Arroyo, Puerto Rico Courts

Just recently family duties led me to a trip to the town in Puerto Rico where I grew up. FYI, Arroyo's almost directly due south of San Juan, clear across the Island. It's been over ten years since I was there but one thing I remembered seeing last I was there was handball courts. Knowing this, of course I brought my D.E. and a can of Mr. Wilson's finest and my hopes to get some time on the courts if they'd not been torn down. To my surprise, the courts were still standing and as you will see by the pics, in not too bad condition.

A little about the area these courts are at: this was a formerly light industrial area which is now known as "El Malecon" and now's pretty much the center of Arroyo's night-life and celebrations. This little town has always thrown parties year round- from dances to a Mardi Gras-style carnival to the local patron saint's celebrations- El Malecon is now the place to be evenings and weekends. And wouldn't you know it- 2 blocks west are the courts you see below?
The courts themselves are "New York-style," that is, an upright wall without the sides as seen on the typical Hollywood configuration. 

What can I say? I got there early and was excited just to be practicing my favorite sport in the place I lived as a kid! The last time I even stepped foot on the ground in that area was many years ago and here I was getting ready to hit a few... Hard to express all my feelings at the time- but among them was the feeling of being "home."

On the courts

Contrary to what I thought as I approached them, these unlighted courts' ground surfaces are smooth- The Historic Court's "A" court's in rougher shape! I had to patrol the area for stray debris and kick some sand off the courts but over all, the floor surfaces were in great shape. It's great to play near the ocean, as Historic Courts players will tell you- and here's no exception; steps away is the Caribbean Ocean. And when you finish, you can stroll on down to El Malecon and grab yourself a cold one as we do at Hollywood Beach! What could be finer?

Here's the beefs

Yeah, I got 'em, dang it. I guess I'm spoiled to the Historic Courts. There in Arroyo is a great little facility if the town would only realize it and put a little work into it. The courts are at a great location- why not add a couple more and light them for evening play? Set up a pro-shop nearby to sell equipment, and promote the courts- Boricuas are a sociable and competitive bunch that love sports! I'm thinking the kids would come out in droves to play and be seen there and the adults would soon follow making the Courts an integral part of the afternoon, evening and weekend Malecon social scene. 

The courts themselves, as I said, are smooth. The walls? Seemingly smooth but after a few dozen hits one realizes there are dead spots that cause weird bounces... C'est la vie, right? You gotta play the courts! On my wish list (which I may never see fulfilled) for these great courts are: Fencing for the top of the wall- (hit the ball too hard and it's going into the Caribbean Ocean)- and fencing around the courts to keep the ball in. I found myself having to go across the street various time after misses. A few more modest wishes would be for the courts to be power washed, the walls and new lines painted. The long line looked the right distance from the wall to be the back line for the "tennis ball" and marking up a 3 foot line and serving ticks would be a cinch!.
If you make it out here  bring a tape measure, chalk (to lay out and mark the lines) and also bring a cooler with your favorite sports drinks or brewskis. Facilities are not available but are nearby at local businesses.

Despite my "beefs" above? I just loved practicing here! I was able to do it twice and wish I'd have brought an extra paddle for my kid to hit a few with me. Next time!!
You just gotta play in paradise, readers!

Below are thumbnails of pics of the courts. Click on a thumb-nail to enlarge the picture, hit your backspace key on your keyboard or click the "Back" button on your browser to return to this page.  

Back to top

North Miami Beach

Located just off Dixie Highway in North Miami Beach is a set of courts that could very well be a haven for out "Tennis Ball" paddleball game. Why? Well, for one- the courts are part of the Arthur I Snyder Tennis Center in North Miami Beach- and the 3 one-wall courts there have all the markings for our game.

I visited these courts twice,  last weekend in January just to scope them out. I stopped by Saturday. I was lucky enough to run into a crew playing Paleta Fronton on the eastern court and excitedly sat down to watch. I introduced myself and got to talking with the players and eventually asked if I could try a few points and found their game to be fun and challenging! I could tell the volleys might go on and on! We exchanged numbers and will be playing again sometime soon. I'll be sure to bring a can of new Wilsons and some paddles so they can try our game! Let's see who can "hook" whom.

