San Francisco launches pickleball pilot to offer affordable lessons

SAN FRANCISCO ( KRON ) — The San Francisco Recreation and Park Department has partnered on a pilot program to provide pickleball and tennis players with safe and affordable lessons. The pilot, launched with Rec Technologies, provides players with access to a network of professional instructors for pickleball and tennis.

One-on-one or small group lessons are available through the network to players of all levels on “select neighborhood courts,” according to the Recs & Park Department. Instructors in the network are background-checked and licensed by the program.

Booking is available through an online portal.

The program is in its pilot phase and has drawn more than 40 instructors. The program aims “to make high-quality lessons more accessible to a wider range of players.” Real-time adjustments to the program will be made based on feedback from the players, instructors and the public.

“The goal is maximizing play for everyone, while allowing players a convenient and safe way to learn from professional instructors in their neighborhood park,” said SF Recs and Park Department General Manager Phil Ginsburg.

Participating courts in the program include:

• Alice Marble
• Balboa
• Buena Vista
• Crocker Amazon
• DuPont
• Glen Canyon
• Hamilton
• Helen Wills
• Jackson
• Joe DiMaggio
• Lafayette
• Minnie & Lovie Ward
• Moscone
• Mountain Lake
• Parkside Square
• Presidio Wall
• Richmond
• Rossi
• St. Mary’s
• Sunset

Instructors in the program set their own hourly rates for lessons. However, the department said it expects rates to be “meaningfully lower” than nearby private options. Group lessons are limited to three players on a single court for tennis and four for pickleball.

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