Tennis has been a big part of Carl Back’s life since he was a kid, starting in elementary school. He remembers visiting his parents on Marco Island in the ’80s and playing for fun there, as well as in Connecticut and Massachusetts where he used to live. Back moved to Marco Island six years ago but has been a member of its club for a decade. Now, he and other tennis players might have to find another place to play.
In October, the Marco Island City Council gave the green light to design plans for Phase 1 of rebuilding the city-owned racquet club. The $786,000 project will involve taking out two clay tennis courts and putting in eight pickleball courts. If Phase 2 gets the go-ahead, the tennis courts will be completely removed to make space for 24 pickleball courts.
Back thinks it’s all about money for the city of Marco Island. The racquet club has 405 pickleball members and 430 people on the waiting list. On the other hand, there are about 80 tennis members with plenty of spots available at the club. A tennis membership costs $360, which is more than double the $180 cost of a pickleball membership. However, maintaining clay tennis courts costs about $5,000 a year, while a pickleball court can last about five years before needing to be resurfaced.
“I mean, I can’t blame them for that, because there’s definitely a high demand for pickleball,” Back said.