New pickleball courts open in Avon, Beaver Creek

It’s been a good summer for Eagle County pickleball fans as Avon and Beaver Creek picked up new courts for the rapidly growing paddle sport craze.

While pickleball was invented in 1965, the sport recently took off as avid players tout the sport for its playability, accessibility and wide range appeal. In fact, according to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, it is one of the fastest growing sports in America, with nearly 4.8 million players across the country.

And Eagle County has not been missed in the latest surge of the sport — described as a cross of tennis, badminton and ping-pong. Already, residents and visitors alike can take advantage of courts at the EagleVail Golf Club, the Golden Peak Pickleball Center in Vail, Gypsum Creek Golf Course as well as at the Mountain Rec facilities’ at the Gypsum Rec Center and Edwards Field House, and more. 

However, in January, when the town of Avon had a discussion about reconstructing its courts on the west side of Harry A. Nottingham Park, pickleball players from Avon and neighboring areas expressed a desire for even more.

“I absolutely believe that we should keep tennis courts, but pickleball is growing at such an incredible rate and has such an incredible impact,” said Mike Kieler, who identified himself as an EagleVail resident and the pickleball ambassador for the Vail area, at the Avon Town Council’s Jan. 25 meeting. “From an economic standpoint, I think it has had a tremendous impact on the valley and will continue to as, like so many of us, I never go anywhere without my pickleball paddle and balls.”

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From that meeting, Avon went forward with plans to rebuild its courts, which were in serious need of repair, according to the town engineer Justin Hildreth. Previously, the courts consisted of one basketball/soccer court, one basketball court, three tennis courts and four pickleball courts.

However — following the copious amounts of feedback received from local pickleball aficionados —when the courts reopened on Saturday, Aug. 6, one of the tennis courts was replaced by two pickleball courts.

The basketball courts are set to open later in August due to a delay in receiving the basketball goals and poles from the manufacturer, according to Michael Labagh, the town’s recreation director.

Now, with six pickleball courts and two tennis courts, the courts have seen a steady stream of players.

“People are in awe,” said Avon resident Mindy Feldman at the Aug. 9 Avon Town Council meeting. “It’s amazing and (the) first day was full courts with 25 people waiting; that’s slowed down a little bit but today was full courts and people were telling me right and left, they’re coming back.”

In addition to expanding the court’s overall footprint and redesigning the layout, the town added new shade structures and improved landscaping, Labagh said.

“The town moved forward with an eye for growth and based on the results of the tennis and pickleball court layout survey the recreation department conducted earlier this year,” Labagh said.

“We are excited to be able to meet the needs of the community by following through with a high-quality remodel of the Harry A. Nottingham Park sport courts. We hope that the remodel exceeds community members’ expectations and that all can enjoy this beautiful, enhanced amenity.”

The Avon courts are available free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis. The town is asking that players limit their play to one hour when there is a wait. For the time being, Labagh said the town is not planning on implementing a reservation system. However, the courts will be closed for town events, programs and private instruction from time to time, he said.

Additionally, for those looking to get into the sport or looking for people to play with, the town is hosting free, organized, drop-in play for pickleball from 9 a.m. to noon daily, Labagh said.

“This allows a fair and efficient process for users but also provides participants quality playing and increased socialization,” he said.

While the tennis and pickleball courts are open and ready for play, the town will be hosting an official ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, Aug. 23 at 4 p.m. to “to celebrate the project’s success with the community,” Labagh said.

Avon isn’t the only community celebrating the sport of pickleball. The Beaver Creek Tennis Center recently opened six new courts this summer.   

“Pickleball has become one of the fastest growing sports in the United States. With its rising popularity we knew that we wanted to offer this family-friendly sport to our members, homeowners and visitors in our world-class resort,” said Mary Gunderson, director of the Beaver Creek Club.

These courts are open to the public from now until Oct. 2 for a fee of $40 an hour from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and $25 an hour from 1 p.m. until dark. The general public is able to reserve courts one week in advance from the 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. time frame.

Additionally, the center offers supervised play from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for $20 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays as well as clinics on Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. for $25. On Saturdays, supervised play is offered for $20 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. with a clinic offered for $25 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Different fees exist for guests accompanied by a member of the tennis center. Club members are given “priority booking of two weeks out” for both tennis and pickleball courts from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Gunderson said.

Additionally, day of bookings and walk-ins are always welcome based on availability and the afternoon can be booked at any time, she added.

“We are incredibly excited to have the courts open and available for play,” Gunderson said. “They were highly anticipated and have been a hit from day one.”