With San Francisco County falling back into the red tier and issuing additional public health guidance about avoiding crowds, we wanted to check in with the SF Pickleball Community about the current state of Pickleball play at citywide venues.

The new protocols still allow outdoor recreational play of pickleball and tennis.  Mask requirements we had locally in SF are now statewide and require everyone to don a face covering at all times when they’re outside the home.  Fortunately, our three outdoor Pickleball venues, Louis Sutter, Presidio Wall, and Stern Grove remain open and many players are still going out to enjoy the temperate weather.  Please social distance and wear a mask as required, and encourage proper mask wearing by your partners and Pickleball buddies.  INDOOR REC CENTER PLAY REMAINS CLOSED.

If you don’t already know, both Presidio Wall and Stern Grove are multi-lined courts and shared with tennis players.  You must bring your own gear, because “shared equipment”, including nets, cannot be stored for group use.  Presidio Wall courts 1 & 2 are reservable on the Rec & Park Tennis Reservation system (Spotery.com) for both tennis and pickleball play.  Stern Grove is “walk-on”, meaning it uses less formal “first come, next on” court waiting.  Sutter has permanent pickleball courts (no tennis) and players use the familiar “paddle stacking” approach to challenge for a court.

To promote a racket sports spirit of cooperation, we encourage some simple etiquette rules when using courts shared with tennis:  Respect Rec & Park reservations and “next on” rights for court use.  Be mindful of the time and let tennis players enjoy their court for the entirety of their time allotment.  Don’t assume tennis players are fine with activities like net setup before they are done, and always ask before entering the court area.

Let’s work to reduce the risk that members of our Community might get the virus.
Practice social distancing at all times, especially while waiting to play, and observe the Health’s Office best practices.

Keep on dinking!