Gene Autry Tennis Center

On November 22, 2016, we found a very sweet pickleball court tucked into an unobtrusive corner of a sprawling urban tennis complex in Mesa, Arizona.  The Gene Autry Sports Complex has more tennis courts than the eye can count but only one pickleball court.

The court is totally fenced and gated and was recently resurfaced and striped.  A practice wall was spruced up with a white line representing the pickleball net height. A very expensive wheeled net is provided.  There is nary a crack or other imperfection on the new surface of the court.

Amazingly, this court can be rented for a mere $5 an hour.  That's it.  No other fees.  And get this--you can reserve the court in advance at your choice of time and date!  And there's no reservation fee added to the court cost.  The Tennis Center is staffed with super friendly, gregarious people every weekday from 8-5 so it's easy to reserve or just drop in and see if the court is open.  Or you can email or call.

We went to the Center the day before Thanksgiving at 2 PM and paid our five bucks and had this sweet court all to ourselves.  After warming up on the wall, we played four full games.  Of course, Susun won all four games, three by a wide margin.

We used USAPA-regulation outdoor pickleballs and they performed nicely on the court surface.  Having a full perimeter fence made it wonderfully easy to recover stray pickleballs.

There is only one distraction on this court.  The court is in the landing pattern for nearby Falcon Field.  That airport is heavily used by student pilots practicing touch and go landings.  Their little single engine prop planes fly low over the court on their final approach to the runway.  We actually liked seeing the the aircraft but the engine noise could be annoying to some players.

Our one hour at the Gene Autry Court was some of our highest quality pickleball playing time experienced so far in our young pickleball careers.  We highly recommend this court.  It's like having your own exclusive, private, resort-style pickleball court!

Above is the view of the court from the parking lot.  We parked our truck here so it would be in our full view while we played.  We didn't even bother to lock the truck.

We walked just about every square foot of the court looking for surface imperfections.  The only crack in the surface aligns perfectly with the position of the net and serves as a convenient marker for how and where to palce the net.

Here's a look at the first-class practice wall.  Four people at once could easily warm up on this wall.

Here's a photo of the expensive wheeled net.  The net is very easy to move and each of the wheels has a lock you can activate with your foot so the net won't wiggle or move during play.

The outdoor lounge area of The Gene Autry Tennis Center.

You access the pickleball court by entering the lobby/lounge area of the Tennis Center and then go through a door to the patio.  The pickleball net is a short stroll from the office.