Brand New Pickleball Courts At North Sea Community Park Are Ready For Town Residents

After months of delays, the pickleball courts at North Sea Community Park on Majors Path have finally been built.

Southampton Town held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on October 27, the same day the courts were opened to the public.

“This is going to be a very well utilized facility,” said Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman, who is an avid player himself. “There is a huge pickleball community here in Southampton Town and those numbers are only going to continue to grow as more people get exposed to it. It’s a great sport.”

As the popularity of pickleball has rapidly continued to increase over the past few years, Southampton Town officials have been working to meet the requests of resident “picklers” eager for courts to play the fastest-growing sport in America. Vinny Mangano, who is the ambassador who promotes and teaches the sport on the East End for the USA Pickleball Association, and also runs the pickleball sessions at nearby SYS, said construction on the new courts were delayed nearly 10 months, partly due to COVID-19 and supply chain issues.

Mangano said it’s been a long time coming for dedicated pickleball courts to come to Southampton Town east of Shinnecock Canal, with courts in both Hampton West Park in Westhampton and at Red Creek Park in Hampton Bays.

To make it clear, Mangano confirmed that the new courts on are town-owned land and a membership to SYS is not needed at all.

“Southampton Town residents and their guests can play for free,” he said. “They really are state of the art.”

While the game dates back to 1965, according to the USA Pickleball Association, it has enjoyed a dramatic increase in recent years, growing by 34 percent from 2017 to 2020. Described as a combination of badminton, ping pong, and tennis, people have embraced pickleball because it is ideal for all ages and skill levels, tends to be less strenuous on the body than tennis, and is social and fun.

“I just recently played for the first time and even as a beginner I had a blast,” said Town Parks Director Kristen Doulos. “But I’ve also seen games with extremely skilled players and it can be very exciting and highly competitive.”

Mangano said he helped in any way he could, from getting bids from builders to coming up with a formal proposal to the town, which was accepted. The bid was awarded to Landtek Group, Inc., which began work this summer with subcontractor Classic Turf Company. The courts, constructed of post-tensioned concrete and a cushioned sports surface, were built to the dimensions and standards of the American Sports Builders Association (ASBA) and USA Pickleball. New sidewalks and fencing were also installed, and there are plans to add wind screens and other minor court related amenities in the spring.

“Pickleball is not only taking off in the U.S., but around the world,” said Town Councilman Rick Martel. “It’s a game for all ages, and I am happy to see that Southampton Town can offer this to its residents. If you haven’t tried it, pick up a paddle and enjoy.”

Mangano created a Facebook group, “Southampton Pickleball Club,” where everyone can keep up with pickleball activities going on anywhere in Southampton Town. He also said that the Heart of the Hamptons charity tournament, which was very successful in 2019, is returning this November 27 to SYS, where all funds raised will go directly to the Southampton-based charity.

“We’re calling it a fun-raiser because it’s for fun,” he said. “But there will be winners because we are competitive. But obviously more importantly, we raise money for Heart of the Hamptons.”