SCW rec center opens place for pickleball

After five years of planning and contentious debate, a new pickleball facility is at last open in Sun City West.

"We think it is absolutely gorgeous," said Jean Lightle, a Pickleball Club member. "We love it. We think it just turned out wonderful. I thought I wouldn’t see this in my lifetime. I thought we will never see a new complex."

The new, 10-court complex at the Palm Ridge Recreation Center officially opened after a ribbon-cutting ceremony and Pickleball Club demonstrations Friday.

About 500 pickleball players, residents and dignitaries attended the upbeat celebration that Pickleball Club President Larry Masteller said was "a long time coming."

"We look at it as the premier pickleball court, not only in the Valley, but I think the state of Arizona and beyond," he said to applause and cheers. "This has been our dream, and we wouldn’t let it die."

Steve Michael, a three-year Pickleball Club member, said he was "very happy" with the facility.

"We were just remarking about how nice the courts are. Maybe it would support a tournament," he said.

Pat Colotti, another club member and longtime Sun City West resident, agreed with his friend.

"It’s beautiful," he said.

Former board president Matt Szydlowski attended the grand opening and said he was always hopeful the facility would come to fruition, despite the difficult road board members and Association staff had to take at times.

"I’m so thrilled because judging by the turnout today you can see how much interest there is," Szydlowski said. "I think this is long in coming. It started about five years ago ... it was a long process, meeting with tennis people and pickleball people and different committees. Many hours were spent trying to create a plan and finally the plan was created ... and now we have these beautiful courts. These are probably the best courts in the state of Arizona."

The board, presided over by Szydlowski, approved $200,000 for the complex in April after much debate and discussion in the community and a failed special referendum election brought about by a group of residents opposed to changing tennis courts into pickleball courts at Palm Ridge.

"It took a long time to get from there to here and hopefully this resolves many of the issues that the community has and will get the Pickleball Club on their way. Who knows where they’re going from here," said current board President Ron Gillmeister.

Three tennis courts were used and converted into the 10 pickleball court complex. With more courts at the R.H. Johnson Rec Center, the total number of courts in the community is 15.

And for the time being, the growing Pickleball Club, which boasts nearly 500 members, will have sufficient space to play – something about which club members are relieved.

"We were waiting a lot of times," Lightle said of inadequate court space in years past.

"We have quite a few members. I hope we don’t double. If we double we’re just going to be right back to (waiting)," she added with a laugh. "But I think we’re going to love this."

For information about the Pickleball Club, visit www.scwclubs.com and select the Pickleball Club link.

The new pickleball complex is at the Palm Ridge Rec Center, 13800 W. Deer Valley Drive.

Erin Turner may be reached at 623-876-2522 or eturner@yourwestvalley.com.