The city Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) is proposing new rules for outdoor courts that would greatly reduce access to tennis. The department also is planning to add approximately 65 new dedicated pickleball courts by taking away tennis, basketball and volleyball courts, which would further reduce access to tennis.

The current rules allow for tennis instructional classes at a park facility with four or more courts. The proposed rule change would allow tennis instructional classes only at park facilities with eight or more courts. There are currently 14 park facilities that offer tennis instructional classes and the proposed rules would reduce that number to five, or a reduction of approximately 65%.

The majority of participants are youths, so the proposed rule would have a disparate impact on youth and people who are unable to afford tennis instruction at private clubs and schools. The proposed rule would allow pickleball instructional classes at park facilities with four or more courts. Why is there a different standard and a different rule for tennis and pickleball?

The United States Tennis Association Hawaii Pacific (USTA) is opposed to this rule because it limits access to tennis, especially for youth and those unable to afford private tennis lessons.

On March 1, the Department of Parks and Recreation announced through a memo to pickleball organizers that the city will be adding more pickleball courts. Nathan Serota, who handles public relations for the parks department, said that based on current planning, DPR is converting 19 existing courts, and adding courts at 16 parks to make approximately 65 new dedicated pickleball courts complete with lines and net. This includes taking away tennis, basketball and volleyball courts at 16 parks. The USTA is opposed to the plan to convert tennis courts to pickleball courts because it limits access to tennis and it creates unhealthy competition for outdoor courts.

The USTA is not opposed to pickleball. Pickleball has similar benefits to tennis, including exercise, fun and social engagement. The USTA would like to see new pickleball courts with permanent nets and permanent lines spread across Honolulu. Taking away tennis courts and converting them to pickleball courts is not the answer, and it pits tennis players against pickleball players.

Progressive cities throughout the country are building new pickleball courts. According to the April 2023 issue of Racquet Sports Industry: “Cities and racquet club operators across the country will spend over $100 million in the next few years to build pickleball courts in public parks, private clubs and other venues to meet the huge growth of the sport and keep the peace among racquet sports players.”

Some facts about tennis and pickleball: Tennis has grown 33% in the last three years and has gained 5.9 million players since 2019. There are currently 24 million tennis players in the United States. Here in Hawaii, between 6% to 10% of the population plays tennis, according to the latest Tennis Industry Association survey. This means that 84,000 to 144,000 people in Hawaii play tennis.

Pickleball is growing at fast rates. There are currently 8.9 million people in the United States who play pickleball. This number doubled from 4.9 million in 2021.

A more long-term, sustainable solution is for the City and County of Honolulu to build new pickleball courts.

Ron Romano is executive director of USTA Hawaii Pacific Section.