Pickleball players need more court space, and the staff at the H-F Racquet & Fitness Club are working to accommodate their needs.
Players came before the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District board of commissioners twice in December asking for changes. At the Jan. 17 board meeting, it was announced that the club staff has given players three time slots a week for open play: 6 to 8 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fridays.
Courts also are reserved for pickleball players to come in for a game outside of those time slots.
The park district has agreed to give pickleball players a third court marked for pickleball. New nets have been purchased and the new pickleball court should be ready by the week of Jan. 23.
The changes won praise from pickleball players who attended the meeting. “Thumbs up!” one said.
The game is played on a tennis court. The court is shorter, so two pickleball courts can be striped on one tennis court. The next is lower than a tennis court net, players use a paddle rather than a racquet and the ball is similar to a wiffle ball.
The park district is doing its best to accommodate pickleball enthusiasts and the tennis players, said Brent Bachus, park board president.
“We recognize how fast this is growing,” Bachus said. “We did pay serious attention to (the requests). We want pickleball. We want everything to feel that the Racquet & Fitness Club is the place to go and be a destination.”
“There is no right answer,” Debbie Kopas, parks executive director, told audience members. She said staff is working hard to recognize the needs of both pickleball players and tennis players.