For all the popularity, the pickleball craze is creating turf war over court space. Are there enough courts to go around?
ST. GEORGE — Thousands of enthusiasts play it. Players seek world rankings. Tournaments offer a quarter of a million dollar payout. A recent competition wasn't Wimbledon or the French Open. And it wasn't tennis."We have some of the best pickleball players in the world that are out here playing," said Wayne Bullock, head pro in St George.
"We're trying to do the best we can to satisfy both user groups in getting that court time and be able to play," Cole Johnston, from Park City's Municipal Athletic and Recreation Center said. The fastest-growing sport in the country is creating a growing need for court space. As Utah communities rush to find solutions, it's creating competition with more established sports.
To try to serve up solutions, the rec center tested a pilot program to put tennis players and pickleballers under the same dome.Pickleball is noisy. Two players in the Park City "pilot program" had different perspectives. In addition to noise, is numbers. A tennis court with two players could accommodate eight pickleballers.
Many other cities have found themselves in a similar pickle. Though a league in Bluffdale plays on dedicated courts, many others play on re-marked tennis courts, while Salt Lake County leaders scramble to build more.Clubs on Salt Lake City's west side have loudly complained all the courts are on the east side. Draper, Sandy and St. George are all adding more pickleball courts.Dozens of additional courts all over the state are creating another turf war.
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