By popular demand, Johns Creek opens four new pickleball courts

Anyone for pickleball?

Johns Creek announced Wednesday that it has opened its four new pickleball courts at Newtown Park, 3150 Old Alabama Road.

City spokeswoman Edie Damann said the City Council approved $25,000 for the project from this year’s budget.

Pickleball, invented in 1965 in Washington, is a mix of badminton and tennis that has become popular among retirement-age folks.

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Two of the six tennis courts at Johns Creek's Newtown Park were converted in February 2019 to four pickleball courts. (Courtesy of Johns Creek)

Damann said resident demand for the courts was obvious when the parks and recreation departmentasked.

"During the 2015 Recreation and Parks Strategic Plan process many residents expressed a desire for the city to have pickleball courts," said the city's recreation manager Kirk Franz in a news release.

The city converted two of the six Newtown tennis courts into four regulation pickleball courts. Alpharetta did something similar last year.

Johns Creek had temporary pickleball nets, paddles and balls set up under the Mark Burkhalter Amphitheater on a first come-first-served basis. In June 2017, the city said it expanded the program to Newtown "due to increased demand from residents."

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“Over time the city received numerous requests for more permanent pickleball courts and also for regulation size pickleball courts with a better playing surface,” the city said.