East Hampton adds free summer tennis courts at Lions Field

Lions Field has quietly become one of the easiest places in East Hampton to get on court without a club card or a long lead time. The town now lists two tennis courts there as available for play without reservation, and the same space is also marked for pickleball, which makes it especially useful for summer players who want a flexible public option in Montauk.

Lions Field gives Montauk a simpler public option

For anyone trying to squeeze in tennis around beach days, family schedules, and the rest of the East End summer rush, the Lions Field update matters because it is straightforward: show up and play. The larger park is open year-round from 9 a.m. to sunset unless otherwise permitted, and the court listing itself emphasizes that no reservation is needed. That puts Lions Field squarely in the town’s public-access lane, not the private-club model that dominates so much of Hamptons tennis.

The town’s public-court map

Lions Field is only one piece of East Hampton’s public tennis network. The Springs Youth Association courts, three in all, sit at the Springs Recreation Area behind Springs School and are first come, first served with no reservations needed. Lt. Lee Hayes Youth Park in Amagansett has two tennis courts, and the Abrahams Path recreational facility adds two more at 385 Abrahams Path, while Montauk also has two tennis courts with additional pickleball lines plus separate stand-alone pickleball courts nearby.

That spread is the real story. East Hampton is not selling players one centralized mega-complex, it is building a patchwork of neighborhood courts that can serve residents and guests across the town. The recreation department says its mission is to provide a wide variety of safe recreational opportunities for all ages, and its site makes clear that it oversees a large network of parks, beaches, and programs rather than just a handful of marquee locations.

How the rules shape court time

The town’s tennis rules are what make that public network workable, and they also tell you how to use it respectfully. Courts are for tennis use only, play is limited to one hour if others are waiting, dogs are not allowed, trash should be removed, unauthorized commercial activity is prohibited, and court use is at your own risk. In practice, that means public tennis in East Hampton is meant to turn over quickly and stay open to as many players as possible.

East Hampton’s Parks Department also says expanding accessible opportunities at town facilities is an ongoing and evolving project, and it strongly recommends calling 631-324-2417 before visiting to understand what to expect. If you want the latest program information, the recreation calendar directs residents to sign up for Notify Me and select Recreation under the Calendar category. That is the town’s clearest cue for staying ahead of seasonal changes, youth clinics, and other recreation updates.

What this means for a summer player

For local players, the practical takeaway is simple: the most reliable public tennis time in East Hampton is no longer tied to a single place or a single plan. Lions Field gives Montauk a no-reservation option, Springs offers first come, first served courts behind Springs School, and the other town sites widen the net for anyone chasing court time without joining a private club. When courts are shared and the one-hour waiting rule is in effect, you know the system is built for turnover, which helps casual players and families fit in a hit without overplanning.

That also makes the town’s mix of tennis and pickleball lines more useful, not less. Lions Field, the Springs courts, and the Montauk courts all reflect the same idea: make one public surface serve more than one kind of player, and do it in places people already know. For summer tennis in the Hamptons, that is as close as East Hampton gets to a dependable public playbook.

The names behind the courts

The court map carries local history, too. Lt. Lee Hayes Youth Park was formally renamed in October 2021 for Lt. Lee A. Hayes, a Tuskegee Airman, and the park itself sits at the corner of Town Lane and Abrahams Path with tennis courts alongside an oval track, inline hockey rink, basketball court, playground, skateboard park, picnic tables, a clubhouse, ADA-accessible rest rooms, a changing table, and parking. Lions Field in Montauk was dedicated in May 1999 as Henry “Hank” Zebrowski Memorial Park at the request of the Montauk Lions Club, honoring a teacher and athletic director at Montauk School.

East Hampton Village has also kept tennis in the public conversation by adding three brand-new courts in the Herrick Park renovation project. Put together, the village and town updates show the same pattern from different angles: public tennis access across the East End is still being built out one park at a time.

Lions Field is now part of that pattern in the most practical way possible, as another place where East Hampton players can pull up, check the court, and get a public hit in without the usual club-side planning. That is exactly the kind of summer access local tennis has been asking for.