Troup County Pickleball Complex: The new pickleball complex in LaGrange opened on Friday, August 15, and has already seen heavy use from players of all ages. The $4.6 million facility, located on Ragland Street, includes 19 courts and is free for the public to use without sign-ups.
Strong Community Response
Parks & Recreation Director Lance Dennis said the courts were busy even in the rain.
“It has been full. The rains got us this week, but Saturday was totally full and Sunday night was totally full,”. “I’ve had people playing out there from age five to man age 87 playing.”(Lance Dennis)
Over the first weekend, all 19 courts were in use at once. Dennis noted that players of all ages and skill levels have been coming.
“Sometimes we’ll go out there, and the whole crowd will be between the ages of 18 and 30. And then sometimes you go out there, and it’s an older crowd.
Then sometimes it’s a mix. The other night, most of them were college and high school kids, and then I’ve been out there before, and it was just families playing with a mom, dad, and a five-year-old and an eight-year-old,” (Lance Dennis).
Background and Funding
The project was funded by several grants and local support. The Callaway Foundation donated 2.5 acres of land and $750,000. Troup County also received $2.2 million in grant money from the Governor’s Office in ARPA funds. The City of LaGrange contributed $350,000.
The county had long faced challenges meeting the needs of pickleball players. Courts at the Mike Daniel Recreation Center were often overcrowded, and attempts to share tennis courts created conflicts.
“We didn’t really have a place for them to play other than inside the Mike Daniel Center. We had three little courts in the hockey ring, so the pickleballers wanted to play at the tennis courts, but then they wanted to put lines on the courts,” (Lance Dennis).
“But when we had a junior [tennis] tournament, we had to go back and pay $1,200 to take the lines off, and then $1200 put them back on again,
because the juniors were not allowed to play with those additional lines on the court that were there for pickleball, and the nets were different heights for tennis and pickleball.”
Pickleball Association Plans
The newly formed Troup Pickleball Association is helping organize activities at the facility. President Barrett Orendorph said another opening event will be held on Saturday, August 23, to teach people how to play.
“They’re going to instruct people on how to play and just give them the basics and try and make pickleball available to anyone,” (Barrett Orendorph).
Membership in the association is optional, but required for leagues and tournaments. Fees go toward maintaining the courts.
“If you want to just come up and play, there is no charge, and you can play from now until doomsday, and you do not have to pay, but if you want to participate in the league activities, you have to join the league, and it’s very expensive. It’s $27 a year,” (Barrett Orendorph).
The group, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, already has 105 members after just one week.
“That’s pretty good for a week in existence,” (Barrett Orendorph).
Looking Ahead
The new complex addresses a long-standing need for more pickleball courts in Troup County. With free access, community support, and plans for leagues and tournaments, it is expected to remain busy year-round.
News in Brief: Troup County Pickleball Complex
LaGrange’s new $4.6 million pickleball complex opened August 15 with 19 free-to-use courts. Crowds of all ages quickly filled the facility. Funded by grants and local support, the site will also host leagues and tournaments through the Troup Pickleball Association, which already has over 100 members in its first week.