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Court changes aren’t working for pickleball enthusiasts

Pickleball supporters came, armed with facts and figures and feedback, to the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District board meeting Oct. 15 hoping the commissioners would recognize that attempts at improving the pickleball experience have left much to be desired.

They also told commissioners that pickleball is the most popular sport today, and the park board needs to recognize the game’s potential.

“Why wouldn’t we want to get on that trend? Why wouldn’t we want to have a makeshift structure to appeal to potential customers? There’s new players entering all the time because the ease of play is so simple,” one supporter said.

“I appreciate the effort that went into (the court revisions at the H-F Racquet & Fitness Club), but I think there were some mistakes made,” said Adrienne River, a pickleball enthusiast and group spokesperson. “We shouldn’t get a subpar experience.”

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Commissioner Steve Johnson said a suggestion to build a pickleball facility sounds great, but it likely would cost several million dollars that the park board doesn’t have.

Park Board President Brent Bachus said, “We’ve gone from no (pickleball) courts, to soon to be 10 outside and 8 inside. It is our way of trying to keep our eye on the ball and to manage growth.” 

The problems come when tennis players wonder how many of their 10 indoor courts they have to give up for pickleball play, and pickleball players say they should have equal treatment for their game and their needs.

The park board recently had the club’s tennis courts resurfaced. Before the work was done, pickleball supporters offered input on how to best use the existing space to accommodate pickleball courts, but none of their suggestions was used, River said.

The contractor striped two tennis courts for eight pickleball courts. In the past, the eight pickleball courts were designated by tape laid onto four tennis courts—two pickleball courts to one tennis court.

The outcome of the changes now puts four pickleball courts on one tennis court. The dimensions don’t follow all the pickleball rules, and due to two pickleball games being played simultaneously next to each other, players are running into each other or stepping into the neighboring court.

“I really hated it and found it stressful to play, and I don’t see it getting better,” one pickleball player shared.

River said the feedback has been mostly negative and she hopes the park board can find a way to make changes that will benefit the pickleball community.

“We want to make changes to make sure players don’t abandon us. Players have said they’re not coming back if changes aren’t made. There’s safety and equity concerns that need to be addressed,” River said. Pickleball players “shouldn’t have to compromise on everything.”

Another player asked for more playing time. Pickleball is limited to one morning from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and two evenings for 6 to 8 p.m. It’s open play. Games go continuously, so there are usually players waiting in line for a court, especially during evening hours.

Bachus said he agreed with the suggestion to include pickleball players in discussions that affect their involvement with the park district, adding that starting a focus group would be a good start.

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