Town of Huntington Opens Pickleball Courts at Whitman Park

Interested in playing a game of pickleball? You’re in luck: the Town of Huntington recently converted an asphalt area at Whitman Park in Melville into four pickleball courts.

Dedicated pickleball-only courts are rare on Long Island, the Town says. Only one other outdoor facility, located at the Town of Brookhaven’s Centereach Park, has courts exclusively for pickleball.

The dedication ceremony for the Huntington Pickleball Center was held Tuesday afternoon. Pickleball players joined elected officials for the opening of the courts.

“Everybody wants pickleball now. It’s really starting to grow,” Supervisor Petrone said in a press release, adding that the sport “keeps seniors moving.”

Pickleball is a racquet sport that combines elements of badminton, tennis and ping pong. The court is the size of a badminton court, and the rules are a cross between tennis and ping pong. It is played with racquets and a wiffle ball.

“It’s great to see a sport that can be played a little bit longer [by seniors],” Councilman Mark Cuthbertson said. “A tennis player who is avid can switch to pickleball.”

Many tennis courts on Long Island are sometimes used for pickleball, but these newly dedicated courts will help relieve the tensions between tennis and pickleball players, the Town says.

“We are so proud to have the first public pickleball courts in Huntington,” Councilman Eugene Cook said. “Use it safely, use it often and enjoy every day here.”

The four courts were constructed by Town employees on New York Avenue, north of Northern State Parkway, after the Supervisor met with residents of the Greens at Half Hollow, an over-55 community near the park, who had asked for pickleball courts.

They residents got their wish and can now enjoy games of pickleball at their leisure.

Image via Town of Huntington