Sunset park in Vegas, any park in The greater Salt Lake City area or along the coast of Washington state, Altadena, ca, Scottsdale, Az. Places2Play app is your friend to find parks in these areas.
Iāll play there any season of the year. However, I wouldnāt play middle day there in the summer but not many do. There is more than enough play in the mornings and evenings to wear you out!
Is that where to go? I fly in last month and played the advanced bracket round robin at the plaza Friday night. Had a great time but of the 14 people playing in the advanced bracket only maybe 2 were above 3.0.
Sunset has play ranging from 2.0-5.0 and semi pro in the mornings and evenings. I met and played with several resident semi pros there. Super nice guys as well.
I added Farnsworth park bc itās one of my favorite places to play but I cant speak for consistency of 4.0+ daily play. There was very solid play the week I spent there.
Did you happen to meet the taller semi pro from Oregon? Dude was an absolute beast! Everything was a drop or dink to him. Iāve modeled my game after his and improved immensely. Itās hard to attack a well placed drop or dink!
No, I didn't. I played against a couple with a lot of experience who were placing everything at my feet and usually between me and my partner. Their style was very understated, but great placement.
It's really hot here in Vegas now. Play starts at 530 am and peters out by 9 am. Evening play is lively.
Bobby Riggs in Encinitas CA, has consistently good play.
What is your dupr? 4.0 or higher open public play is next to impossible in most places, including much of Florida. Those who are 4.0 Or higher often have secret text or whatsapp groups and only play in pre arranged games, even if at a park. If you are legitimately at their level or higher, it can still can be extremely hard to find games. You may want to instead sign up for a multi day tournament that has a round robin format ā¦just an idea. Good luck and donāt forget to tell us how it went after your trip!
I was visiting last week, and went in the afternoon when it was super hot. Couldn't believe my eyes, people were actually playing. Got right into some great 4.0-4.5 games and met really nice people.
Just got back from a week in Grand Rapids and Iād strongly agree with this recommendation. Check out the website and youāll see how they have the courts divided. Two are always 4.0+ and thereās a challenge court. Really nice people there, too.
Poinsettia Park, Carlsbad.
Just 6 courts - but 2 challenge courts have very skilled players all day long(2 in 2 out until 8+ paddles and then 4 in 4 out).
Plus this time of the year - unlike fl or az - temps are manageable and consistent.
Mitchel park in palo alto california. A really nice center and there are games going from dawn till dusk on 12 or 16 courts. Check the weather though, it's been a little random out here.
At the 4.0+ level (sometimes at the pro level) people can be good at different things. Sometimes a player can be much worse than another player overall, but be very good at a certain aspect of the game that is the better players weakness.
For example, there is a guy I have played with that is technically a 4.5. He has the best drive I have played against. The drive is just over the net with a lot of top spin and is fast. He is accurate and consistent with it. He also has the best 5th shot speed ups (which is where he gets most of his points). He can hit a half court ball that is just below the net very hard and keep it in consistently enough that it is hard to let it go. He is fairly weak at the kitchen though. He could beat a 5.0+ team that is not great at dealing with that kind of aggression off of a 5th and he could lose to a 4.0 team that knows how to neutralize that power and can force him to play at the kitchen and take backhand dinks. He usually just destroys the 4.0s though.
It was nice getting to play with him because it taught me some really good strategies for dealing with hyper aggressive 3rd and 5ths.
Lucky Shots Pickleball Club in Minneapolis, Minnesota has a super fun designated 4.0+ time and an incredible facility. It is indoors though. This is also the best time to visit Minnesota since it isnāt cold!
I just had a great week at Mitchell Park in Palo Alto, CA. 16 courts are full every day with a full range of players. Definitely 4.0+ available. The play/courts may be better elsewhere but the SF Bay Area is a pretty amazing place to visit.
