Ever since pickleball was introduced as a pilot program in early 2020, data collected by the Beverly Hills Parks and Recreation Commission points to a continued surge of interest in the sport. Pickleball is easy to learn and family friendly, combining aspects of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong. With more people making reservations as additional courts are made available, the Commission heard updates at its March 22 meeting regarding operational challenges, equipment, availability of courts, and discussed how to share a space with multiple uses. After a March 9 survey was sent to all registered tennis and pickleball patrons, over 600 people responded with input on court preferences, recommendations for ideal pickleball court locations, and impacts from noise associated with the sport. Currently, the city offers pickleball at pickleball courts at the Roxbury Park Tennis Center and the La Cienega Tennis Center.
According to Matthew Brown, the city’s Recreation Services Manager, 125 resident pickleball players translated into over 5,000 court reservations, and 308 unique non-resident players translated to over 3,000 reservations spanning from March 2021 to March 2022.
After receiving public feedback and at the direction of Commissioners, city staff invested in six new sturdier nets that are easily portable to help better accommodate the sharing of courts between pickleball and tennis. The nets will be installed beginning March 28 for operational review.
Also starting March 28, two additional courts at Roxbury Park will be available, totaling four pickleball courts. The Roxbury facility will no longer be housing drop-in play and will instead be reservation based. “I think first and foremost, that will open up a great deal of court space,” Brown said. Additionally, courts 13 and 14 at the La Cienega Tennis Center will now be allocated exclusively for pickleball use, and not used as a backup court for those participating in tennis leagues.
Appropriate signage that outlines court etiquette will be installed at both the La Cienega and Roxbury courts next week. City staff will continue to research additional and potential alternate locations, such as school facilities and other city sites, and will explore expanding hours of operation. Noise impacts for both residents and players will also be evaluated by staff, as well as consideration of the fence height.
At Roxbury, courts are available to reserve on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and on Wednesday from 7 – 11 a.m. At the La Cienega facility, courts are available to rent Monday through Sunday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. For residents, the fee is $8 per hours, and for non-residents $11 per hour.
To make a reservation, visit www.beverlyhills.org/pickleballrez or email Tennis@ beverlyhills.org. To schedule a pickleball lesson, contact the Beverly Hills Tennis Pro Shop at 310-652-7555.
