For most of 2020, all of our normal routines have been disrupted to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe. In Sun City, clubs were on hold and allowed for minimal interaction with their members. Recently, clubs and sports have started to return to Sun City. The parking lot is full of eager tennis and pickleball players.
Most players are ready to pick up the racquets and start again. Both clubsâ membership dropped during 2020 during the Covid-19 restrictions. But membership for both clubs is picking up dramatically. Pickleball is anticipating to double their membership, and the Masters and Pop tennis programs are attracting more residents to join the Tennis Club.
Currently, the Pickleball Club is evaluating meeting the needs of their clubs. At present, the club has two lighted tennis courts dedicated to pickleball. You can fit four standard pickleball courts on a tennis court. The two courts can accommodate 32 players where tennis is maxed at eight players if playing doubles. The pickleball club is looking to expand to another court.
Mike Christy, President of the Pickleball Club said, âWe are putting together a proposal for the board to consider. This is not a pickleball versus tennis issue. This is meeting the growing interest in pickleball and the needs of the community,â he said.
The Tennis Club had faced a similar dilemma at the beginning of their club. There were not enough courts to handle the number of players wanting to play. Jan Hardy was President of Tennis Club when a decision was made to build more courts.
Hardy said, âAfter meetings both small and large with the tennis members, it was decided to pursue the building of three additional courts. We invited two companies to bid on this project. Thanks to John Sterling and others, we listed the scope for the bidding process. John and the Woodworking Club agreed to build the benches with overheads. We paid for the materials and the Club donated their time and labor. Bids came in a little over $200,000 for the courts. Polly Easton and I met with both the finance committee and the Sun City Board of Directors with a presentation of court usage along with our total membership number. We had many graphs and charts. The Board agreed to pay for half of the new courts as homes were still being built and it was important to present a positive image to prospective buyers. The Tennis Club would be responsible for $100,000 with payments of $20,000 per year for 5 years. Our membership hovered around 350-370 members. The tennis board thought the $20,000 per year was doable. A motion was made and seconded and the membership voted to assess each member $50 per year for 5 years. The additional needed income would come from league and lesson fees. We also met with neighbors regarding having the new tennis courts built by their home. They asked for a berm with three evergreens. The tennis club paid for this and Jean Christie supervised and provided lily plantings along the side of the new court.â
Duane Fontana, President of the Tall Oaks Tennis Club said, âThe Tennis Club has times when its six courts are insufficient to accommodate its players. The Tennis club has introduced two additional programs for those who have endured an injury or joint issues preventing them from playing âregularâ tennis. These have proved to be a tremendous boon for the Tennis Club. The Tennis Club now has fifty people playing these two variations of tennis. It is not uncommon for forty people to partake in these forms of tennis a few times per week. The problem is the tennis club only has six courts which can accommodate only twenty-four players. Losing another tennis court would be devastating to the growth of the club.â
Currently, possession of the courts gives opportunities for 24 members to play tennis and 32 members to play pickleball.
Mike Christy commented at the board meeting on May 26 during the open forum that the club will be submitting a proposal for consideration to the board.
Nancy Fontana, speaking for the Tennis Club, also addressed the board stressing the exponential current growth of the tennis club and their concern in meeting the demand for courts.
Thereâs a consensus among everyone â pickleball players, tennis players, and residents â that there simply arenât enough tennis or pickleball courts to accommodate all those who wish to play, especially during the summer season.
