Pickleball might resemble a miniature version of tennis, but the two games are not compatible, and their courts belong nowhere near each other – pickleball is just too noisy.
The repeated loud popping sounds emitted when pickleball paddles hit plastic balls on adjacent courts would be a serious distraction for tennis players accustomed to playing in relative quiet.
But that isn’t the only reason it’s a terrible idea to convert two or more of Riverside Park’s tennis courts to pickleball courts – a plan being pushed by Pickleball University, the burgeoning game’s largest local club.
Not only would the noisy games aggravate tennis players and destroy the tranquility of the city’s picturesque, waterfront park, where many people enjoy peaceful strolls along the shaded walking trails each day – the loud pops and shouts that accompany the sport would also be an unwarranted irritant for residents in the Central Beach neighborhood across Mockingbird Drive.
Think about it: Would you want to live across the street from multiple pickleball courts packed with players for big chunks of the day, starting as early as 8 a.m.?
Before you respond, spend some time at Vero Beach’s Pocahontas Park – where Pickleball University operates a 12-court complex it leases from the city – to get a sense of pickleball’s decibel level.
“The noise would be a nuisance, which is what we told the City Council the last time the pickleball group tried to do this in 2019,” said Nathan Polackwich, who lives three houses from Riverside Park on Iris Lane.
“Every single neighbor we’ve talked to is against it,” he added. “Not one of them was in favor of it, because nobody wants that noise. You can’t put pickleball courts in a residential area.”
Pocahontas Park is a great spot for pickleball courts because the noise they generate – it’s also a much more vocal game than tennis – tends to get lost in the daily sounds of downtown Vero, including trains barreling by and the noise generated by a steady stream of traffic along nearby U.S. 1.
But as pickleball’s popularity continues to grow, so does the club’s membership and, as a result, the demand for more local courts.
From 60-plus founding members in 2015, Pickleball University’s ranks have swelled to more than 700. Most mornings, the 12 courts at Pocahontas Park are filled while another 48 players eagerly wait for their chance to play.
Clearly, more courts are needed.
That’s why city Recreation Department staffers are exploring options, including the possibility of converting the two tennis courts at Charles Park into six pickleball courts.
That’s why the county plans to build at least two courts at Dick Bird South County Park, another buffered site well-suited for pickleball, though officials say that facility will be open to the public and not available for lease to any group.
That’s why many of the area’s marquee country clubs – including John’s Island, The Moorings and Orchid Island – have added pickleball courts to their slate of amenities, as have some new home developments.
“We built two pickleball courts, and we’re looking to expand our facilities, probably as soon as next year,” said Rob Tench, general manager at Orchid Island Golf & Beach Club. “We’re planning to add courts and a gazebo area where the players can socialize and watch the games.”
On the mainland, residents of the Harmony Reserve 55-and-over community have access to an eight-court pickleball complex, and Sebastian built an eight-court pickleball complex near the municipal airport, a comfortable distance from any residential area.
“This isn’t about pickleball,” Polackwich said of his opposition to courts in Riverside Park. “It’s a great game, and I’m all for people getting out and getting exercise. But they need to find the right place.”
For Pickleball University’s purposes, the ideal location seemed to be the mostly unused, county-owned former Dodgertown Golf Club property – specifically, 2 acres at the north end of the 35-acre parcel.
In 2019, in fact, the club proposed to move its base of operations there, offering to build as many as 18 courts, refurbish the still-standing, former golf clubhouse and create a parking area for 150 vehicles if the county would give it a favorable long-term lease.
The county purchased the golf-course site from the city earlier in 2019, mainly because it needed the land for overflow parking for big-crowd events at Major League Baseball’s Jackie Robinson Training Complex.
But as County Commissioner Peter O’Bryan said at the time: “We don’t need all 35 acres for parking.”
Before the discussions became serious, however, Pickleball University renewed its lease with the city for the Pocahontas Park complex – which, apparently, the club has since outgrown.
So now the club is taking another shot at Riverside Park, and the City Council again needs to say no.
For those who don’t know: The city allows the St. Edward’s School boys and girls tennis teams to use Riverside Park’s 10 courts for practice and matches; in return, the school allows the city to use facilities on its campus for summer camps.
Take away two tennis courts, and the city could lose its win-win, no-cost arrangement with St. Edward’s.
Converting the tennis courts to pickleball courts would also place in jeopardy the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation’s plan to raise money to renovate and expand the Riverside tennis complex, which it hopes to use for tournaments and exhibitions.
An expanded and upgraded city tennis center suitable for professional play would be a significant asset for Vero Beach and its residents, but Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Executive Director Lynn Southerly said she doesn’t believe the foundation’s plan could accommodate the conversion of any courts for pickleball.
You can’t conduct a professional tennis tournament – such as the foundation’s wildly successful men’s event, which has been held in Vero Beach every spring since the mid-1990s – with pickleball being played only a few feet away.
Add those factors to the negative impact the pickleball courts would have on Riverside Park’s normal tennis activities, ambiance and neighbors, and there’s no way the City Council can give the Pickleball University people what they want.
Not there, anyway.
Maybe Charles Park is the answer. Maybe there’s another place in the city – though most of the club’s members live outside the Vero Beach limits. Or maybe there’s something elsewhere in the county.
Here is another idea – maybe some local entrepreneur could seize this opportunity to find the right location, build a private pickleball club and sell memberships, similar to Vero Beach’s independent tennis clubs.
Whether that happens or not, more pickleball courts will be built, as they should be – just not at the tennis center in Riverside Park.