I went back the next day to take the pictures you see thumbnails of below- and to "test drive" the courts.

On the courts

East court- Yausa! I broke out my paddles and a new Wilson for this bad boy. Overall, in my opinion, the eastern court's the best they have there for our Paddleball and Paleta Fronton. The wall's about 50 feet wide- with just one court dead-center of it. This allows you to miss the wall by more than a few and still not have to chase the ball- as with the Arroyo courts up above! (I'd still prefer playing on my "home courts-" but that's just me!). The wall's lively and solid, the floor surface texture even and all the lines are there. There are cracks on the floor but nowhere near as bad as the Historic Courts' "A" court or any others for that matter. Bounces were true and the ball got plenty of traction to do its traction thang!

West courts- Two courts for the price of one! You know I had to hit on these courts too! I even got to play a quick first-to-seven game with one of the caretakers of the tennis courts- but that's for another story. On the court floor, there are faint division lines between the differing slabs of concrete causing it to bounce erratically- but again nowhere near as bad as our "A" or "D" court. Floor surfaces are relatively smooth but the textures vary on each slab. We can get used to that!  The wall? Solid as they come. One doesn't hear a dead spot on them! Bounces were true all over this baby!

Here's the Beef

Well- whattaya want? Despite the fact that these courts could very well become a haven for Tennis Ball Paddleball, yeah, there are some beefs! The eastern court's the choice court to play on due to its uniform floor surface. The beef on this one? It'd be nice to have a back-stop! Be aware also, that there's railroad tracks that run along the eastern side of the courts- when a freight train comes by, you're gonna know it! 
On the west side? On the floor, the courts have that different textured slab running through them and on the wall... well, they fit two 20 foot courts on a 50 foot wall. There's about 6 feet between the courts and 1 foot on either side, left and right courts. One would be doin' the "bump" with the player on the next court and one mis-hit and one would be chasing the ball down to the east court! I guess that'd be great incentive to keep the ball in, huh? Also- If you look at the pics below, you'll see the lines: big ol' 4 inch thick black lines- what's up with that? One can just imagine when a ball hits these- it's gonna slide off like it was greased!

Overall? This is a great place to get a few games in going if you're in the area! There's a cold water fountain right outside the entrance gate and there are drink vending machines and bathroom facilities over at the Tennis Center- Parking's free, too! I was told that there's tennis ball paddleball games going on Saturday mornings... hmmmm...

Back to Top

Central Islip, NY

If anyplace I can call my "Home Courts," these are the ones. After moving to the "suburbs" from Brooklyn, NY in 1974, I found these courts at the corner of Clayton Street  and Whatever road. Called the "Rec-" short for Recreation Center, this was just one of the facilities located there. There were 2 basketball courts, 2 Tennis courts (long left to the weeds), an activities building and even available restrooms at times. 
Back in "da day,"  handball ruled there. There was a feverish crew I fell in with back then and handball fever is what we had. I remember playing handball there anytime we could- Spring, Summer, Fall and "warm" Winter days. 
These were (and are still) unlighted courts so we'd pull our cars up and play by their headlights if we didn't finish our games by nightfall. The "fever" was such that and times some guys played until their hands bled. No problem- some tape wrapped around the hand and right back to hittin' that "Spaldine" again!

Then along came Paddleball and some of us just gravitated to that game. At first we used our "Spaldines" but then moved on to the faster "Seamco" brand 555 ball. Using paddles from Marcraft and such, we could play all day without hurtin' hands and play we did! With no gate at times we'd have to run  to beat the ball to the drain at the far end of the parking lot. 

Thirty plus years later, I was on the same courts I played at - but this time with my son and hitting a tennis ball instead of a Seamco 555. And wouldn't you know it? I had my trusty digital camera with me. 

