Lady Lake to replace tennis court with six dedicated pickleball courts

Lady Lake is turning a long-shared corner of Guava Street Athletic Complex into a full pickleball destination. Work is set to begin May 11, 2026, and the project will convert the site to six dedicated pickleball courts, replacing the old tennis setup that has forced players to share space with other users.

That is a major shift for a facility that now lists four baseball fields, one tennis court, two pickleball courts, one basketball court and four handball courts, with the tennis, basketball, handball and pickleball areas all first-come, first-served. The before-and-after is easy to picture: a mixed-use strip that has served Little League, casual tennis, pickup basketball and open play will come out of construction with a clearer identity and far less court-collision.

The move did not happen overnight. On April 24, 2025, town staff said there had been a complaint about the condition of the tennis and pickleball courts and that money would be budgeted for repairs. By May 22, 2025, the Parks and Recreation Director called the resurfacing of Guava Street the department’s biggest investment for the next year and proposed $350,000 for repaving and resurfacing. That same plan called for eliminating tennis and creating six pickleball courts.

The project kept moving through the fall. On September 25, 2025, the town manager said conversations had begun with a contractor to restore the pickleball courts, basketball court and handball court. On October 2, 2025, the town said a potential contractor had discussed restoring the courts and converting the tennis court into up to six pickleball courts. By February 12, 2026, the commission was told the court restoration project was moving forward and that the transition to six dedicated pickleball courts would eliminate tennis in line with current community demand and usage trends.

On April 9, 2026, the town said it had met with NIDY Courts about reconstruction, including six pickleball courts, elimination of tennis and black perimeter fencing for a more modern appearance. That fencing matters, because this is not just a paint job. It is a visible reset for a complex that is being reworked around how people actually use it.

The timing also fits the bigger game. USA Pickleball says April is National Pickleball Month and puts participation at more than 24.3 million players. The Sports & Fitness Industry Association says pickleball was the fastest-growing sport in the U.S. for the fourth consecutive year in 2025, with participation rising from about 4.2 million in 2020 to more than 24 million in 2025. In Lady Lake, that surge is now being written into the concrete at Guava Street, where pickleball is moving from shared-space status to a permanent municipal priority.