East Hampton Updates Lions Field Courts: Two Open, Also Marked Pickleball

The Town of East Hampton updated its Lions Field facility page to show two public courts are available for play without reservation and are marked for pickleball; the entry on the Lions Field (listed as “South Emerson”) is truncated in the town copy and ends with the word “cont.” The updated Lions Field listing is presented on the town facility page for the site but does not include a visible update date in the excerpt provided.

The change builds on recent municipal athletic work described by town officials, including an installation earlier this year of a multipurpose field “suitable for a variety of sports.” At the Abrahams Path Recreational Facility, located at 385 Abrahams Path in Amagansett, engineering is complete for three pickleball courts and the Town Board is looking to go to construction; Abrahams Path already houses two volleyball courts, two tennis courts, a basketball court, a baseball field and an indoor sports rink. Town Councilman David Lys framed the expansions as a response to demand: “It’s one of those needs that have been requested by a large amount of people, and one of those offerings that the Town of East Hampton now can offer residents for recreation,” said Town Councilman David Lys.

Town officials signaled broad political support for the program at a recent board session. At a Town Board work session on Tuesday, October 21, all other Town Board members were supportive of the pickleball expansions. Separately, the Fred Thiele Recreational Facility is under engineering review for site improvements that could include a new basketball court and a facelift for the volleyball court as part of the pickleball expansion; Fred Thiele currently contains two turf baseball diamonds, two batting cages, two multipurpose athletic fields, a small basketball court, two volleyball courts and a walking and jogging track.

The town’s Tennis Information page lists court inventories and addresses that local players use to plan sessions. Springs shows three courts at the Springs Youth Association Building, 60 Old Stone Highway, with pickleball lines; Amagansett lists two courts at Lt. Lee Hayes Youth Park, 306 Abrahams Path, and two courts at the Abrahams Path Recreational Facility; Montauk is listed as having two tennis courts with additional pickleball lines “at the end of South Emery Street,” plus two stand-alone pickleball courts next to those tennis courts. Separately, a local account notes three courts at the Montauk Playhouse and four outdoor courts elsewhere in Montauk; those counts may refer to additional Montauk sites.

East Hampton Village Foundation projects also factor into the local court picture. The foundation reported a ceremonial groundbreaking for Herrick Park renovations on March 17, 2023, when Bradford Billet presented the Village with a check for over 1 million dollars; Herrick Park Phase 1A was completed just before the 2023 summer season and the foundation says it built a new tennis area with three courts complete with sports lighting.

Private-sector shifts are part of the landscape as well. A local club post notes the club added platform tennis about 10 years ago, later added pickleball, and recently built three padel courts over two former tennis courts on its 24-acre property while considering further pickleball placement where noise “will not distract.”

Readers should note the town’s Lions Field entry uses the spelling “South Emerson” while the municipal Tennis Information page refers to Montauk courts at the “end of South Emery Street,” a discrepancy in naming that appears in official listings.