Where are the best pickleball courts? Pros and cons of each, plus new ones coming soon
At least 36 new courts are coming to the Treasure Coast for pickleball, the fastest-growing sport in the U.S.
That’s two more courts this year in Port St. Lucie, 12 more courts this year in Fort Pierce and as many as 22 more courts in the next five years in St. Lucie County — adding to the existing 92 public courts that are real pickleball courts and not tennis or basketball courts with temporary lines.
“The new wave is pickleball,” said Kaitlyn Ballard, Fort Pierce’s city spokesperson. “We like to adapt and provide our residents with facilities they want to utilize.”
Scroll down for courts listed by category with pros and cons of each court.
Pickleball: More tennis courts converted as pickleball popularity grows among young people
In Fort Pierce, the city-owned Indian Hills Golf Course is expanding with four pickleball courts. Construction is expected to begin in June and be completed in November.
New pickleball courts also are being added to two small neighborhood city parks: Maravilla Park on Oleander Avenue and Pinewood Park on Sunrise Boulevard.
The plan is to repair, resurface and convert the two existing tennis courts at each park into four pickleball courts and one tennis court. The courts will be free and open from sunrise to sunset daily.
The new pickleball courts are expected to be open before summer, Ballard said. Construction will take about 30 days for each court, consecutively. The city is able to move quickly because of the existing courts.
The project is similar to when the city redesigned an existing tennis court at Jaycee Park and repurposed it with four new pickleball courts in December 2022.
The new courts at Jaycee Park get a lot of use, Ballard said, so the city hopes to alleviate that by adding more courts elsewhere.
In Port St. Lucie, two tennis courts at Sportsman’s Park are being converted into one full-size tennis court and two regulation pickleball courts, which will be free and have lights, said Mike Kendrick, deputy director of the Port St. Lucie Parks and Recreation Department.
Construction hasn’t been scheduled yet, but the courts will be done by Sept. 30, Kendrick said. The city is planning future conversion in the next five years based on demand.
In St. Lucie County, two more pickleball courts are being added this year to the existing two courts at Pepper Park Beachside Park for a total for four courts. Four more pickleball courts, followed by another four courts, are being added in the next five years at Lakewood Park Regional Park for a total of 12 courts.
Between four and 12 pickleball courts are coming in the next five years to the Lawnwood Regional Park Tennis Center, which currently has only temporary lines on tennis courts. One of those four temporary courts is missing a net because new poles to replace damaged ones are on back order, said officials.
No new pickleball courts currently are planned in Martin or Indian River counties, according to officials. However, more courts could come based on community need.
Here’s where to play pickleball on the Treasure Coast, plus the pros and cons of each location, starting with the best pickleball courts in each county.
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY
Richard "Dick" Bird Regional Park, South County Park, "Oslo"
Pros: 12 pickleball courts divided by skill level, free lights, open until 10 p.m. daily, live camera streaming online, wind screens, bathrooms and parking close to courts
Cons: Busy
Sebastian Pickleball Complex
Pros:8 pickleball courts, wind screens, parking and bathroom close to courts, watch planes take off and land
Cons: Busy, pay for lights with tokens ($5 for 1 token or $20 for 5 tokens, each token lights 2 courts for 1 hour and 15 minutes, buy them at City Hall or golf course pro shop), 2 tennis courts with temporary lines
Intergenerational Center, "IG" Center
Pros: Indoors, air-conditioned
Cons: 6 courts with temporary lines on basketball court, $3 per person, limited times (8:30-11:30 a.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday; noon to 3 p.m. Monday-Friday)
Schumann Drive Park
Pros: Not busy, parking close to courts
Cons: 2 tennis courts with faded temporary lines, bathrooms not close to courts
Charles Park
Pros: Not busy
Cons: 2 tennis courts with temporary lines, parking and bathrooms not close courts
ST. LUCIE COUNTY
Whispering Pines Park Racket and Paddle Center
Pros: 24 pickleball courts, yellow bumpers on top of fences between courts, 12 separate entrances to two courts
Cons: Busy
Winterlakes Park
Pros: 4 pickleball courts, wind guards, bathroom close to courts
Cons: No dividers between courts
Lakewood Park Regional Park
Pros: 4 pickleball courts, park in grass near courts
Cons: Parking lot and bathrooms not close to courts
Jaycee Park
Pros: 4 pickleball courts, wind guards
Cons: 1 tennis court with temporary lines, bugs at dusk and dawn, bathrooms not close to courts
Pepper Park Beachside Park
Pros: 2 pickleball courts, free lights, wind screens
Cons: Busy, 2 tennis courts with temporary lines, bugs at dusk and dawn
Havert L. Fenn Center
Pros: Indoors, air-conditioned, gym floor with memory foam, at least 3 courts always available in evenings
Cons: 9 courts with temporary lines on basketball court, $3 per person, open recreation with basketball 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Wednesday based on demand (not every week, depends on event calendar, check online monthly)
Lawnwood Regional Park Tennis Center
Pros: Free lights
Cons: 4 tennis courts with temporary lines including one disabled, used for high school matches
MARTIN COUNTY
Halpatiokee Regional Park
Pros: 18 pickleball courts, free lights, open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, not busy
Cons: Not all courts have dividers
Doc Myers Park
Pros: 6 pickleball courts, free lights, open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, not busy
Cons: Not all courts have dividers
Justin Wilson Park
Pros: 6 pickleball courts, free lights
Cons: No wind guards, not all courts have dividers
Langford Park
Pros: 4 pickleball courts, free lights, open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily
Cons: Busy, not all courts have dividers
YMCA of the Treasure Coast
Pros: Indoors, air-conditioned, free for members
Cons: 4 courts with temporary lines on basketball court, $10 to drop in, limited times (noon to 3 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and 8 a.m. to noon Sunday)
Countyline Community Center
Pros: Not busy
Cons: 2 tennis courts with temporary lines, no divider
Wojcieszak Park
Pros: Not busy
Cons: 1 tennis court with temporary lines
Post Family Park
Pros: Not busy
Cons: 1 tennis court with temporary lines
How many pickleball courts are on the Treasure Coast?
