the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, pickleball the fastest-growing sport in America is coming to Upper Ridgewood Tennis Club .
The word is the Upper Ridgewood Tennis Club is looking to add anywhere from 3-9 pickleball courts and create a pickleball only membership.
Founded over 100 years ago, The Upper Ridgewood Tennis Club is nestled amidst 30 acres of beautiful woodlands. We feature 15 Har-Tru tennis courts (6 lighted), 7 lighted platform tennis courts and a well appointed clubhouse.
We reported in September that USA Pickleball has announced plans to make the sport quieter — currently in the 70 decibel range, pickleball is about 2x as loud as tennis.
The governing body of the sport, USA Pickleball, announced on Monday a new initiative to lower the volume in the sport by investing in changes to the acoustics of the sport. The organization will work with manufacturers and facilities to come up with solutions that will allow the sport to continue its rapid growth.
As a result, courts are popping up all across the country, including even in people’s backyards and neighborhoods. USA Pickleball says 130 new locations were added per month in 2022 and estimates another 25,000 courts will need to be built to keep up with demand. Last year, 36 million people played pickleball and the sport has grown 158% over the past three years according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association.
Now Upper Ridgewood Tennis Club is making the move . Neighbors however are not too happy, some 40 odd neighbors have voiced concerns over increased traffic , and noise that will detrimentally impact home values in the Willard area of Ridgewood.One option might be to build indoor pickleball courts, however that would not do much to relieve traffic congestion .
The club is keeping tight-lipped on the number of courts ,but some sources are using the term ,”pickleball factory” with the club looking to cash in on the sport’s fast growing popularity. Other sources insist the club has lawyers on speed dial and is ready to move on an even more ambitious pickleball game plan with the installation of lights and night time hours.
With over 50% of the current membership living outside of Ridgewood the already heavily trafficked area could make the driving conditions even more intolerable and pose safety hazards for school children.
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Unprecedented membership levels for tennis, with a several-year waiting list, unprecedented funds in the bank (thanks to overcharging members for a mandatory $200 per member annual clubhouse food plan), an understaffed grounds crew (who can’t find new employees who’ll work for the $13ph URTC offers), and the renting out of the clubhouse for non-member parties on nights, the URTC board members are nothing but a wrecking ball for this old Ridgewood institution. What a shame.
I would like to buy that land.
Wow Larry..sorry for your first world problems….maybe move to Saddle River or the Upper East Side. Hopefully you are within earshot of the sound in that canyon of multiple pickleball games going on. Perhaps you will need to enjoy your gin and tonics inside your McMansion and not on the Lanai…. alfresco. Poor Larry….
Pretty shocking if the town lets a private club destroy home values and increase traffic so out of towners can play a sport most towns want no part of.
Same applies to the Schedler neighborhood but no one seems to care about those home values or increasing traffic. Why is that not shocking?
I don’t think anyone said it wasn’t.
Hey, if they want to sell it put out a price. I’ll be the first one to put a bid in. I have plenty investors behind me. I had my eyeball in Atlanta for the past 25 years.
How much are the taxes for that land.
Pickleball should be an indoor sport in dense residential areas! Homeowners should not take the hit for private clubs!!!
Pickelball factory, sports complex, what’s next?
I agree, pickleball should be indoors!
INDOORS!
If they are swimming in cash, or even if they aren’t, this should still be indoors in a residential neighborhood.