Contrary to what was stated in the article, Tennis & Pickleball did not always have constant tension & controversy. When Pickleball was first getting started, the tennis club agreed early on to share courts 1 & 2 The courts were then taken from the club and converted to Pickleball without any input from the Tennis Club. We would have preferred to keep the two courts with lights. The National Pickleball Club was consulted after the courts were taken from Tennis and in their expert opinion –Eight courts with proper scheduling are enough for a club of 600 members.
In 2018, Sun City’s past Board of Directors did not convert the 2 Tennis courts to Pickleball courts because they were boasting an impressive 500 members. They did not have 500 members at that time, but there was a safety issue with the balls rolling into other courts. Pickleball courts on Tennis Court 5 will create similar problems of rolling whiffle balls into the lines to accommodate 4 pickleball courts on Court 5 is not a problem. The courts already have tennis and Masters lines, adding another set of lines will add to the confusion.
The article also stated that last year the Sun City Board received data from a study that was set up in June of 2021 to examine the use of tennis & pickleball courts with the help of cameras. The cameras were installed, at a cost of $9000, in mid-July of 2022, and data was collected through September of 2022. The results of the camera data showed 1 pickleball court was vacant 93% of the time and there was no need for taking or sharing courts from the tennis club. There was a ‘no’ vote in December 2022, January, February, March, & April 2023. Pickleball would not take no for an answer in spite of no new data to support their proposal. Our tennis board was told in a closed meeting that no changes would happen for the 2023 season. The tennis club scheduled its season with playgroups, lessons, and events using all 6 courts.
The tennis courts are not designed to house 4 pickleball courts safely. Taking courts or space from an existing club should never have been the answer. The tennis club followed the rules set by the state, local government & Sun City mandates to stop all club activities during Covid. The tennis club followed those mandates and like other activities is now finally at pre-Covid levels, but Pickleball did not follow the mandate. Tennis added a growing Masters tennis as a new sub-charter club program which is creating a need for more courts for tennis courts.
Tall Oaks Tennis Club Board
Tall Oaks Tennis Club
