Bitter Lake Tennis and Pickleball Courts: Why 8 Pickleball Courts Instead of 12?
New pickleball courts
The Seattle Parks Department has resurfaced the old Bitter Lake outdoor tennis courts and added lines for one pickleball court on each side of each tennis net.
The courts can now be used as 4 tennis courts as before, as 8 pickleball courts, or a mix of tennis and pickleball.
Tennis nets are provided. Pickleball nets are not. You gotta start somewhere.
Mind the gap (between the pickleball courts)
People who are used to playing at Green Lake or Shoreview Park are at first struck by how much space (about 25 feet) there is between the Bitter lake pickleball courts. Some have even asked if this extra space is provided to enforce social distancing during the Covid epidemic.
Nope. There is ample room on the Bitter Lake tennis courts to have 12 regulation-size pickleball courts and extra space for waiting areas. Please take a look at the SMPA's Bitter Lake Pickleball and Tennis Courts Resurfacing draft to see what would have been possible.
Why the gap?
This draft wasn't completed in time to be submitted to the Seattle Parks department. Had it been completed in time, would it have made a difference? No. The Seattle Parks department has made it clear that it intends to keep using this design of "one pickleball court on each side of each tennis net" whenever painting pickleball court lines on tennis courts.
Meanwhile, Shoreview Park in Shoreline has 6 pickleball courts on 2 tennis courts. Yost Park in Edmonds has 8 pickleball courts on 2 tennis courts. Shoreline Park in Shoreline has 12 pickleball courts on 4 tennis courts.
Why is Seattle choosing to opt for such an inefficient use of space?
"Because it does allow for more simultaneous play of both tennis and pickleball [...] and maintains a clearer 2-1 relationship between the courts for our scheduling staff to be able to track for reservations" according to Seattle Parks and Rec.
The Shoreline Parks and Recreation department clearly demonstrates that these excuses do not make much sense.
Closing the gap
Look again at the SMPA recommended 12-court layout. Move the blue dot from right to left to compare the proposed layout to the layout that SPR implemented. Which layout allows for "more simultaneous play of both tennis and pickleball"? How would you schedule reservations on the 12-court layout (Here is a hint)?
What's next?
Next is Green Lake where the SMPA has recommended to create 10 pickleball courts and the Seattle Parks department already decided it will only provide 6 when it resurfaces the courts this September.
Now you know
Let other people know. And support the Seattle Metro Pickleball Association.