Naples - the site of the US Open

From The Villages to pickleball mecca...

Eight days ago, I left pickleball heaven in The Villages, as I wrote about in Saturday's post The Villages.  After zigzagging around Florida - South Beach, Sarasota, and Naples - I visited pickleball mecca at East Naples Community Park, the site of April's US Open. The East Naples Winter Classic was being played and I got lots of photos of NC friends...and others. Check back tomorrow for those. Today's post is about the facility.

The walk from the parking lot is dominated by the huge tent-like canopy over a section of courts.

The Villages

Retirement or pickleball heaven...

Last weekend I visited friends in The Villages, Florida. They are pickleball players and I was anxious to check out the reported enthusiasm and courts in the "city". It was all true. I was there for 3 nights and 2 days. In those 2 days, I played at 3 different facilities. Don't even think about asking me which of the 50 or so sites that have courts - they all looked alike to me.

Each set of courts on which I played had 6 courts - 2 rows of 3 courts each. The rows were divided by a net but there was no divider between the 3 courts in each row. That resulted in a lot of play stoppages but it was nothing I wasn't used to.

Mountain Falls Luxury Motorcoach Resort

Don't call this an RV park...

I had the opportunity to visit the Mountain Falls Luxury Motorcoach Resort in Lake Toxaway last Saturday to give a pickleball clinic. As someone who has never been a part of the RV lifestyle, I had no idea what to expect...except that my contact - Jan - was very upbeat about the players' enthusiasm for a clinic. The entire visit was impressive - the resort location and development, the pickleball facilities, and, most of all, the group of players.

The pickleball facilities consist of 4 dedicated courts with a possible future expansion under discussion. In our email discussions, Jan said that they regularly had 12-16 players and the numbers were growing. I asked to limit the clinic to 8 players.

Hendersonville Gym Search Update

Went searching for a gym...never came back...

For those that missed the email update, a copy is below.

To: The Pickleball Community of Hendersonville and surrounding area

Since I have been getting questions about the search for a new gym, I guess it is time for a second update. Those who received the first update on January 8 will recall that Hendersonville Racquet Club provided one option. Last week, I made contact with 4 more gyms. All but one are considering their options but have not yet responded with a final decision. The following is an update on each.

Hendersonville Boys and Girls Club

I had hopes that a win/win agreement could be reached based on the experience with the Brevard B&G Club and the schedule of the local club that shows gym availability until 3:00 pm each weekday. The initial response was to offer their standard usage contract for outside groups. It was a deal that would not work for us as it included terms like children-predominant representation, insurance, court taping, and $100 per hour rent, among others.

Hendersonville Gym Update

Happiness is...having a pickleball home...

Many readers are aware of the closing of Crosswalk, the gym used for intermediate and advanced play in Hendersonville. The timing of the announcement - just before the holidays - delayed the search to find a permanent replacement that fits most players' needs. Despite the timing, however, a couple of temporary solutions were found by individuals within the pickleball community. These folks deserve kudos for their initiative. Since it appears that these options are not widely known, this is a note to bring the Crosswalk members up to date on the current situation. 

Temporary Play Sites and Schedules

Rick Griffis has arranged for a minimum of 2 days of afternoon play per week at the Henderson County Athletic and Activity Center on South Grove Street. Courts are designated for intermediate/advanced play on Mondays from 1:30-4:30 and Thursdays from 12:00-3:00. Other days may be available depending on usage by other groups but are not guaranteed. This is not expected to be a permanent replacement for Crosswalk but does provide competitive play separate from and in addition to the regularly scheduled open play at HCAAC (calendar). Please contact Rick at rick.griffis@gmail.com with questions or to be added to his Sign-Up Genius notification.

Pickleball at Lake Lure

I was fortunate to enjoy the last 11 days with family in an extended vacation. Part of that time was spent in the Lake Lure area, a great place to spend time outdoors hiking, canoeing, and, of course, playing pickleball. I spent one morning on the courts of Rumbling Bald Resort with Michele Puchala, the USAPA ambassador for Lake Lure, and a group of welcoming players. It was a great time and I only wish I could have spent more time on their beautiful lakeside courts. Here are a few photos to attempt to show the scenic location.

New Places to Play - Hendersonville

I am a daily reader of the local Hendersonville newspaper, the Times-News. Recently, the following photo caught my eye.

It was accompanied by a headline and story that further got my attention.

City to upgrade Boyd Park, rebuild tennis courts

Work has started on the Boyd Park renovation project in downtown Hendersonville.

The park improvement project includes removing the existing fence, asphalt, lighting and a few trees in order to rebuild the two tennis courts.

New fencing and lights will be installed after the courts are repaved and resurfaced.

A handicapped-accessible ramp will be installed along the Bearcat Boulevard side of the park. New lights will also be installed around the Laura E. Corn Mini Golf Course.

The project should be complete by mid-November to early December. For more information, call the Hendersonville Public Works Department at 828-697-3084.

