These pickleball courts at the Bellingham Armory are almost ready for dinking
Five new, indoor pickleball courts are almost ready for use in the Bellingham Armory.
Armory Pickleball at 525 N. State St. plans to open its doors to members in the coming weeks after construction began on the courts this spring.
The company poured 8,600 square feet of concrete for the five courts and spent $15,000 to cover them with a special sanded grip paint — perfect for ‘dinking,’ a type of shot used in pickleball to make an opponent’s return shot difficult.
The lights were also updated inside the building.
The final step is to finish striping on the courts. That is expected to be complete in the next week, according to Armory Pickleball co-owner Courtney Jenkins.
Then, the company will roll in the nets and people will be able to start playing.
“(The armory) was just going to sit here all quiet, not being used for anything. So we came in here and built out our dream,” Jenkins said in a telephone interview with The Bellingham Herald.
A railing on the second-floor balcony above the five courts will be brought up to code and available for use sometime after the facility opens up, according to Jenkins.
Each new member will be required to pay a $120 initiation fee and an additional yearly membership cost.
▪ Adults: $900 per year.
▪ College students: $600 per year.
▪ Youth: $450 per year.
The number of members will be capped at 200.
“We just want to make sure our members are getting as much play as possible,” Jenkins said.
Members will have keyless access to the facility from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. And they will have access to official rankings and tournaments, online scheduling and court availability, as well as coaching and clinics.
Members will also get access to a facility gear shop, ball machine rentals and daily bagels and coffee for purchase.
Memberships will be available for purchase in the coming weeks.
Armory Pickleball is hosting an open house 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 22-23, for people to view the new courts.
