the ratio of facilities to housing is shrinking as well.

Your post makes me wonder what amenities were added to and/or improved in 2018 that would have added to the enjoyment of residents involved in activities other than pickleball.

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According to the same paper today there are 121,000 residents in TV and last year on this same date there were 123,966 residents in TV Metropolitan Statistical Area. These figures are not comparing apples with apples and are a bit confusing. They did however put in more holes of golf, archery, air rifle, dog park, bag toss, bocce, shuffleboard, pools, outdoor exercise equipment, etc. Next year will bring much more including Softball and Soccer fields, RC cars and boats, lots of new stuff on the horizon. Does anyone ever use the horseshoes that are scattered around the recreation areas?

Not sure what the "curve" is? Have you talked to the District to understand the ratio? Have you asked for the projections? Also, this appears to be the largest expansion in The Villages history and amenities require residents so I suspect sales will take priority.

From the Daily Sun.
Recreational opportunities flourish with more to come | News | thevillagesdailysun.com

I feel for you all below the mason dixon line having to travel mile or less to next rec center. Where I live in the nortorious district 4 it’s 4 miles to next tennis, pickleball, or billiards tables. District 3 fairs little better, but, not much.

The District usually isn’t involved in the construction of new recreation facilities with the exception of the church property up north. The Developer might be placing a greater emphasis on sales than building new amenities. But again, my focus is on the construction of new pickleball courts as it will soon be two years, March 31, 2017 since a new court has been placed in operation.

The District has the responsibility for maintenance and staffing so I assume they need to project needs. You could also reach out to the Developer and the District can also help with that. I doubt any more courts will be built above 44 so your needs will need to be filled by the new construction.

When there are more new houses built above Route 44, then it will be reasonable to build more courts above Route 44.

At the present time, the new houses are being built south of the Turnpike, and that is where the new courts are being built. Makes sense to me.

My point is that there have been no new courts built since March 2017 in all of TV including both above and below 44. Are they too slow in building courts? I believe that they are.

Usually they are ahead of the demand to show prospective home owners what they have to use.

I believe all the recreation facilities above 44 have been built so not sure where they would put them. I suspect any new courts would need to be below 44. Have any regional or neighborhood recreation centers been built in the last two years? Moyer, Burnsed, Rohan all have them.