A New-Old Place For Pickleball

It didn't take long for pickleballers to descend upon the new Henning Park courts

Henning Park court improvements come to fruition

By Ken DeLaat
Photo by Mark Pitzer

It doesn’t take long to recognize the booming popularity of the absurdly named net and paddle game known as Pickleball and nowhere is said  popularity more apparent than at the corner of Darling and Maple in Fremont.
There you will find the impressive P-Ball courts constructed a bit over 2 years ago and witness a constant stream of twosomes  putting their game up against competitors with skill levels stretching from beginners to ‘if you’re going to be on the court with me you better be a serious player and for pity’s sake learn to stay out of the kitchen’.
Yeah, personal experience.

Adherents of the game are perpetually searching for places to ply their pickleball prowess and most possess the ability to sniff out a potential court from an impressive distance.

And now a new sextet of courts will be drawing pickleballers to Henning Park. Behind a collaborative effort the Newaygo County  Parks Department has taken the old tennis courts used for many years as a makeshift place for matches and created a stellar set that will see players from throughout the region taking advantage of the new digs. And one can easily predict there will be a number of pickleballing  campers who  wander over from their site to knock the ball around a bit.
These are indeed beauties with new fencing, new permanent nets and total resurfacing.
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"I want to thank the local Newaygo County Pickleball Club, Newaygo Community Recreation Authority, and Newaygo TIFA for their financial assistance with the project,” said NC Parks Director Nick Smith. “  We have seen a dramatic uptick in users and a lot of new faces on the courts. We hope to see even more people in the future once the word gets out about how great the Park and courts are."

Six more spots to welcome those who have picked up a paddle and joined the ranks of a burgeoning bevy of  enthusiasts.
Play on, pickleballers, play on.
And if you’re a novice?
Just try to stay out of the kitchen.