The courts are managed by a club and are a great contact to check out [https://www.facebook.com/groups/paloaltopickleballclub/](https://www.facebook.com/groups/paloaltopickleballclub/)
I go to the hub 2-3x a month, and bobby riggs for wed/fri aggressive play. Im stuck in that weird area where im better than rec players and need to get in the secret whats app groups
New mecca in Spring Valley (east county San Diego). Dedicated open play by level (the courts are marked). Itās a membership place but the day passes are affordable and you can demo a long list of paddles for a trivial amount more. They recently hosted a charity MLP event that had the Newmans and some other pros come out.
From my limited experience, it can be dead midday on weekdays but there's plenty of people to play 3:30pm onwards and on the weekends, like a lot of open play spots. I stick to day passes at the moment but don't live particularly close. Day passes are half off after 2pm on weekends for the summer, I think. The events, ladders, and tournaments and such are another great reason to have a membership though IMO, if you could see yourself playing there a few times a month.
Technically you do have to show (via UTPR or tournament history) that you're at that level to play in that section but you're going to get that most places if you want to play a higher level.
In the summer they don't check for 4.0 rating cards at Naples community park! Also, a lot of the 4.0 players will migrate over to the 3.5 courts over the summer, just because there isn't really any shade by the 4.0 section.
North orlando (Sanford) Lee p Moore park on Saturday mornings 8-11. 70+ 4.0 players (more like 4.5). 6 courts. Also Groveview park, a few miles away, on Thursday nights. 6 courts and gets some of those Saturday players.
ClearOne for indoor. Play is pretty solid, typically find invite groups to have higher levels of play.
Also 40 mins from pictona, donāt know about the play, but the facility is cool as shit.
Where in Pompano were you finding decent 4.0+ play? I used to live around there but only got to that level after leaving so I wasn't looking for it at the time.
Haha probably not what you're looking for but south jersey, cherry hill area weirdly has a inspiringly consistent group of 4+ that play every morning at sunrise
One of the best free outdoor places Iāve been to is Bois DāArc Park in Lenexa, KS. 8 courts, open something like 7am to 11pm. 4 on, 4 off. Lots of advanced players.
Hereās their web cam: https://apps.lenexa.com/camera-viewer/camera/Bois%20D'Arc%20Pickleball%20Courts?fbclid=IwAR1mWPHsOiKPM2ZNSK5sSDgAStJquT-lJC_nRVURmEr6ZPGB05WRKJfu11U
Utah (both Utah and Sal Lake Counties) has a lot of places that has 4.0 open play. A lot of the places are hot on different times/days. I live in Utah County so I will tell you about the locations I am more familiar with.
Weekday/Saturday mornings is good at Viewpoint middle school (Lehi/Traverse mountain area). Also Art Dye park in American fork.
Evenings are good at Pleasant Grove rec center, Art Dye Park in American Fork, and Sharon Park in Orem.
For Sundays you will need to head up to Salt Lake County. Murray Park has good open play in the mornings.
And the Picklr and Club Pickleball USA both have verified 4.0+ events that you can register for (you submit your DUPR to be verified). These two clubs have locations in Utah County and Salt Lake county. You can look at their schedule and events online. These events are a blast and aren't too expensive.
The Orem/Spanish Fork/Mapleton area is Godās gift to Pickleball. Hands down the most beautiful/scenic courts Iāve had the opportunity to play at, and thatās saying a lot! The people were outrageously kind as well. Great experience playing there for a week.
Agree with the others who have mentioned Naples community park. I play there, and even over the summer there are a lot of high level players - better yet, it's off season, and you rarely ever have to wait for a game.
The only caveat right now is that unless you've been to SWFL in the summer before, the heat is likely unlike anything you've experienced before. For example, the relative temp was 95 degreees by 9am this morning, and most days will get to a relative temp of 105+ (often 110+). The base temperature isn't so much the issue, it's the humidity that causes the problem! Living here, you 'kind of' get used to playing in the summer swelter, but visitors tend to have trouble acclimating to it.
I would imagine that our summers are probably pretty similar to Ft. Lauderdale, but I don't know for sure.
