History of Pickleball in Grand Junction

Pickleball play in Grand Junction, Colo., began in 2009 when Nancy Friedman brought the sport with her from Arizona. She convinced Grand Junction Parks and Recreation to put pickleball lines on both sides of one tennis court at Lincoln Park and build two portable pickleball nets. That first year we had about 20 players involved and we played on weekdays, though it was not always possible to get at least four players to show up. As the number of players grew, we had lines painted on another tennis court and played seven days a week.

Nancy Friedman moved permanently to Arizona in 2012 and left us a legacy to upkeep. She passed the baton of pickleball leadership to George Gerson and Ken Hobbs.

In 2013, the eight existing tennis courts at Lincoln Park, which were in very bad shape, were replaced with four new tennis courts, four “starter” tennis courts for small children, and four dedicated pickleball courts.

While construction of the new courts at Lincoln Park was underway, pickleball lines were drawn on two existing tennis courts at Pineridge Park, located in the Redlands, so pickleball players had a place to play. After the Lincoln Park courts were completed, players petitioned GJ Parks and Rec to allow pickleballers to continue to use Pineridge Park as a second pickleball location. That gave us eight outdoor pickleball courts.

In 2014, GJ Parks and Rec painted pickleball lines in the Lincoln Park Barn so as to provide three indoor courts for use in the winter.

In 2016, it became evident the four “starter” tennis courts at Lincoln Park were hardly being used by junior tennis players. Since they were the right size for pickleball, GJ Parks and Rec added pickleball lines to those courts and that increased the number of outdoor pickleball courts in the City of Grand Junction to 12.

In 2017, the Pineridge courts were resurfaced, one tennis court was removed, and the number of pickleball courts was increased from four to six.

In 2022, lines for four pickleball courts were painted at the Bookcliff Activity Center giving us additional indoor courts for winter use.

As of mid-2022, we have 14 outdoor courts and seven indoor courts (for winter use) with more than 1,000 players in the Grand Valley (Grand Junction, Fruita, and Palisade).

A project, which will replace the four tennis courts at Lincoln Park with pickleball courts, is expected to be completed by end of October 2023. This will bring a total of 20 pickleball courts at Lincoln Park. In addition, the Pineridge courts will be resurfaced.

The Western Slope Pickleball Club, a 501(c)(7) nonprofit, was founded in 2016 under the leadership of diehard pickleball player Brenda Furnace. As the sport was rapidly growing in the valley, Furnace saw a need to further organize and unite pickleball players in western Colorado. The club’s primary objective is to grow the sport of pickleball in the Grand Junction area and work with GJ Parks and Rec to improve and increase our playing facilities. 

Organized pickleball in Grand Junction is 13 years old, and look how far we’ve come.

Article written by George Gerson, a pickleball pioneer in Grand Junction, and tireless tournament volunteer, trainer, and former membership director of the Western Slope Pickleball Club. Updated September 2023.