Ocean View Park - Santa Monica
2701 Barnard Way (just south of Ocean Park Blvd.),
Santa Monica, 90405
The day started with an exciting discovery - two courts
right in Santa Monica! It's an ocean front, public tennis facility with six
courts, basketball and two paddle tennis courts sans nets. The attendant of
the facility said the courts must go back a long way since he's never seen
them used in his 10 years of working at the courts.
There courts are a little short on their back and side spaces,
but the location is great and the courts are there. There are poles in each
court as you can see that can accommodate both paddle tennis and volleyball
nets. The courts have windscreens and, because they are set slightly below
ground, are protected even better from wind.
The way to get these courts back in use is to contact the
City of Santa Monica Community Programs Division, Tennis Office,
310-294-6011. It might take a little cajoling, but it will be well worth the
time and effort to revive these two courts.
Next stop, just up the beach a couple miles from Ocean View Park, was
Venice Beach and its paddle tennis facility. Venice almost needs no introduction or explanation. There are 12 courts, all with good quality
surfaces, although the nets could use a little bit of help. There's a guy,
Joe, who makes the most out of what the City provides, which sometimes ain't
much. What makes Venice
unique is its combination of beach front locale, interesting activities
(muscle beach, play structures, entertainment), people, atmosphere and, most
of all, its outstanding overall quality of play.
Venice is the location of Paddle Tennis' National Singles
and Doubles Championships, won perennially by
Scott Freedman.
Next stop was a City of Los Angeles, Department of
Recreation and Parks, facility with three excellent courts all with lights!
At the end of the day, once the sun went down, I confirmed that lights
indeed worked and they stay lit each day until 10:30 p.m.
The courts have excellent back space (16') and ample side
space (7'). There are windscreens on the courts. The nets and playing
surface are also in very good shape. There is a power outlet about 20' from
court number one. The courts, like most, are in a park setting so there are
plenty of activities for kids
including play structures, basketball and lighted two tennis courts.
After the serendipitous finding of the Glen-Alla Park
courts with their lights and quality playing specs, the Culver / Slauson Rec Center
was a complete let down. This facility had been listed as having a paddle
tennis court from an old reference. Upon arriving, I discovered the paddle
tennis court was gone and in its place was a new parking lot. Interestingly,
you can still see the court lights, which now illuminate the lot. You can
also still see the poles
which served to hold both a paddle tennis and volleyball net.
Fortunately, the next stop on the journey was at the
excellent, three court facility called Paddle Tennis Park. All three courts have
lights (until 10 pm (m-f) and
9 pm (s-s)) along with good nets and decent playing surfaces. The courts
have ample back (15') and side space (8-10'). Although, court #2 appears to
have been treated badly by someone with a temper and a penchant for slamming
their paddle into the ground. It's going to need resurfacing if city budgets
ever bounce back. There are bleachers for spectators and vending machines
adjacent to court #1. This was the site of last year's "National" doubles
tournament which seemed to flame out after its initial weekend of play. With
all these facilities it continues to boggle the mind as to why tournament
attendance has been so poor of late.
The next stop on my lost paddle tennis tour was a
discovery in itself. Someone told me they thought they remembered a court
near the intersection of Wade and Washington. I didn't find the court
anywhere near there. However, after a wrong turn sent me the long way around
a neighborhood, I passed a park and was shocked to see, you guessed it, paddle tennis
courts! Sure enough, my friend was right in his reference to Wade Street,
just not the intersection part of the description.
There are two courts, both with lights (until 10 pm). The
quality of the surfaces and nets are average, but it's a nice park-like
atmosphere in which to play paddle tennis.
The staff member who was working this Saturday was
friendly. In fact, he went over the list of Culver City parks with me that he thought might have
paddle tennis. That exercise led to two misses (Lindbergh Park and Veterans Park) and
one discovery of two very nice courts (Syd
Kronenthal Park).
Syd Kronenthal Park - Culver City
3459 McManus Ave., Culver City (very near the 10 FWY and La
Cienega)
I found "SK" Park after coming up empty on two other
Culver City parks. It was well worth the wait. SK has two very nice courts, both
with lights that you can control until 10 p.m. The courts are a little tight
on side space (7'), but otherwise are very playable. There is also a tennis
court which has a power outlet. It doesn't appear that these courts, like so
many others I encountered, get much use which leaves them in very good shape
overall.
The SK facility is nice and has basketball along with a
play structure and community center. This is another facility at which
people with a family could spend an entire afternoon.
Next stop after SK was the Culver City facility Fox Hills
Park, near the Fox Hills Mall of course. There are four paddle tennis courts
at this facility, all with lights that operate until 10 p.m. The courts have
excellent back and side space. The playing surfaces and nets are in good
condition. The courts also have windscreens. The lights are controlled from
inside each court, so don't be mislead if, upon your arrival, the courts are
dark.
You can't see the courts from the street. You have to park
on Buckingham and walk up the hill to access the park, there is no parking
lot. However, here's a secret: instead
of coming to the park via Buckingham, you could come in on Uplander Avenue
and park behind the building at 5840 Uplander, there's a gate into the park
and it's immediately behind the paddle tennis courts!