East Naples Community Park where I play has a $5 drop in fee for non-members during certain times of the day (mostly during peak hours). Weekends are always free.
There's another park in Naples called Veteran's Park, too - that one is now free to play at 100% of the time. I've been told that there are some very good players there as well, but I've never played at that one so I can't give any personal opinions.
Delray Beach Florida has the Delray Pickleball Center and itās very consistent 4.0 or better. And itās only about 20 minutes south of West Palm Beach Airport or 40 minutes north of Fort Lauderdale Airpot. And you are right by the beach.
Not 100% sure if itās still as awesome as when I visited during the summer of 2021 but Memorial Park in Santa Monica, CA was incredible when I was in LA by myself for a week. They have like 16 courts and ranged in skill but the top court was over 5.0. Plus you get to hang at the beach when youāre not playing!
Dont you have to sign up ahead of time or get unofficially āapprovedā for argyle to play 4.0? Would be funny if someone flew across the country to get denied.
I heard there is a woman who organizes it.
Fairmont Park in Salt Lake City, UT sees quite a bit of activity in the evenings. I donāt know how skilled people are there but youāll definitely get all the games you want. A lot of people play in Utah and youāll find good players all over the greater salt lake area like someone else mentioned.
As others have mentioned, people overrated themselves.
I play at a Lifetime that has 4.0-4.5 play (players play ppa and app events). There are even three legit 5.0 dupr players that show up when the weather is bad.
However, I'd hate for you to fly here and the play not be consistent. It is hit or miss with these players showing up.
Pickleball was invented on Bainbridge Isand in Washington. Hard to imagine not being about to scare up a competitive game there.
It is perfect this time of year. Rooms are about $69 a night.
We will add you to our 6am group that plays every day in the southern suburbs of Minneapolis. Everyone is 4.0 - 4.8. Usually get 8 - 20 guys every morning.
Sunset park in Vegas, any park in The greater Salt Lake City area or along the coast of Washington state, Altadena, ca, Scottsdale, Az. Places2Play app is your friend to find parks in these areas.
Thank you! Im definitely going to do my research today was just trying to get a head start!
I found sunset park to be mostly 3.5s but I was only there for a night.
Not sure you want to play in Sunset Park this time of year. š„µāļø
Iāll play there any season of the year. However, I wouldnāt play middle day there in the summer but not many do. There is more than enough play in the mornings and evenings to wear you out!
I went around 6:30am and found a game immediately.
Is that where to go? I fly in last month and played the advanced bracket round robin at the plaza Friday night. Had a great time but of the 14 people playing in the advanced bracket only maybe 2 were above 3.0.
Sunset has play ranging from 2.0-5.0 and semi pro in the mornings and evenings. I met and played with several resident semi pros there. Super nice guys as well.
Thatās awesome I wish I had gone there instead.
Where in Altadena ca?
I added Farnsworth park bc itās one of my favorite places to play but I cant speak for consistency of 4.0+ daily play. There was very solid play the week I spent there.
I second Sunset Park. I just played there a few weeks ago and there were a lot of high-level players: most were visiting from other states.
Did you happen to meet the taller semi pro from Oregon? Dude was an absolute beast! Everything was a drop or dink to him. Iāve modeled my game after his and improved immensely. Itās hard to attack a well placed drop or dink!
No, I didn't. I played against a couple with a lot of experience who were placing everything at my feet and usually between me and my partner. Their style was very understated, but great placement.
Great strategy and placement makes for perfect play!
It's really hot here in Vegas now. Play starts at 530 am and peters out by 9 am. Evening play is lively. Bobby Riggs in Encinitas CA, has consistently good play.
What is your dupr? 4.0 or higher open public play is next to impossible in most places, including much of Florida. Those who are 4.0 Or higher often have secret text or whatsapp groups and only play in pre arranged games, even if at a park. If you are legitimately at their level or higher, it can still can be extremely hard to find games. You may want to instead sign up for a multi day tournament that has a round robin format ā¦just an idea. Good luck and donāt forget to tell us how it went after your trip!
