Pickleball in Park City: new standalone facility expected as long-term solution to the town’s favorite new sport

Pickleball's burst in popularity leaves Park City Municipal and the PC MARC rallying for solutions. Photo: Joan Azeka.

PARK CITY, Utah — In 2013, pickleball revenue was a goose egg for the Park City Municipal Corporation (PCMC); in 2014, it jumped to $1,476. Fast-forward to 2022, where the sport loved by all ages and groups has earned over $110k, including court fees and lessons. The year-over-year report for tennis revenue has amassed over $1 million in 2021 and 2022. The combination of increased demand and limited court space has been an ongoing issue and planning process for PCMC and the Park City Municipal Athletic & Recreation Center (PC MARC).

With the ever-growing popularity and demand for pickleball space, the city continues its process of securing a long-term solution as it will not deprioritize the use of the courts for tennis players, teams, tournaments, and lessons.

According to a study by Selkirk, Google searches for ‘pickleball’ have risen 219% in the United States over the past five years, followed by Arizona, Florida, Colorado, and Minnesota, respectively.

“Utah is the state most interested in Pickleball, with residents in Utah searching the most for terms such as ‘pickleball’ and ‘what is pickleball?’ Utah has a total search score of 347, the highest score across all fifty states. Interestingly, Utah is also the home to 178 pickleball courts– the 25^th highest number in the world.”

The City Council Staff Report from November 3 stated, “We hope to invest heavily in the pickleball community, similar to our investment in a world-class tennis facility, and provide a dedicated pickleball facility. Because capital construction projects and building new recreation facilities take time, money, and political support, the PC MARC gymnasium must be part of a short-term solution.”

The PCMC works alongside the Recreation Advisory Board, PC MARC, and the Park City Pickleball Club to find and test solutions. Quiet pickleballs, a Pickleroll, and tent rentals were among other short-term solutions attempted to accommodate the sport’s popularity, but to no avail.

Pickleball and tennis cannot operate harmoniously with one another. Even with 20 indoor pickleball courts and seven indoor tennis courts, the growing demand for court time (preferably on tennis court surfaces) is outpacing solutions.

A PC MARC tennis pro said in the report, “Tennis players use and rely heavily upon their hearing to perform their sport on the tennis court.  These sounds and, more importantly, the timing of them provides players with a way to understand the rhythm of the game[…]Pickleball also has its sound, and as with tennis, it tells its own story, however, pickleball is unique. Its sound is loud, and player exchanges are rapid and frequent. Numerous games are occurring at the same time within a small court area that promotes court talk and conversation, a key social element to the game. The two sports in this context are not compatible to operate within close quarters of one another.”

Also from the Staff report are changes from winter 21-22. These changes reflect a concerted effort by the PC MARC to accommodate the growing demand by the pickleball community for access to indoor tennis courts:

Readers can find more information and full details in the Staff Report.