Pickleball Prime Opens Mineola Courts, Drawing 300 Fans on Day One

When the first wave of pickleball's suburban boom flooded every public park court and rec center on Long Island, the question that followed was obvious to anyone holding a paddle: where does the sport go when the outdoor courts fill up and the weather turns? Pickleball Prime's grand opening in Mineola on March 28 is one clear answer.

More than 300 people attended opening day at the converted former Great Neck Saw warehouse at 205 East Second Street, crowding a mezzanine to watch matches on the 10 Pro-cushion indoor courts below while complimentary pizza made the rounds. For a region where dedicated indoor pickleball space has been scarce, the turnout signaled something beyond curiosity.

The club is a family operation. Maggie Regan co-owns the venue with her father, John Coughlin, and her brother, Kevin Coghlan, who spent much of 2025 working through Mineola's village approval process before converting the warehouse into a climate-controlled court facility. The finished space includes permanent nets, locker rooms and a mezzanine that serves double duty as a private event venue. Golf simulators were added specifically to diversify revenue and keep the facility running year-round.

Getting court time after the opening rush is a question of knowing the system. All reservations run through CourtReserve, and non-members can book up to seven days out. Prime time slots are priced at $60 per hour; off-peak windows come in lower. A Founding Member tier is still available, which covers court time during weekday off-peak hours between noon and 4 p.m. as part of the membership package. That tier was structured to reward early sign-ups and reflects the club's strategy of building a committed base before normalizing to standard rates.

For beginners, the real entry point isn't court rental; it's open play. The rotating format lets anyone drop into existing sessions and meet players at comparable levels without needing to arrive with a pre-formed group of four. Clinics with Long Island-based pros handle the fundamentals side, and a structured league calendar provides a path from casual drop-in to someone with a regular game.

The founders built the schedule to extend into early mornings and late evenings, a deliberate choice to serve shift workers and commuters who can't make traditional midday sessions. On a Long Island where demand for dedicated court space has consistently outpaced supply, that flexibility may prove just as important as the Pro-cushion surface itself.