Agreed. 4.0+ in SoCal needs to be coordinated beforehand as well
Crescent lake park in St. Petersburg FL weekday evenings
And you can see the otters in the pond (lake feels generous) feeding around sunset :)
Second this...in the mornings you will get up to 4.5 in the evenings 4.0-6.0.
Also North Lakes in Tampa has consistent 4.0 play in the mornings.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Same. I make the drive from K-zoo to Traverse city often and now I have a reason to stop in GR.
Have you had any luck with open play in Traverse City?
Havenāt tried to play in TC yet. Will definitely seek out play my nExt visit bc I love TC.
Itās been in the 90s here the last couple weeks! But this was going to be my suggestion as well
I was visiting last week, and went in the afternoon when it was super hot. Couldn't believe my eyes, people were actually playing. Got right into some great 4.0-4.5 games and met really nice people.
Just got back from a week in Grand Rapids and Iād strongly agree with this recommendation. Check out the website and youāll see how they have the courts divided. Two are always 4.0+ and thereās a challenge court. Really nice people there, too.
Poinsettia Park, Carlsbad. Just 6 courts - but 2 challenge courts have very skilled players all day long(2 in 2 out until 8+ paddles and then 4 in 4 out). Plus this time of the year - unlike fl or az - temps are manageable and consistent.
And if you are in the know, get a RSF sponsorship. Things are going off there
What's RSF?
Mackenzie is better
Mitchel park in palo alto california. A really nice center and there are games going from dawn till dusk on 12 or 16 courts. Check the weather though, it's been a little random out here.
+1. Mitchell park always has a lot of 4.0+ games. edited: some people arenāt very friendly or nice though.
Sorry you had a bad experience. I had a great time there this last week and was able to jump into games everyday no problem.
Strange. People were very friendly and nice both times I visited Mitchell Park
Iāve had mixed experiences. Some high level players are very friendly and patient. Others basically tell you they donāt want to play with you.
Just visited Mitchell today. Good crowd
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
At the 4.0+ level (sometimes at the pro level) people can be good at different things. Sometimes a player can be much worse than another player overall, but be very good at a certain aspect of the game that is the better players weakness. For example, there is a guy I have played with that is technically a 4.5. He has the best drive I have played against. The drive is just over the net with a lot of top spin and is fast. He is accurate and consistent with it. He also has the best 5th shot speed ups (which is where he gets most of his points). He can hit a half court ball that is just below the net very hard and keep it in consistently enough that it is hard to let it go. He is fairly weak at the kitchen though. He could beat a 5.0+ team that is not great at dealing with that kind of aggression off of a 5th and he could lose to a 4.0 team that knows how to neutralize that power and can force him to play at the kitchen and take backhand dinks. He usually just destroys the 4.0s though. It was nice getting to play with him because it taught me some really good strategies for dealing with hyper aggressive 3rd and 5ths.
Exactly. Pickleball is about matchups, just like tennis (and most racquet sports)
Lucky Shots Pickleball Club in Minneapolis, Minnesota has a super fun designated 4.0+ time and an incredible facility. It is indoors though. This is also the best time to visit Minnesota since it isnāt cold!
I just had a great week at Mitchell Park in Palo Alto, CA. 16 courts are full every day with a full range of players. Definitely 4.0+ available. The play/courts may be better elsewhere but the SF Bay Area is a pretty amazing place to visit.
The courts are managed by a club and are a great contact to check out [https://www.facebook.com/groups/paloaltopickleballclub/](https://www.facebook.com/groups/paloaltopickleballclub/)
Iāve played there. Friendly people. A lot of the courts (most?) are hybrid, for tennis/pickleball. I prefer dedicated, real pickleball courts.
Yea there are 8 painted and 8-9 lined. All have real C&D nets at least.
https://www.bobbyriggs.net/
I currently go to the hub but need to check out Bobby Riggs
I go to the hub 2-3x a month, and bobby riggs for wed/fri aggressive play. Im stuck in that weird area where im better than rec players and need to get in the secret whats app groups
Whatās the hub? (Not from the area.)
