Carolina Courts

The Holiday Smash pickleball tournament was held Saturday at Carolina Courts in Concord, NC. 

As a tournament participant, it was my first visit to the venue. It is a massive building structured for multiple uses. This weekend's tournament found it set up with 15 pickleball courts. The next photo will give you some idea of its size.

This side of the building had 9 courts - 3 rows with 3 courts each. The courts were tightly spaced side to side and had a a low cardboard divider between baselines. Since I play at several indoor facilities I am used to multiple lines. Therefore, these white, black, and orange lines were not a problem. However, you might notice a white block on the floor behind the top of the net. This was a Dick's Sporting Goods advertisement right in the middle of the service court. It made returning a serve more difficult because the ball was hard to see, especially in the low light along the wall.

Now, imagine - if you can - 6 pickleball games happening in background of your vision while playing from the perspective of this photo. Needless to say, there was a lot of movement and visual clutter. Check out the next couple of photos.

Carolina Courts also hosted the NC Senior Games and the USAPA Regionals in 2015. As one of the largest indoor facilities in western NC, the bottom line is that Carolina Courts will be used for lots of tournaments in the future. Anyone wanting to play there should know what to expect.

Here is a link to the Carolina Courts website.