On The Courts

Though not perfect, most court surfaces are fair to good. No large cracks are found anywhere on the courts. The walls? The eastern courts are the better ones and if you look, you'll notice the graffiti painted over, the better to see the black-balls or big blues. Guess which is the "A" court? It was always so. If you look closely at the walls, you'll notice small divots; these in a pattern across the wall- probably from the molds used when they poured the walls. Also, if you notice, you'll see a steel drum which is used as a garbage receptacle- placed in the entrance of the courts- that's to stop the ball from going out into the parking lot. To this day, the Town of Islip has not seen fit to put up a gate there. Lucky for us, our tennis balls' felt kept them from rolling the whole length of the lot to the drain- but blackballs and big blues roll down like there's a black hole drawing them in almost inevitably in a beeline to the drain.

The western courts are the "C" side due to the fact they have more graffiti and surface  imperfections. No matter- despite that, while I was there people were using the walls to practice. On the court behind the "A," I do remember one big divot that somehow we all used to hit balls into causing instant "hindu" calls. And guess what? It's still there, big as life! No exaggerations: it's big enough to hold a racquetball.

Overall, the courts are in good shape! The walls are solid, rebounding that big yella' ball like they're supposed to. Beware of the little divots- you'll get erratic bounces off those! Floor bounces are consistent- I loved the pebbly texture of the floors here. This stuff's held up well since the 60's and that tennis ball just loved it as it was getting great traction!

The beefs

Well, even though I've got a sentimental spot in m'heart for this place, I always found something I'd make better and now is no different. Those courts have been there since the 1960's. The Town of Islip, NY only gave them the slightest bit of attention when the hard-core handball and paddleball players complained they'd gotten so bad you could not see the ball on the wall due to the graffiti- or they were just plain embarrassed into it by the Seniors that attended the Recreation Center's programs. 
At times, the paint just weathered, cracking and peeling away. Despite that lack of care and attention, the courts have survived fairly well- a testament to good construction. I do believe the Town tries to keep fresh paint up but the vandals just can't resist a blank wall, can they?
How to make these courts better? Paint 'em up; the gray's just fine cuz almost any color ball shows up well. I can't imagine an old pink Spaldine doing so- but who uses those for handball anymore anyhow? Put up fencing at the top of the walls- the poles are already there, what the hey? Repair the fencing around the courts, put up a fence with a gate between the basketball courts and put up a gate at the parking lot entrance. Players will appreciate and take care of it, I'd bet. Just so not to have to run balls down the lot! And put up lights with timers. Having lights there will allow for night play and keep the miscreants away because no longer will they be able to skulk around in the shadows. I've a good mind to send a link to this review to some Town of Islip officials... Bet- I will! This place has a history and deserves more attention! If you build it up, people will use it, I assure you! Us players are creatures of habit- once we find a good place to play, we go back again and again and don't take kindly to "outsiders" messing it up.

If you go  Be aware there are no facilities nearby and no water fountains: act accordingly. Bring your tape measure and chalk because there's no low line or serving ticks and that long line is way back! Other than that, be ready to have fun- this is a great place to play and you're sure to get challenges from the locals. The die-hards love to wall-bang!

Below are thumbnails of pics of the courts. Click on a thumb-nail to enlarge the picture, hit your backspace key on your keyboard or click the "Back" button on your browser to return to this page. 

Back to Top

Dorsey Park, Miami

We found these courts by accident one evening while driving around looking for the "Night-Tennis" venue featured elsewhere on the website. I saw the the one wall and remarked about it as I usually do but had no time to go see them as we had a place to be.
That next Sunday, my son and I went and did the Celebrity 5k and that put us back in Miami. Driving back on 95 North, we saw the Night Tennis venue from the road, a coming exit and I just had to go there and take the exit to go look for the courts.
I found the park where these courts are at on the corner of North West 8th Ave and North West 1st Street, found a parking spot and grabbed our emergency paddle, a chipped up GSP Woodie and another I always keep in the car for such "emergencies," a couple of lightly-used tennis balls and off we went to try these courts. The main entrance was closed so we had to walk a ways over a grassy field. To the left was a well-maintained softball diamond, ahead of us, a new workout trail and what we had come to see: the court! There's also 2 three-wall courts but those aren't the ones we came here for- we came for the 1 wall!

