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Orange County features over 200 pickleball courts for public access — but with the boom of popularity over the past several years, cities continue looking for space to construct new courts or restripe existing facilities to give pickleball lovers more spaces to play.
A previous review by Chapman University students in partnership with Voice of OC found the county had approximately 220 public courts available with plans to add another 59 courts in different cities across the county.
[Read: OC Pickleball Courts Swell to Meet Demand]
That number continues to grow as more residents advocate for space to play.
During the Lake Forest City Council meeting on Jan. 7, staff presented updates on their efforts and research to create more pickleball courts in Lake Forest.
The south OC city currently features five public courts at Portola and Rimgate Parks.
During the council meeting, Nidia Ruelas — assistant to the city manager — described multiple locations in the city to potentially add new courts.
Rules said restriping efforts could create additional courts at Pittsford, Foothill Ranch, Baker Ranch and Borrego Parks.
She also described potential plans to replace volleyball courts at El Toro Park with new pickleball courts.
Councilmember Doug Cirbo emphasized that community outreach is paramount during this process, especially if the city moves forward with restriping tennis and basketball courts to make them usable for pickleball.
“I would hope when we get to our commission and we get feedback in terms of implementation, that be taken into consideration,” Cirbo said at the Jan. 7 meeting, “and make sure we spend the money wisely for this amenity that people want here in our community.”
A pickleball public outreach survey in Lake Forest yielded 120 responses — with an “overwhelming majority” supportive of restriping existing courts to accommodate pickleball usage.
Of those responses, 81% of respondents said they were interested in adding pickleball court lines to existing courts. Additionally, 80% of participants said they would likely use the pickleball courts if lines were added.
Some neighboring OC cities don’t have any pickleball courts.
Laguna Woods and Aliso Viejo don’t have any pickleball courts due to limited space.
In contrast, Mission Viejo features 18 pickleball courts. And in 2023, the city discussed potentially constructing another 28 courts atop a new four-level parking structure to try and keep up with demand.
[Read: Does Mission Viejo Need Two Dozen New Pickleball Courts?]
Other cities have also created new courts in recent years.
Costa Mesa opened eight new courts at the Costa Mesa Tennis Center in December after restriping some preexisting tennis courts, bringing Costa Mesa’s number of courts up to 13.
“We’re happy to provide these new courts to the public today, and we look forward to adding more pickleball courts soon,” Mayor John Stephens said during the ribbon cutting on Dec. 2.
“We will meet the needs of the pickleball players in the great city of Costa Mesa,” he said.
In Newport Beach, the city recently completed its Newport Coast pickleball courts project, which created eight new pickleball courts for public access right next to the Newport Coast Community Center. The courts have been open since May.
Pickleball Noise Complaints
One of the most common complaints when it comes to pickleball courts is the sound of the balls and paddles hitting back and forth.
Noise concerns are especially prevalent in Laguna Beach’s Lang Park, which features three permanent pickleball courts right next to the Vista Aliso senior living community.
Residents have complained about the near-constant noise they say they can’t escape from.
Although the city installed new fencing in 2023 — in an attempt to reduce noise levels — complaints have persisted. The city also encourages the use of special “quiet” paddles and balls that are designed to make less noise at the Lang Park courts.
During a meeting in June 2024, the Laguna Beach City Council directed staff to analyze a redesign of the park to potentially relocate the pickleball courts away from housing.
“This keeps coming back because it was a bad decision,” Councilmember Bob Whalen said during that June 11 meeting. “We put [the courts] in the wrong place.”
Angelina Hicks is a Voice of OC Tracy Wood Reporting Fellow. Contact her at ahicks@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @angelinahicks13.
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