Pickleballs
 

Read this morning that The Villages uses 5000 dozen pickleballs in a year.
60,000 balls. How is that possible? Cost is $24 and change per dozen.

I read that as well. I’m not a pickleball player so I was unaware that the pickleballs were provided by the park and recreation department, I just assumed players brought their own balls. I guess this begs the question, why aren’t golf balls provided at the executive golf courses for amenity fee paying residents? Are tennis balls also provided by the park and recreation department?

There are something in the neighborhood of 240 courts in TV (the number obviously rising with every new recreation center they finish.)

60,000 balls divided by 240 courts = 250 balls per court, per year. 250 balls/year divided by 52 weeks/year = slightly less than 5 balls, per court, per week.

During the busy season, many courts are "standing room only" from 8AM until noon, with constant play on all of those courts during that time, and busy play for many more hours of the day as well.

Lots of courts, lots of play, lots of balls.
If you are unfamiliar with the game, you may not realize that pickleballs break down, or simply break, with play.

If you want 4 golfers to play with the same ball, I say go for it. And yes, tennis balls are available in the equipment rooms.

Good question. If we want to follow the line of questioning far enough, we may ask ourselves why the golfers aren't mowing the greens themselves on the executive courses.

A pickle ball is a pickleball.

Different brands and models of golf balls play/fly/react differently.

applying some more math to the pickleball cost.

60K balls @ $24/dozen comes to $120K, divided by the 130K or so residents of TV, that works out to a cost of around 92cents per resident per year.

Clearly, this is a problem.

Not true. What brand are they supplying?

A lot of Villagers play pickleball so that number does not surprise me at all. In fact next to golf pickleball may be the next most popular activity in TV.

I AGREE! Somebody needs to do something! OMG!
😏
Ktonk! The sound made when you hit a pickleball.

How long have you been playing pickleball?

Durafast 40, although I think they were having some supply issues last year. I was told they may run out, but I don't remember seeing any other type of ball by the time I left in mid-May.

You can't put a price on fun !

I have never played pickle ball, not even held a Pickle Ball club.
I have however kept several golf ball diving companies in business, and at least one water ball seller at Marion Market is a wealthy man due to my golf skill level!:icon_wink:

the cost of pickleballs and maintenance of the courts has to be miniscule compared to the cost to maintain the executive golf courses.

Pickleball club?