There is also a staff person on-site most days until 5 p.m. There
are lots of activities in the park including a large field, basketball and
play structure. There are also vending machines on site so bring plenty of
quarters.
After touring the Culver City Parks, the next place on
this paddle tennis odyssey was El Segundo's Recreation Park, located just
south of LAX. Recreation Park, in addition to having one lighted paddle
tennis court, is a complex of seven tennis courts, two volleyball
courts, a roller hockey rink, two shuffleboard courts, lawn bowling
green, handball court, three baseball fields, two racquetball courts, 10
picnic areas, a basketball, softball and soccer fields. If you have kids,
you might not be able to get them to leave, so enter with caution!
What makes Recreation Park nice is that its paddle tennis
court is very well protected, has a good playing surface and is surrounded
by so many other activities. The venue is just a stone's throw from The Lakes
at El Segundo,
golf driving range and 9-hole course, on Sepulveda. Best of all, it's also
less than three miles from Fry's
electronics' Manhattan Beach location! Recreation Park is open 8-10 p.m.
After successive moments of delight and surprise at
finding excellent paddle tennis facilities I never knew about, seeing the
"paddle tennis" facility (using the description loosely here) at the Residence Inn
Manhattan Beach was a total downer. Don't even waste your time. It's got a
strange surface, it's very small and is geared toward five year olds. In
fact, you can see a few of them in this picture.
Well, after being subjected to the Residence Inn
experience, the paddle tennis gods were smiling once again, Manhattan
Beach's Manhattan Heights Park facility is excellent. There are two lighted
courts, both with excellent back (21') and side space (10'). The surfaces are
in excellent shape as are the nets. The lights are controlled by adapted
parking meters which are fun to see. The hours of operation are 7:30
am to 10 pm daily.
The two courts have a nice sitting area in between them
with two picnic tables. There are also two tennis courts on the same site.
There is a power outlet on the scoreboard just outside the courts in the
baseball field.
According to a PaddleTennis.biz contributor, there is a
new policy which requires payment of
$5 per hour from 5-9 p.m.
6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and noon to 5
p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Facilities include lakeside picnic area, three
lighted ball fields, a gymnasium, a community center and swimming pool open
during the summer.
These courts have been abandoned for a while and there are
no nets so you'll need to bring your own. The court surfaces are still in
excellent condition. The courts have lights.
This site was added after the original driving tour. A
paddle tennis enthusiast from the South Bay contributed this location after
reading the original version of the article. (Players contributing is what
this site is all about!)
The next stop on the journey was Torrance's Wilson Park
Sports Complex. After seeing the excellent Manhattan Heights Park facility,
I was completely prepared for a let down. Was I ever wrong! The Wilson Park
complex is awesome. Here you will find two of the nicest paddle tennis
courts you will ever see. Yes, they have lights too. They are "ready for television" nice.
Immediately you are impressed with the quality, green
windscreens that protect every court. Then, once you step on the court, you
realize what is possible in court quality and ambiance. Partly what makes
them so nice is the ample 18 feet of back and 10 feet of
side space. The surfaces, like the greens at San
Francisco Golf Club, are pure. The nets look brand new and the fences,
benches and overall facility is an A+ with honors. Summer hours are 8 am to 10 pm.
The rest of the Wilson Park facility is well worth a trip.
There are three lighted tennis courts, lighted softball diamonds, batting
cages, a skate park, roller hockey, play structures, a lake and gazebo.
Additionally, there's a gymnasium with two volleyball courts, two basketball
courts and a multipurpose room.
After Wilson Park, the next stop along with magical paddle
tour was Palos Verdes' Ladera Linda Community Center. After Wilson Park, I
was sure no other stop I had remaining would come close. I was right, but
not in the way, or direction, I expected. Ladera Linda was better! Imagine this:
there
are two paddle tennis courts of excellent quality on a pristine bluff (right
above Ocean Trails Golf Club)
overlooking the Pacific Ocean with views of Catalina so clear you could
almost reach out and touch it. What's better is that you can literally drive right up
to the courts. Most amazing is that the courts are actually down a
gravel road sitting all by themselves. (see the upper left picture above)
The courts have 10' of back space and are just a little
narrow on the sides at about 7'. There is a play structure just outside the
courts and you can follow some stairs up about 50' to a huge soccer field which also overlooks the Pacific.
Do yourself a favor. Pack a lunch, take the kids and visit
this place. It's breathtaking.
The last stop on my journey, as you can see with just a little
daylight left, was Long Beach's Belmont Shores. Specifically, the
Bayshore Playground. The drive was beautiful, made even better by the
weather this day. Unfortunately, while I hoped the last court I found on my
trip would be the climax of the story, it ended up being the denumount
following
Ladera Linda
Community Center. The single court at this facility was in rough shape
and had a net in similar condition. The court is shared with a basketball court which
would make it almost impossible to play
if anyone else was around. You probably want to save a trip just for this
court. Although, I'm sure there are others in the area waiting to be found
on my next trip or someone else's.
All in all, I can absolutely say that after this day spent
driving around Greater Los Angeles, I now have about new 10 reasons to make
sure I have my paddle tennis gear with me at all times.
Where are the others?
All this in one day! Surely there are other since several
courts were found almost accidentally.
Click here to add
a court location so others can enjoy the game where ever they may find
themselves.