92: Treasure Coast (not including 36 new ones coming)
38: St. Lucie County
34: Martin County
20: Indian River County
Where will there be new pickleball courts?
Indian Hills Golf Course: 1600 S. Third 3rd St., Fort Pierce
Pepper Park Beachside: 3302 N. State Road A1A, Fort Pierce
Lakewood Park Regional Park: 5990 Emerson Ave., Fort Pierce
Lawnwood Tennis Center: 1302 Virginia Ave., Fort Pierce
Maravilla Park: 2622 Oleander Avenue, Fort Pierce
Pinewood Park: 800 Sunrise Blvd., Fort Pierce
Sportsman’s Park: 201 N.W. Prima Vista Blvd., Port St. Lucie
Where are free pickleball courts?
Richard “Dick” Bird Regional Park: 800 20th Ave. S.W., Vero Beach
Sebastian Pickleball Complex: 160 Airport Drive East, Sebastian
Schumann Drive Park: 1096 Schumann Drive, Sebastian
Charles Park: 2405 15th St., Vero Beach
Whispering Pines Park Racket and Paddle Center: 800 S.W. Darwin Blvd., Port St. Lucie
Winterlakes Park: 5241 N.W. Jannebo St., Port St. Lucie
Lakewood Park Regional Park: 5990 Emerson Ave., Fort Pierce
Jaycee Park: South Ocean Drive and Melaleuca Drive, Fort Pierce
Pepper Park Beachside: 3302 N. State Road A1A, Fort Pierce
Lawnwood Tennis Center: 1302 Virginia Ave., Fort Pierce
Halpatiokee Regional Park: 8303 S.W. Lost River Road, Stuart
Doc Myers Park: 10000 Old Dixie Highway, Hobe Sound
Justin Wilson Park: 2050 S.W. Mapp Road, Palm City
Langford Park: 369 N.E. Dixie Highway, Jensen Beach
Countyline Community Center: 8530 S.E. County Line Road, Hobe Sound
Wojcieszak Park: 4733 S.E. Grouper Ave., Stuart
Post Family Park: 15700 SW Warfield Blvd., Indiantown
Which pickleball courts have lights?
Richard “Dick” Bird Regional Park: 800 20th Ave. S.W., Vero Beach
Sebastian Pickleball Complex: 160 Airport Drive East, Sebastian
Pepper Park Beachside: 3302 N. State Road A1A, Fort Pierce
Lawnwood Tennis Center: 1302 Virginia Ave., Fort Pierce
Halpatiokee Regional Park: 8303 S.W. Lost River Road, Stuart
Doc Myers Park: 10000 Old Dixie Highway, Hobe Sound
Justin Wilson Park: 2050 S.W. Mapp Road, Palm City
Langford Park: 369 N.E. Dixie Highway, Jensen Beach
Where is indoor pickleball?
IG Center: 1590 Ninth St. S.W., Vero Beach
Havert L. Fenn Center: 2000 Virginia Ave., Fort Pierce
YMCA of the Treasure Coast: 1700 S.E. Monterey Road, Stuart
Where are real pickleball courts?
Richard “Dick” Bird Regional Park: 800 20th Ave. S.W., Vero Beach
Sebastian Pickleball Complex: 160 Airport Drive East, Sebastian
Whispering Pines Park Racket and Paddle Center: 800 S.W. Darwin Blvd., Port St. Lucie
Winterlakes Park: 5241 N.W. Jannebo St., Port St. Lucie
Lakewood Park Regional Park: 5990 Emerson Ave., Fort Pierce
Jaycee Park: South Ocean Drive and Melaleuca Drive, Fort Pierce
Pepper Park Beachside: 3302 N. State Road A1A, Fort Pierce
Halpatiokee Regional Park: 8303 S.W. Lost River Road, Stuart
Doc Myers Park: 10000 Old Dixie Highway, Hobe Sound
Justin Wilson Park: 2050 S.W. Mapp Road, Palm City
Langford Park: 369 N.E. Dixie Highway, Jensen Beach
What is pickleball?
Sport: A combination of tennis, badminton and ping-pong
Ball: Whiffle
Paddles: Twice the size of ping-pong paddles
Court: 20-by-44 feet, the same size as a doubles badminton court but smaller than a tennis court.
Lines: Similar to a tennis court with right and left service courts and a 7-foot non-volley zone in front of the net called the “kitchen.” Singles and doubles play on the same court.
Net: 36 inches at the sidelines and 34 inches in the middle
History: It was invented in 1965 and named after one of the three inventors' dog, Pickles, who always ran off with the ball. USA Pickleball was formed in 2005.
Popularity: Exploded in 2020 as was the perfect social distancing sport for people of all ages to play during the coronavirus pandemic, especially among millennials and Gen Z. The average age of players dropped to 38.1 years in 2021, a decrease of 2.9 years from 2020, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. Players younger than 24 fueled the biggest increase from 2020 to 2021.
Laurie K. Blandford is TCPalm's entertainment reporter and columnist dedicated to finding the best things to do on the Treasure Coast. Follow her on Twitter @TCPalmLaurie and Facebook @TCPalmLaurie. Email her at laurie.blandford@tcpalm.com. Sign up for her What To Do in 772 weekly newsletter at profile.tcpalm.com/newsletters/manage.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Where are best pickleball courts on the Treasure Coast?
