Since the opening of Tellico Village’s eight pickleball courts in January 2014 at Chota Recreation Center, the Tellico Village Pickleball Club has seen a big boost in membership and interest in the sport.
“I think before the courts opened we had about 350 members or something like that,” club president Dan Dyer said. “Right now it’s up to around 420. A pretty good increase, and yet because of the courts we have a lot fewer people waiting like we used to. We used to have 20 people waiting on games, and that has gone way down.”
Social aspects of the club have also experienced a boost.
Dyer said league play, which is scheduled to kick off soon for the 2015 season, has expanded as well as events like Saturday couples play and “Mexican Mondays,” in which members gather to play before going out to eat at a local Mexican restaurant.
The social advantages of the new courts also expand beyond players in Tellico Village.
“We’ve started inviting other clubs in more routinely because they like our courts so much,” Dyer said. “Our courts are tournament sized. The playing surface is always the same wherever you go pretty much, but it’s the room around the courts and the fact that we have fencing and cross-fencing that people can play our facility, and they just really love it.”
Dyer said an invitation has been extended to a growing pickleball club in Sevierville, and he expects clubs from Knoxville and Maryville to take part in cross-club play in Tellico Village as well. He said play isn’t so much competitive as a way to get to know other clubs and show off the facilities in Tellico Village.
“We get people coming in very frequently who are just traveling through, and some of them are looking for residences,” Dyer said. “... As pickleball becomes more and more widespread, which it is, these courts really do attract people.”
Tournament play has also been improved by the new courts.
“We’ve had two tournaments out there,” Dyer said. “We had one just a week after the courts opened and another on in the fall, and they went much more smoothly. It used to be a real nightmare to run those things on four courts, and with eight courts they run like clockwork.”
Dyer said he hopes to see the club’s membership continue to grow over time as the sport becomes more popular, with the new courts playing a big benefit. Dyer said the club has recorded more than 13,000 uses per year of the converted tennis courts previously used. He was unsure about the number of uses on the new courts over the last year.
“That’s a lot of people going through,” Dyer said. “Some people are there every day, and some people are there once a month. It’s hard to say. ... The room is there for four additional courts which are designed to be covered courts, not gymnasium, but covered courts. That will still be some time off. Funding and membership is what it depends on obviously.”
Holly Bryant, recreation manager with the Tellico Village POA, said future expansion of the courts is not a matter of if, but when.
“We plan to put that in there in the future,” Bryant said. “We don’t have a year designated, but the way pickleball is growing I see that being within the next few years definitely.
“... The pickleball courts that were built they have been very successful,” she added. “One of the biggest successes we’ve had for quite some time for the rec department. They play on those courts in rain, snow, sun. They are very dedicated.”