The New Crosswalk

Some great news about courts in the Hendersonville area recently has recently developed. A private club was formed that will make additional courts available to area players at Xcel Sportsplex. The new club is currently limited to advanced players but will ultimately expand to accept others. 

But that club is NOT the subject of this post. It is relevant only due to the ripple effect of some of the club's players leaving the Crosswalk facility. Their departure means the Crosswalk courts are now available to supplement play at Henderson County Athletic and and Activity Center (HCAAC) and other local sites. 

Crosswalk and other background

Before progressing into the future plans, some history of Crosswalk is important to know. Crosswalk is an activity center associated with the First Baptist Church of Hendersonville. The church was gracious enough to allow the previous sponsors of pickleball play to set up 3 courts in the gym and allow play from 9 AM - 1 PM Monday through Thursday. As a private facility, the players were required to provide all equipment including nets, balls, and the taping of lines on the floor. While the facility was rent-free, the sponsors donated residual funds (after expenses) to the church and Crosswalk employees for their help and maintenance of the court surface, respectively. The sponsors chose to fund the expenses by collecting a daily fee of $2 per player - a fee that was a bargain for quality courts (with air conditioning!).

Charlotte Open Play

Charlotte opened some new outdoor pickleball courts at Tuckaseegee Park in late June. The pickleball group has posted that the courts will have open play every Monday evening from 6:00 - 9:00 PM for all skill levels. 

From Rodney Allman: This will be the first organized effort to establish regularly scheduled play at the new facility for all levels. We will have a challenge court (winners split after two games) blind draw round robins and try to mix it up weekly. Please spread the word and show up for great Pickleball and great fellowship.

New Venue for Outdoor Play - Cummings Cove

Cummings Cove is a private club in a gated community, in Henderson County, between Horse Shoe and Etowah. The pickleball courts have been made available for guests to play with members on Wednesdays during the months of July – September. There are 2 courts, 3 time slots (9 - Noon, 1 - 4 p.m. and 5 - 8 p.m.) and a $5.00 charge per person. To make arrangements to play contact one of the representatives below, and state the date and time you would like to play. 

The opportunity for guests to play is subject to member and time slot availability. Upon booking with a member, guests will be given a code to access the facility via Hebron Road Construction gate.  The Cummings Cove Pickleball Club (CCPC) looks forward to hosting guests for competitive, outdoor, round robin type play. This offer is for 3.5 level and above competitive players. CCPC representatives include: Paul Aaron: ncpitt@gmail.com Kathleen Watkins skookumbob@outlook.com and Sandro Francioni sfrancioni53@hotmail.com

Palmetto Dunes (Hilton Head) Pickleball

Back in March, I posted an article from the Hilton Head Island newspaper about the growth of pickleball on the island and specifically about the changeover of Palmetto Dunes Tennis Center tennis courts to pickleball courts. I took my annual vacation to Hilton Head where I always stay in Palmetto Dunes. That gave me an opportunity to check out the facilities and their pickleball program.

A player is greeted with a large banner announcing that pickleball is played on-site.

Pickleball and Hilton Head

The Hilton Head newspaper - The Island Packet - had an article about the growth of pickleball in clubs and rec centers. It piqued my interest for several reasons. 

First, I regularly vacation on Hilton Head and have done so for about 20 years. Until recently, pickleball play has been nonexistent except for private clubs like Sun City. But that is changing.

Georgia Mountain Pickleball

We have some beautiful mountain views in Western North Carolina but we can't forget that the state to our south, Georgia, has some pretty mountains too. When you have those views, why not build some pickleball courts? That is exactly what Towns County did in Young Harris, GA. This complex opened in September 2015 and a tournament was held that same month. 

The video Hiawassee Georgia Pickleball Rocks shows the complex.

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.

Hendersonville Racquet Club

The Hendersonville Lightning had a recent article about the new ownership and management at the Hendersonville Racquet Club. Obviously, I wouldn't be including this news here unless there was something related to pickleball...and there is. The club is planning to add pickleball play in the future.

The article, shown below, was not specific about the pickleball plan, but I stopped by and spoke with the resident pro, Dylan Jicha. He indicated that nothing is yet etched in stone but that the lower courts would be repaved and painted with pickleball and other lines, like junior tennis. The timing is uncertain but likely spring at the earliest.

Hendersonville Racquet Club is a private club requiring membership. It will have some limited daily-fee play for guests.

Places to Play

A page at the top of the website lists places for the public to play pickleball in the Hendersonville area. The list is not complete, excluding places like private clubs and gated communities as well as some public facilities not yet contacted, e.g., YMCAs. The page will be updated as additional information is developed.

Places to play pickleball in and around Hendersonville, NC

Henderson County Athletic/Activity Center

708 South Grove Street, Hendersonville, NC

(828) 697-4884

Open to the public - no fee

Wood floored gymnasium with 2/3 temporary courts

All levels of play

Link to website and calendar

Map