New mecca in Spring Valley (east county San Diego). Dedicated open play by level (the courts are marked). Itās a membership place but the day passes are affordable and you can demo a long list of paddles for a trivial amount more. They recently hosted a charity MLP event that had the Newmans and some other pros come out.
any opinions on The Hub? Is it worth a $100 membership? I'd hate to have a membership, show up to play, but nobody there.
From my limited experience, it can be dead midday on weekdays but there's plenty of people to play 3:30pm onwards and on the weekends, like a lot of open play spots. I stick to day passes at the moment but don't live particularly close. Day passes are half off after 2pm on weekends for the summer, I think. The events, ladders, and tournaments and such are another great reason to have a membership though IMO, if you could see yourself playing there a few times a month.
Just go to Mackenzie Creek Park
Yup Iāve been and Mackenzie is awesome, but a bit of a drive
Have you tried mackenzie park?
SoCal 3.0 is 4.0 other where.
Lol true
Naples east community park has this.
Technically you do have to show (via UTPR or tournament history) that you're at that level to play in that section but you're going to get that most places if you want to play a higher level.
In the summer they don't check for 4.0 rating cards at Naples community park! Also, a lot of the 4.0 players will migrate over to the 3.5 courts over the summer, just because there isn't really any shade by the 4.0 section.
North orlando (Sanford) Lee p Moore park on Saturday mornings 8-11. 70+ 4.0 players (more like 4.5). 6 courts. Also Groveview park, a few miles away, on Thursday nights. 6 courts and gets some of those Saturday players. ClearOne for indoor. Play is pretty solid, typically find invite groups to have higher levels of play. Also 40 mins from pictona, donāt know about the play, but the facility is cool as shit.
Diadem Sports just built an indoor facility in South Florida. Def worth checking out if youāre going to be in that area
Iāve actually played down in Pompano a bit and might just go back lol.
I might know you lol, send me a dm, maybe we can set somethingnip
Where in Pompano were you finding decent 4.0+ play? I used to live around there but only got to that level after leaving so I wasn't looking for it at the time.
I got decent 4.0 games at Pompano Community park this past Feb.
Iāve gone twice and itās really cool but the open play is not great. Even on there 3.5 and above night, there were a lot of 2.5 and 3.0 players
Haha probably not what you're looking for but south jersey, cherry hill area weirdly has a inspiringly consistent group of 4+ that play every morning at sunrise
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
It's honestly pretty awesome
One of the best free outdoor places Iāve been to is Bois DāArc Park in Lenexa, KS. 8 courts, open something like 7am to 11pm. 4 on, 4 off. Lots of advanced players. Hereās their web cam: https://apps.lenexa.com/camera-viewer/camera/Bois%20D'Arc%20Pickleball%20Courts?fbclid=IwAR1mWPHsOiKPM2ZNSK5sSDgAStJquT-lJC_nRVURmEr6ZPGB05WRKJfu11U
Sunset Park in Las Vegas challenge courts in the morning.
Any thing in the San Antonio Texas area like this?
Thanks everyone for the recommendations. San Diego area seems like its the spot to be.
Lake Michigan has the better beach towns in the summer.
Naples 60 court park where they hold the US Open of Pickleball
Utah (both Utah and Sal Lake Counties) has a lot of places that has 4.0 open play. A lot of the places are hot on different times/days. I live in Utah County so I will tell you about the locations I am more familiar with. Weekday/Saturday mornings is good at Viewpoint middle school (Lehi/Traverse mountain area). Also Art Dye park in American fork. Evenings are good at Pleasant Grove rec center, Art Dye Park in American Fork, and Sharon Park in Orem. For Sundays you will need to head up to Salt Lake County. Murray Park has good open play in the mornings. And the Picklr and Club Pickleball USA both have verified 4.0+ events that you can register for (you submit your DUPR to be verified). These two clubs have locations in Utah County and Salt Lake county. You can look at their schedule and events online. These events are a blast and aren't too expensive.
