News from the Court
Check out News from the Court for information about your favorite teams and sports, physical fitness, and the latest updates from Grand Slam and SnapSports®.
Pickleballers Looking for Courts in San Antonio: Where Can I Play?
San Antonio has a dearth of pickleball courts available to the public. Honestly, Grand Slam Courts has built more pickleball courts in private spaces than are available to the public in the area. So, if you are a true lover of pickleball living in San Antonio, there may be two good options:
- Make friends with one of Grand Slam’s clients who has a court in their backyard.
- Or, give Grand Slam a call and let us build a court in your yard. For your convenience, the number is 210-496-3399. Works with both standard and mobile phones.
In the meantime, we have compiled this list of dedicated pickleball courts in outdoor spaces available for public use. Some require fees. Some require reservations. Some require membership. Some are actually free. That last group is likely to require a wait, though.
Following are the courts we have identified.
Chicken N Pickle
5215 UTSA Boulevard, San Antonio, TX 78249
Contact Phone: (210) 874-2120
https://chickennpickle.com/location/san-antonio/
10 courts, 6 indoor and 4 outdoor. Fee required.
Community Bible Emmitt Park
2477 N Loop 1604 E
Contact Phone: (210) 496-5096
http://www.communitybible.com/
3 Courts. Free.
Cranky Pickle
624 Krueger Canyon
New Braunfels, TX 78132
Contact Phone: 830-837-5155
3 Courts. Fee Required.
Dominion Country Club
1 Dominion Dr, San Antonio, TX, 78257
Contact Phone: (210) 698-3364
7 Courts. Membership Required.
Fairchild Park
1214 E Crockett St, San Antonio, TX 78202
Contact Phone: (210) 207-7275
9 Courts. Free.
FIT Pickleball Fitness Center
302 Zephyr Dr, San Antonio, TX 78239
Contact Phone: (210) 455-0100
https://www.pickleheads.com/courts/us/texas/windcrest/fit-pickleball-fitness-center
Morgan’s Wonderland Sports Park
5025 David Edwards Dr, San Antonio, TX, 78217
Contact Phone: (210) 495-5888
https://morganswonderlandsports.com/
20 Courts. Fee Required.
Stillwater Ranch Community Park
7907 High Lonesome
San Antonio, Texas 78254
2 Courts. Fee Required.
Takas Windcrest City Park
9310 Jim Seal Dr, Windcrest, TX
Contact Phone: (210) 655-0022
1 Court. Free.
Thousand Oaks Family YMCA
16103 Henderson Pass
San Antonio, TX 78232
10 Courts. Reservations possible. Membership required.
We have not visited every location, so we cannot vouch for this information based upon personal experience. If you have additional or updated information, let us know. We will try to keep this list up-to-date as much as possible.
Noise-Reducing Options for Pickleball Courts
Pickleball is exploding across the country, and with it come more community complaints about the noise created when the balls hit the paddles. If your favorite pickleball facility is being bombarded with neighbors grumbling about the ping-ping of the paddles, talk to Grand Slam Courts about noise-mitigating fencing.
Just to be clear: the decibel level of paddleball is not significantly greater than that of tennis. One facility in Arizona brought out the decibel meter and found that tennis registered 58 decibels and pickleball came in at 60 decibels. Most will concede, however, that pickleball creates a different, higher-pitched sound that may carry farther.
If the pickleball facility you love is struggling with griping neighbors, contact Grand Slam Courts about the new fencing alternatives available to block court noise. Testing in a number of communities suggests that while the specialized fencing only results in a reduction of about 11 decibels, the perceived reduction in sound by the human ear is 50%.
There are two types of sound dampening materials in use currently. One is a vinyl sheet heavy enough to reflect the sound inward. The second is a quilted vinyl that includes a layer of fiberglass. This is the more expensive option, but it is designed to absorb sound rather than reflect it. Both are designed to hang on chain link fencing or any vertical surface including walls.
These barriers also provide wind reduction and privacy. They are UV-certified for outdoor use. They will stand up to full sun and up to 200-degrees F. (Even Central Texas doesn’t get THAT HOT!) Cold temps as low as -40 F will not degrade them, either. The sound barriers come in a variety of colors to coordinate with the court’s colors.
Of course, it is not just the sound of the ball on the paddle that makes pickleball a noisy sport. Those who play pickleball can be a loud bunch, and the popularity of the sport often means that there are cheering spectators standing by for their turn on the courts, as well. Grand Slam Courts has a solution for that, too. We can build you your own backyard pickleball court, so there’s no more waiting for a court. Give us a call when you are ready for backyard pickleball fun.
