Hot Fun in the Summertime – New SF Court options

To mix our metaphors, the popularity of Pickleball is snowballing this summer, so we’re glad to see commercial enterprises springing up this summer to help provide more court options and opportunities to play locally and improve skills.

You may know that SF Rec & Park has already expanded dedicated Pickleball hours and court availability at Presidio Wall, and is looking to complete 8 courts at Larsen playground later this Fall.   In the meantime, here are a couple of new places-to-play that might work for you:

1. DinkSF – a commercial endeavor by local players in conjunction with SF Rec & Park and NonPlusUltra, an event management company, have set up shop in the iconic Palace of Fine Arts building in the Marina District (the old location of the Exploratorium). Three (3) INDOOR courts, with no fee court reservations are available 9:30-11:00am Tuesday – Sunday, and can be reserved on Spotery starting July 11.  Rec and Park is “sponsoring” this portion of court time to help alleviate citywide play space demand.  DinkSF offers fee-based group lessons and clinics from licensed instructors, dedicated court reservations, and ball machine rentals 11:30am – 5:30pm Tuesday thru Sunday.  The venue is also available for private Pickleball events.  Check out their offerings and hours here:  www.dinksf.com
2. REC – this venture startup has set up two very colorful OUTDOOR courts that will be available for reserved and drop-in play (fees will apply) on a repurposed church parking lot on Ellis St. at Fillmore in the Western Addition. REC works with community organizations to transform underutilized spaces into attractive sports hubs for the neighborhood. They are nimble and well-funded and this is their initial SF endeavor, having already opened a multi-court court venue in Sausalito at Golden Gate Village, just off Route 101.  In addition to drop-in and reservable play, REC will offer classes and training sessions hosted by local instructors.  For more information and to book the courts or instruction classes:  www.rec.us

For anyone that’s been unable or frustrated with registering for instructional classes at Goldman Tennis Center, both of these enterprises look like excellent alternatives to get further into the game and improve your skills.  We’re really excited about these offerings  If you’re just looking for additional places to play, you should give these locations a try this summer, especially if you live in the north half of the City.

Since both venues are just ramping up (aka “in beta”), please note that currently neither location is recommended for competitive recreational play due to various environmental issues, e.g. inadequate lighting and court perimeter barriers.  But you can definitely enjoy a standard level of play, and during the summer there is no doubt improvements to address any shortcomings will be addressed – after all, rapid response is the hallmark of commercial success.

Bottom line, as time goes on and the future of local office buildings, parking garages and SF shopping centers becomes clearer, let’s hope to see more opportunities like these get developed locally.

Have a great summer, everyone, and don’t forget to be generous with your line calls!