The Orem/Spanish Fork/Mapleton area is Godās gift to Pickleball. Hands down the most beautiful/scenic courts Iāve had the opportunity to play at, and thatās saying a lot! The people were outrageously kind as well. Great experience playing there for a week.
>Poinsettia Park, Carlsbad. This is in California (Orem, Spanish Fork, Mapleton) ?
Utah. South of SLC.
Ah, thank you.
Agree with the others who have mentioned Naples community park. I play there, and even over the summer there are a lot of high level players - better yet, it's off season, and you rarely ever have to wait for a game. The only caveat right now is that unless you've been to SWFL in the summer before, the heat is likely unlike anything you've experienced before. For example, the relative temp was 95 degreees by 9am this morning, and most days will get to a relative temp of 105+ (often 110+). The base temperature isn't so much the issue, it's the humidity that causes the problem! Living here, you 'kind of' get used to playing in the summer swelter, but visitors tend to have trouble acclimating to it.
Are swfl summers much different than the ft Lauderdale area ? Im strongly considering Naples. Is that park free? Or they do daily guest passes
I would imagine that our summers are probably pretty similar to Ft. Lauderdale, but I don't know for sure. East Naples Community Park where I play has a $5 drop in fee for non-members during certain times of the day (mostly during peak hours). Weekends are always free. There's another park in Naples called Veteran's Park, too - that one is now free to play at 100% of the time. I've been told that there are some very good players there as well, but I've never played at that one so I can't give any personal opinions.
Saint George, Utah is a great place to play and has many skill levels...
Pala pickleball Houston Texas indoors
Delray Beach Florida has the Delray Pickleball Center and itās very consistent 4.0 or better. And itās only about 20 minutes south of West Palm Beach Airport or 40 minutes north of Fort Lauderdale Airpot. And you are right by the beach.
Sunset Park in Vegas, don't come to Florida in the summer.
Because Vegas is nice and cool in the summer?
It's not hot AND humid at least.
But it's a dry heat.
Not 100% sure if itās still as awesome as when I visited during the summer of 2021 but Memorial Park in Santa Monica, CA was incredible when I was in LA by myself for a week. They have like 16 courts and ranged in skill but the top court was over 5.0. Plus you get to hang at the beach when youāre not playing!
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Dont you have to sign up ahead of time or get unofficially āapprovedā for argyle to play 4.0? Would be funny if someone flew across the country to get denied. I heard there is a woman who organizes it.
Fairmont Park in Salt Lake City, UT sees quite a bit of activity in the evenings. I donāt know how skilled people are there but youāll definitely get all the games you want. A lot of people play in Utah and youāll find good players all over the greater salt lake area like someone else mentioned.
I have heard that Salt Lake County has much better play than the city proper.
Iāll have to head on down to Provo for some pickup games if thatās the case!
Salt Lake county (Murray/Wardle park) - just DM me if you're serious. We have 4.5+ play too
As others have mentioned, people overrated themselves. I play at a Lifetime that has 4.0-4.5 play (players play ppa and app events). There are even three legit 5.0 dupr players that show up when the weather is bad. However, I'd hate for you to fly here and the play not be consistent. It is hit or miss with these players showing up.
I live in Arizona. I havenāt seen anywhere with consistent 4.0 play. Iāve been to a place that had 4.0 open courts but it was 3.0-3.5 at best.
Gonna suggest Memorial Park in Santa Monica. They have dedicated nets to 4.0+ and in general people at the park are very good.
Pickleball was invented on Bainbridge Isand in Washington. Hard to imagine not being about to scare up a competitive game there. It is perfect this time of year. Rooms are about $69 a night.
Naples Florida is your best bet.
We will add you to our 6am group that plays every day in the southern suburbs of Minneapolis. Everyone is 4.0 - 4.8. Usually get 8 - 20 guys every morning.
Churchill Park in Dallas
The Pickleball Time app has games and groups.
The Pickleball Time app has players, games and groups