Wollman Rink’s Pickle Courts Will Now Be A Summer Staple

The fourteen courts that replaced the Central Park ice-skating facilities at the Wollman Rink last summer–which made them the largest pickleball locale in the city–will return this year, and will be a seasonal mainstay through 2026, at least.

CityPickle, which operates the courts in conjunction with Wollman Partners, noted that a whopping 56,000 picklers participated in the inaugural season; starting this May 1, they hope to replicate that success. Court bookings opened up at noon on April 24, and can be pursued at this link.* The courts will be open between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. daily. Hourly prices will range from $80 to $120, depending on off-peak hours.

Courts can also be reserved under a “cabana” option, for parties that may want a shaded space to lounge in. Cabana courts cost $120.

There are also a variety of specialty events that bookers can pursue: private sessions, open play, and even leagues.

Being a player with some experience clearly helps with cost. A session of open play on opening day for “advanced” picklers will only cost $10. A two-hour community play session on May 2, which will run from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., will cost the same. Some events have membership discounts.

For those that don’t want to reserve in advance, there are some “drop-in” options. For example, “May Breakfast Club” will be kicking off on opening day, and will run from 8 a.m.-11 a.m. on weekdays. It will cost $40 to sign-up, however.

”The goal of CityPickle at Wollman Rink is to make pickleball accessible to as many people as possible offering 182 hours of daily play, with pricing options designed to reach all New Yorkers,” CityPickle said in an official release.

The courts will not have to be taken down once the season ends in the fall; they’ll merely be subsumed under the ice rinks for the winter. They’ll also be resurfaced with a material that allows them to drain better after inclement weather.

Outdoor pickleball in NYC isn’t confined to Wollman Rink, of course. In fact, most outdoor pickle courts around town are free, whether they have the blessing of the city’s Parks Department or not. Outside of cost, the largest difference between free courts and pay-to-play ones is the democratic tussle over how to use universally accessible space. In other words, some courts have attracted opposition in some neighborhoods from residents who would rather see that public parks are left free-range, to allow for other recreational uses.

In fact, some of this rancor has happened just north of Wollman Rink, on Central Park’s handball courts. The New York Times reported that an enigmatic man who went by “Paddleball Paul”–and claimed that he was 97 years-old–took great issue with picklers utilizing the free space.

In the UES’s Carl Schurz Park (to the rear of Gracie Mansion), three informal courts set up by enthusiasts were turned into painted ones by the Park Department–but not before a series of tiffs between locals. After all, the space used to be an open play area. One man who wanted to play frisbee with his son nearly got into fisticuffs with the pickler squad, which didn’t deter the city from eventually splaying the agency’s signature leaf logo everywhere.

In Greenwich Village, local parents shut down pickleball entirely at the Corporal John A. Servalli playground, after they protested that adults playing the up-and-coming sport had monopolized the children’s entire play area. A Change.org petition that implored residents to “Save NYC’s Seravalli Playground (aka Horatio Park) from the Pickleball Takeover,” which is still visible online, has collected 3,358 signatures. A “No Pickleball” sign now hangs on the park fence.

Pricey pickle experiences aren’t exclusive to Wollman Rink, of course. Some wealthy New Yorkers will undoubtedly demand the option to play no matter the weather, and upscale indoor pickleball offerings intend on catering to them. Life Time Fitness, the ritzy chain that maintains eight separate locations across Manhattan, recently opened seven new pickleball courts at its Penn Station-adjacent PENN 1 gym. For a $329-a-month “Premier” membership, picklers will get access to the courts, plus two others located at Life Time’s W. 42nd St. “Sky” gym. A $299-a-month “Standard” membership won’t cut it.

CityPickle also maintains pickleball facilities in Long Island City, which book at the same prices as Wollman Rink’s courts.

Court bookings can be found at the following link: citypickle.podplay.app/book