On the court

This unlighted hard court-floored "straggler" stands tall there at Dorsey Park and the court's shared by a B-Ball backboard behind it. The court looks almost like the Paleta Fronton courts I've seen- that is, the wall at the right width dimension surrounded by fencing. I didn't have my trusty tape to measure the court out but the court's floor dimensions looked about right. The wall? I said "stands tall" and it does it ever, though I can't say say how high- just that I know it's taller than the Historic Courts'.
We started hittin' and found the bounces off the wall lively and consistent. The high wall allowed for me to flip the ball up HIGH and with spin gettin' some "strange" shots in. Bounces off the hard court were good, predictable and lively. The floor lineage, though not fresh is still visible and very playable. 

The Beefs

Aw, you know that with such a facility there'd be some, right? It seems to me that this court's barely used. What gets more use are the B-Ball rims- so the lineage for the paddleball court hasn't been maintained for a while but the back-rim's lines are all there in stark white contrast to the court's green floor. Go figure. To their credit here, the wall is devoid of graffiti and that's a good thing- but it could use a fresh coat of paint. The floor? it's better than our "A" court, though it could use a power washing to get rid of the mung that's settled on the floor. The lineage is not "per regulations" but our modality's rules allow for such a thing. And if you look at the pics, you'll see cracks along and inside the out line which may create some kicks when the ball comes off the line. What else on the wish list? A back-stop would be nice and additional fencing to keep the ball in would also be desirable. In my desire to always leave a place better than I found it, I cleaned up a bit and did find some stuff I'd not normally want around my playground but I've seen worse for sure. And what's with wasting the west side of this wall and not putting a court-floor there? What do I know?

If you go

Bring refreshments and make your pit-stops before you come here as there are no facilities. I may be wrong in saying that because there is a recreation center onsite but it wasn't open when we were there. Don't assume it will be when you go! Bring your tape measure and your chalk to measure out your long line and serving ticks and bang away. Though somewhat off the beaten path, this is a really nice facility- go try it out and have yourself some fun!

Below are thumbnails of pics of the courts. Click on a thumb-nail to enlarge the picture, hit your backspace key on your keyboard or click the "Back" button on your browser to return to this page. 

Flamingo Park, Miami

Take 195 east, get off at Alton Road south and take yourself a left at 14th Street, go to the end of the road and find yourself a parking spot.
Long a haven for the small-ball paddleball modality, these courts are the gathering place for many an area paddleball player and home of the APSA tournaments. 
Here, I'm rating two sets of courts- the 2 Big Yellow Courts and the 6 small-ball courts. 
These lighted courts are part of a great facility that include a doggie-park, a pool, tennis courts, a full basketball court, four 4-wall racquetball courts and our favorites- the paddleball courts!

On the courts

The 2 "Big Yellow" courts are the first thing one sees as one approaches the park from the south side. I've hit here often (though I've never played a match) to know these are great courts! The lineage is clear and sharp, court floor surfaces are smooth and the walls very lively. Another thing I like about these courts are the smooth out lines on those walls- You can hit the out line and still remain "in." 

The 6 "Small-Ball" courts? Very nice! Though I'm not a small-ball player anymore, I've played here and found it a great place to play. Floor surfaces are consistently smooth, lines are flush and the walls are lively. What more could one want?

Here's the beef!

Not really many at all! The only thing one might want is more space between the courts. At times I've seen players almost butt-to-butts on these courts when serving or awaiting serves due to the fact the courts are about 4 feet apart.  Getting used to that slight grade from the walls to the back line also takes a bit of getting used to. Lighting out on the courts is not quite "all that," brighter on one court than others.

If you go:

These courts are easy to find: be there or be square Saturdays and Sundays and be ready to play some small-ball, cuz that's the main game here- but if you go around to courts 1 & 2, there you'll find courts suitable for our game, "Big Yellow." Break out your tape measure, mark out your long lines and serving ticks and "get it on!" There are facilities nearby and a cold water fountain. Check these courts outs and you'll agree- They gotta convert some of those other courts to Big Yellow!

Below are thumbnails of pics of the courts. Click on a thumb-nail to enlarge the picture, hit your backspace key on your keyboard or click the "Back" button on your browser to return to this page. 

Back to Top