Where to Play Pickleball in Ventura County and...What IS Pickleball?

Pickleball court at Del Prado Playgrounds in Newbury Park.

According to www.whatispickleball.com, pickleball is oversized ping pong played on a badminton sized court with a tennis sized net. Pickleball originated in Bainsbridge Island, Washington in 1965 when congressman Joel Pritchard and his friend Bill Bell created the game for their families to play.

Pickleball is played with a perforated plastic ball similar to a wiffle ball that weighs about an ounce and composite or wooden paddles about twice the size of ping pong paddles. Pickleball is an indoor/outdoor sport that is easy to learn and, like tennis and ping pong, can be played singles or doubles. Learn more about pickleball at www.usapa.org.

Today, the sport of pickleball is governed in the U.S. by the USA Pickleball Association. which was founded in 2005 to promote the sport. There are over 3.3 million pickleball players and over 8,500 pickleball courts across the country.

Pickleball is growing in popularity here in the Ventura County area. Here is a list of pickleball courts in and around Ventura County.

• Thousand Oaks:

  • Two pickleball courts at Del Prado Playfield in the Dos Vientos section of Newbury Park. Lighted from sunset to 10pm.

  • Six courts at Rancho Conejo Playfield in Newbury Park

  • Three indoor courts at the Thousand Oaks Community Center

  • Two courts (bring your own net) at Estella Park.

• Westlake Village: The City of Westlake Village is constructing four pickleball courts for public use at Westlake Village Community Park, 31107 Thousand Oaks Boulevard. The courts will be located in the northeast corner of the existing parking lot, east of the Yarrow Family YMCA and south of the skate park. Anticipated to be completed by late spring 2024. Updates at www.wlv.org/pickleball.

• Simi Valley:

  • Pickleball courts at Rancho Tapo Community Park, 3700 Avenida Simi.

  • Pickleball courts at Rancho Simi Community Park, 1765 Royal Avenue.

• Oak Park: Pickleball courts at Deerhill Park, 6700 Doubletree Road

• Port Hueneme: Pickleball is available at Walter B. Moranda Park, 200 Moranda Parkway, Port Hueneme. Visit www.ci.port-hueneme.ca.us for more information.

• Moorpark: Pickleball courts at Tierra Rejada Park, 11900 Mountain Trail Street open 8am to sunset at dual tennis/pickleball courts at Miller Park, 4530 Miller Parkway open 7am to 10pm.

• Camarillo:

  • Six pickleball courts (4 permanent, 2 dual use courts) at Bob Kildee Community Park, 1030 Temple Avenue.

  • Two dual use courts with lights and rollaway nets at Springville Park, 81 Via Zamora. as well as at Pitts Ranch Park, 1400 Flynn Road.

  • Visit camarillopickleball.fun to connect with other pickleball players.

  • There are four indoor pickleball courts at Camarillo Athletics that can be reserved for a fee. Located at 487 Dawson Drive #3S. camarilloathletics.com

• Ventura www.cityofventura.ca.gov/pickleball

  • Harry A. Lyon Park, 150 De Anza Drive, Ventura on Tuesdays from 3:30pm to dusk and Saturdays from 9am to noon.

  • Juanamaria Park, Kimball Road and Loma Vista Road on Thursdays from 3:30pm to dusk and 2pm to dusk.

• Ojai www.ojaivalleypickleball.com

  • City Hall Grounds, 401 S. Ventura Street, Ojai.

  • The Ojai Recreation Department offers Drop-In Indoor Pickleball at the John G. Martin Gymnasium at Sarzotti Park, 350 Park Road, on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. through March 7, 2024. Thereafter, play will continue on Saturdays starting March 16, 2024. $3 per person. Ages 16+. ojairec.com/389/Pickleball-Courts

Clubs:

Ventura County Pickleball Club

Ventura County Youth Pickleball camarilloathletics.com/ventura-county-pickleball-league