LEWES, Del.- Pickleball players in Lewes are having a bit of a bounce problem on a local court.
Many players say the court at CanalFront Park is practically useless for competitive pickleball. While recent attempts to fix it did not work.
Pickleball, typically played in a 2v2 format, has taken an unexpected turn in the city, as players find themselves in a battle against the court itself.
Al Gratz, who has been a fixture on the court since 2012, expresses his concerns about how the playing surface can impact the game's fairness.
"You just can't play on it," he said. "You can't play competitively on a surface that 75-80 percent of the time the surface is going to dictate who wins the point."
The green surface was installed roughly a year ago to replace deteriorating asphalt.
Unfortunately, the new court required maintenance almost immediately.
A sign at the gated entrance to the court explains that the city completed a resurfacing project for the court, along with the neighboring basketball court, on Aug. 18.
However, pickleball player Richard Glaser, said he didn't get his hopes up about it.
"When we heard that they were going to repair them and we heard they weren't going to take up the whole surface I think everybody that has played here knew it wasn't going to work," Glaser noted.
City officials from Lewes have not provided a response to inquiries. Although Glaser holds hope that the city will explore alternative solutions
"I think the city is well aware of what the pickleball community thinks and I think they are trying to figure out what to do because they were very hopeful that this latest repair was going to take care of it."
The court serves a dual purpose, catering to both pickleball and tennis.
Players are urging the city to designate a court exclusively for pickleball use. In the meantime, players are using courts at local schools, although this option will become less accessible once school is back in session.