Durham pickleball players finally have their own public courts. And more are coming.
Durham’s first public pickleball complex will open at dawn Monday, the city announced.
The courts at Piney Wood Park have been in the works since 2020.
- There are 12 outdoor courts, eight set aside for open play at all times. The rest can be rented for a fee.
- A paddle rack is set up outside the open-play courts. The etiquette when people are waiting is four players on, four players off.
- It is lighted until 9 p.m.
In a news release, parks and recreation director Wade Walcutt said it was “truly special for everyone” to have the first dedicated pickleball courts in Durham.
Many serious picklers in the Bull City have been setting up temporary nets during designated times at Bethesda Park, trying their luck at Duke University, or heading to Chapel Hill’s Ephesus Park.
- Kicked out: Duke’s popular courts are technically private, and security has been stricter this year about kicking out people without a school ID. They are first come, first served, which can cause lengthy waits in warm weather.
- Of note: The city hopes to build dedicated pickleball courts when it renovates Sherwood Park next year, but no contracts have been awarded.
- 2 inches too high: There are pickleball lines painted on tennis courts in Forest Hills and Garrett Road parks, but tennis nets are shaped differently and 2 inches higher at the midpoint.
The construction contract for Piney Wood was about $769,000 and included a $22,000 donation from the Durham Area Pickleball Players group for extra fencing.
There are fences between every two nets.
Mary Helen Moore
The News & Observer