CommuniCare Classic Pickleball Tournament Comes to SA
Have you considered testing your pickleball skills in a real tournament? The CommuniCare Classic is your chance for tournament play against other recreational players—or to watch matches by some of San Antonio’s best players. If you are already a competitive pickleball player with tournament experience, the CommuniCare Classic is also a chance for you to participate in singles or doubles play. Grand Slam Courts is a Platinum Sponsor of the event. It is being produced by the San Antonio Pickleball Association, the Valero Alamo Bowl, and The Kitchen Dink.
Whether you play in the tournament or come to watch the fun, make sure you stop by the Grand Slam Courts table and register to win a special prize.
Held September 29 through October 1 at Fairchild Park north of the Alamodome, the CommuniCare Classic is a fundraiser with 100% of net proceeds benefitting local scholarships. Now through August 18, players can register for sanctioned play or unsanctioned co-ed PartyPICKLE doubles play. Tournament registration is $70 (USA Pickleball membership required). PartyPICKLE participants pay $35 and USA Pickleball membership is not required.
Tournament participants will receive a commemorative t-shirt, Saturday lunch courtesy of Whataburger, and entry into the Saturday Night Social.
The tournament will include sanctioned divisions for:
Men’s & Women’s Singles
Men’s & Women’s Doubles
Mixed Doubles
Senior (60+) Men’s & Women’s Doubles
Senior (60+) Mixed Doubles
Hybrid Wheelchair Doubles
Recreational players who do not have a partner can sign up for PartyPICKLE and play doubles as a single with a different partner every game. Participants are guaranteed to play eight games in three hours starting Friday at 6 p.m. To sign up for this separate tournament, visit alamobowl.link/PartyPICKLE.
Those interested in the sanctioned tournament play can register at alamobowl.link/CommuniCareClassic. If you do not have a current USA Pickleball membership, join or renew at https://usapickleball.org/. Annual membership is $35.
Stop by the Grand Slam Courts table and register to win a special prize. We look forward to meeting you there!
Grand Slam Introduces SnapSports®
Grand Slam Courts is now the official dealer of SnapSports® brand modular interlocking tile court surfacing for San Antonio, Austin, Central Texas and the Hill Country regions of Texas. A second company is gearing up to take on the Dallas/Ft. Worth and Houston markets for SnapSports in the coming months.
SnapSports is the leader in premier athletic flooring, offering indoor and outdoor sport surfacing for residential and commercial/community use.
The SnapSports court surfacing offers performance, safety, and durability. The Grand Slam team adds nearly 20 years of court building experience and reliability. The combination delivers a court that provides a superior athletic experience for many years at a competitive cost.
SnapSports offers specialized court surfacing for many sports. PickleGrip™, for example, is a modular tile surface that offers a better, more reliable bounce and better traction than other modular surfaces, while delivering the low maintenance of tile.
SnapSports has developed patented technology for many of the aspects of their outdoor tile product that improves safety, grip, performance, and durability.
For example:
- Shocktower®– Safety, performance, and functionality. These are the words we would use to describe just what you can expect from the exclusive patented Shocktower sport tech. This specific technology offers 16 individual shock absorbers (32 for the 50-50 sports flooring) for consistent traction and coefficient of friction to keep the playing surface in place. Additionally, the patented resilient shock sports tech ensures safe and effective impact control and provides exemplary rolling load support.
- Full Suspension System– Fatigue is one of the leading causes of sports injuries, which is why SnapSports decided to do something about it. The SnapSports full suspension system acts as a high impact shock absorber that reduces fatigue during high-intensity play. One square of this system weighs just over a pound and contains nearly 1200 shock absorbing support towers for enhanced safety.
- PowerLock®– PowerLock sports technology makes up part of the patented Superstructure when engaged. This game-changing sports tech is engineered to handle heavy loads and contains 16 patented PowerLocks per module. Our multi-patented Step-N-Snap design also slows for easy installation, eliminating the need for tools, glues, and toxic fumes.
- Triple Traction Tread®– For the superstars that won’t let a little rain stop their grind, Triple Traction Tread sports technology offers three levels of traction that result in superior grip. No more will you be at the mercy of mother nature, as our innovative technology gives you the safety and performance that you need to test your athletic abilities.
Grand Slam Courts is offering SnapSports modular tile after exhaustive research into the best outdoor athletic court surfacing available on the market today. We are convinced that SnapSports has invested in technology that will benefit our clients and allow them to enjoy their courts for years to come.
If you are interested in more information about this new product from Grand Slam Courts, give us a call at 210-496-3399 or contact us through our website here.
What Do You Know About Roger Federer?
