Community members in Grover Beach will soon be able to enjoy the game of pickleball at Mentone Basin Park.
The Grover Beach City Council recently approved a pickleball court pilot program.
City officials say four pickleball courts will be co-located alongside the existing tennis courts.
The pickleball courts are expected to be complete by this spring.
“The plan is to have designated tennis and pickleball hours at the Mentone Basin Park court that would prioritize play hours for each sport respectively on a daily basis,” said Kathy Petker, Grover Beach Parks and Recreation Program Director.
If players of the respective sport do not show up for play during the designated hours, then the court will instead be available to all players on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Tennis players will still also have courts available to them at Grover Heights Park and Hero Park.
The courts will be maintained by volunteers in coordination with the Parks and Recreation Department. All those interested in coordinating may contact the Parks and Recreation department at gbparks@groverbeach.org.
“While one tennis court can accommodate a maximum of four people playing doubles, the same space can accommodate 16 pickleball players across four courts. Additionally, because the rotation of play system for ‘winners’ and ‘losers,’ people are able to consistently rotate without having to wait long periods before the next opportunity to play,” said Matthew Bronson, Grover Beach City Manager
Pickleball is a game that is essentially a mix of tennis, badminton and ping pong and is played with a perforated plastic ball and composite or wooden paddles about twice the size of ping-pong paddles.
