Pickleball: Where are courts being added in the Coachella Valley?
Last week, we highlighted some of the upcoming tournaments in the Coachella Valley from October to January.
The snowbirds start arriving in October and November, and the weather cools down so that we can play outside. The Margaritaville Pickleball Nationals and the BNP Paribas tennis event bring a huge number of players to the valley. Did you know, though, that music festivals, cannabis conventions and movie festivals also bring picklers to the desert?
As we have reported in previous columns, pickleball is all over the news, from the Today show to Sports Illustrated, to the New York Times and Vanity Fair. The Tennis Channel is airing Pickleball events, and we have investors researching the feasibility of a private indoor pickleball venue here.
Are we ready?
Since last season, how has the Coachella Valley expanded pickleball facilities?
Numerous HOAs have built pickleball courts in private communities.
The Westin has promoted 12 courts for league play and tournaments.
The Springs in Rancho Mirage offers memberships and guest play and holds tournament events.
PDR (Palm Desert Resort) has expanded its number of dedicated courts to 28, with four added in the last two weeks
Mission Hills has hosted several tournaments and has expanded its number of courts from four to 12.
Del Webb Rancho Mirage did an upgrade on their existing courts.
Palm Springs Tennis Club offers pickleball on temporary nets.
Rancho Las Palmas in Rancho Mirage and Mountain View in La Quinta are offering tournament events at their clubs.
What is the common denominator here? These are all private clubs. You must be a guest of a member or join the club. What about public facilities?
There are eight public venues to play pickleball in the Coachella Valley:
Demuth Park, Palm Springs: 12 outdoor courts.
Freedom Park, Palm Desert: 8 outdoor courts.
Fritz Burns Park, La Quinta: 8 outdoor courts.
Rancho Mirage Community Park: 2 outdoor courts.
Cahuilla Park in Palm Desert: 2 outdoor courts over a tennis net.
Palm Desert Civic Center: 3 indoor courts.
Indio Community Center on Clinton Street, 2 indoor courts.
James O. Jessie Desert Highland Unity Center, Palm Springs: 2 indoor courts.
As a USA Pickleball ambassador, I have attended several Zoom or in-person meetings with the following cities:
City of Palm Spring Parks and Recreation Commission, and Ad Hoc Pickleball Committee
Rancho Mirage Parks and Trails Commission
La Quinta Recreation Department
Cathedral City Parks and Recreation Commission
Palm Desert Parks and Recreation Commission
At such meetings, members of the public are allowed 3 minutes to talk about their interests or concerns.
Palm Springs: I have advocated for more courts at several possible venues. Currently, there is no plan ready for the fall.
Rancho Mirage: There is a proposal to convert one tennis court to two pickleball courts, but no action. They are doing another survey.
Cathedral City: There is a proposal to build four pickleball courts on a tennis court that is rarely used at Panorama Park. We made a presentation, but no action was taken.
Palm Desert: There is a proposal to paint more lines outside at Civic Center Park in for multi-use for both tennis and pickleball. A presentation was made, but no action has been taken.
Palm Desert: I have also advocated converting the Cahuilla Park tennis courts to make at least four pickleball courts. No answer.
One bright spot: The City of Coachella is building two pickleball courts at Bagdouma Park, but the project is only now in the bidding phase and they likely won’t be available until spring.
Is the money there for more courts? Yes. The Desert Sun has reported on the addition of funds to parks and recreation programs for several cities in the Coachella Valley.
When the crowds come, and they will, the valley will not be able to accommodate all the visiting players. This is a Chamber of Commerce issue, an issue that the casinos could be brought in on, and an issue that if fixed, could bring tourist revenue to several cities in our valley.
How much does it cost to convert one tennis court to four pickleball courts? Around $10,000 to $11,000. The wall Palm Springs was going to build cost $82,000 just for planning. We could put in several pickleball venues with that funding!
What can you do?
Attend a city council meeting or a parks and recreation commission meeting and voice your concerns.
Find out why the public high school tennis courts are not open to the public after school hours. This would help the tennis community so that they are not angry at the picklers if courts are converted.
Make friends with people who have courts where they live.
Ask if you can be a guest of a friend who belongs to a private club.
Go to public courts at off times, like the middle of the day.
Sign up for city classes at Palm Springs or Palm Desert, and you will get court time and meet people to play with when you go to the public courts.
Coach Mary’s tip of the week: What is a good warm-up?
If you remember your sports experience from your younger years, warming up and stretching were a big part of your practice and workout sessions. Believe it or not, we need even more of this as we age. Unfortunately, I often see players arrive at the courts, dink across from each other a few times, and then say “Alright! Let’s get a game going!” This is a good way to strain a muscle or sprain a joint, and we all need a bit more than that to prepare to practice or play.
Some basic hints:
Get to the courts early! Budget time for your warm-ups. Include walking, jogging, shuffling, grapevines, high knees, kickbacks, etc.
Do dynamic stretches, which mimic moves you will perform on the court. Split steps, swinging volleys, groundstrokes motion with footwork, etc.
Do cross-court dinking rather than just down the line. This is more game-like.
Include volley/volley even prior to dinking, to get your paddle in front and your reaction time quicker.
Do third shots, resets, fourth shots and fifth shots from several areas of the court.
Serve and return cross-court.
Do some overheads and lobs to get your shoulder stretched out and check out the sun.
Warm-up and drilling are for helping one another get ready and improve. You are not trying to beat your warm-up partner. Make them hit shots they will hit in the game. Hit it right to them to help them execute the skill and keep the drill moving. Do not try to win a point against them!
Your body needs to be warm to stretch, especially if you are playing in the morning or if it is cold. I have some recommended videos: C.J. Johnson (bit.ly/3we4RUq) and Jordan Briones (bit.ly/3wgnpTX) demonstrate some dynamic stretching, some movement drills, footwork drills and excellent ways to prepare for play and avoid injuries. You may not do all of them, but try to pick out a few.
The videos from Simone Jardin (bit.ly/3TbiFJ8) and from Riley and Lindsey Newman (bit.ly/3dI58IM) demonstrate skill warm-ups that you want to do prior to match play or game play. We will assume that they already did the physical warm-ups, dynamic stretches and movement drills earlier.
Another way to prepare for your pickleball games and to avoid injuries is to include several other activities in your daily routine. Yoga, swimming, Pilates, walking, hiking, exercise bike, elliptical bike, etc. Enjoy your games and take care of your body.
Round robins: My last indoor round robin is Sept. 18 at the Desert Sports Center in Palm Desert. Email mgbarsaleau@gmail.com to enter. My first outdoor event will be Oct. 23 at Freedom Park. Check it out on pickleballtournaments.com
Have a question or comment? Email columnists Julie Makinen and Mary Barsaleau at pickleball@desertsun.com
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Pickleball: Where are courts being added in the Coachella Valley?