Roger Federer has retired from tennis at age 41 after an amazing 24-year career as a professional in the sport. He has been called by many the greatest tennis player of all time. What do you know about Roger Federer? Test your knowledge of this tennis great with the 10 questions below. Scroll down to see answers to questions that have you stumped.
Question #1: In what country was Federer born?
Question #2: How old was Federer when he won his first Grand Slam singles title?
Question #3: Who has been Federer’s greatest rival during his career? Nadal or Djokovic?
Question #4: How many Grand Slam singles titles has Federer won?
Question #5: How old was Federer when he won his last major men’s singles title?
Question #6: What sports did Federer grow up playing?
Question #7: Federer’s last tournament was the Laver Cup. What is the significance of that competition for Federer?
Question #8: What is Federer’s nickname on the tour?
Question #9: What was Roger Federer’s best professional year?
Question #10: Is Federer married? Does he have children?
Answers
Answer #1: Federer was born in Switzerland, and now lives in a beautiful home overlooking Lake Zurich in his native country.
Answer #2: He was 21 years old in 2003, when he won Wimbledon for the first time. Prior to that, he had won matches in other tournaments against champions like Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras. In 2003, he defeated Andy Roddick in the Wimbledon semis and Mark Philippoussis in the finals.
Answer #3: All three players have had amazing, long, and successful careers. Federer has matched up with Nadal, perhaps his best friend on the tour, 40 times. Federer has the winning edge on grass and hard courts, while Nadal has won more matches on clay. Against Djokovic, whom he has played 50 times, Federer has won 23 matches to Djokovic’s 27. The are tied on clay, but Djokovic has dominated on grass and hard courts.
Answer #4: He has won 20 Grand Slam singles championships, including a record 8 men’s singles titles at Wimbledon. He played in 31 Grand Slam singles finals, finishing in second place 11 times.
Answer #5: He won his last major tournament in 2018, the Australian Open. At the time he was the oldest player ever to be ranked #1 at age 36.
Answer #6: As a youth, Federer was a good soccer player, and played badminton and basketball. He started playing tennis at a very early age.
Answer #7: The Laver Cup is named for Australian tennis great Rod Laver, and Federer is among the founders of this tournament. The Laver Cup debuted in 2017, and pits European players against the rest of the world.
Answer #8: Roger Federer has several nicknames. He is often called the “Federer Express,” sometimes shortened to “Fed Express” or “FedEx.” Because of his graceful moves on the court, he is sometimes referred to as the “Swiss Maestro.”
Answer #9: In 2006, Tennis.com ranked Federer’s performance for the year as surpassed only by Rod Laver’s Grand Slam year of 1969. In 2006 he won 12 singles titles, and had a match record of 93 wins, 5 losses. He reached the finals in 16 out of 17 tournaments he entered. His 2007 season wasn’t bad either. That year, he reached the men’s singles final in all four Grand Slam tournaments.
Answer #10: Federer has been married to Miraslava “Mirka” Vavrinec Federer, a former Women’s Tennis Association player, since 2009. The couple has two sets of twins, the first identical twin girls born in 2009 and the second fraternal twin boys born in 2014. Federer’s older sister, Diana, is also the mother of twins.
Click through to our Facebook page here to see a video retrospective of Federer’s professional career.
Major League Pickleball Takes a Bow
Pickleball has gone big league! Wednesday, May 25, Major League Pickleball (MLP) rang the bell on the New York Stock Exchange as it kicked off draft season for the new league. To make an even bigger splash, MLP brought several of its best players to New York to play an exhibition game in the NYSE Boardroom.
The league kicked off its first season earlier this month with a 3-day competition at Dreamland in Dripping Springs, Texas. Soon the league hopes that fans will be able to regularly follow their favorite teams through TV broadcasts.
Major League Pickleball includes 12 teams, 48 players, and a total prize pool of more than $750,000 for the season winners. Each team is composed of four players—two men and two women.
Matches consist of women’s doubles, men’s doubles, and two mixed doubles games. If two teams are tied after these four games, a unique tiebreaker is played, which involves a singles rotational system involving all four of the team’s players.
You can learn more about Major League Pickleball at www.MajorLeaguePickleball.net and by following the league on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MajorLeaguePickleball/.
When you are ready for your own backyard pickleball court, give Grand Slam a call to learn more about the SnapSports exclusive PickleGrip™ surface. PickleGrip is a sport surface designed to last for more than 15 years that is specially engineered for recreational and competitive pickleball play. It maximizes safety, reduces the risk of injury, and supports physical play for hours at a time. Choose PickleGrip to provide your family and community a safe surface to enjoy the fastest growing sport in the USA!