RPD launching free online reservation system for tennis and pickleball courts


Bryan Brothers with Dick Gould

Pilot program will include 21 courts across 11 public parks

On March 20, SF Rec & Park held a community meeting to solicit neighborhood input into its plan to launch a free online reservation system for tennis and pickleball courts.

Today (April 12), SFRPD is launching the pilot system (https://spotery.com/site/sfrp), which will include courts at 11 neighborhood parks throughout the City, because of the upcoming closure of Golden Gate Park Tennis Center for a major renovation, which is expected to take 16 to 18 months. The first day for which you can make a court reservation is April 19. 

Currently, GGPTC – which has 21 courts and 6 pickleball courts -- is the only public tennis facility in San Francisco where courts can be reserved.  Similarly, in the pilot program, 21 tennis courts and 6 pickleball courts (out of the 147 neighborhood courts) can be reserved via the online system:

  • Alice Marble Courts (2 of 4)
  • Balboa Park Courts (2 of 4)
  • Crocker Amazon Courts (1 of 3) - Lighted
  • Dupont Tennis Courts (2 of 4)
  • Joe DiMaggio Courts (1 of 3)
  • JP Murphy Courts (1 of 3)
  • Julius Kahn Courts (2 of 4) - Pickleball Option
  • John McLaren Courts (4 of 6)
  • Moscone Courts (2 of 4) – Lighted
  • Mountain Lake Courts (2 of 4)
  • Parkside Courts (2 of 4)

Screen shot of new online reservation system

Screenshot of system

Pilot program will include 21 courts across 11 public parks

RPD’s main purpose for the March 20th community meeting was to seek input about how this pilot project would impact people who currently play tennis and pickleball at the included neighborhood sites. These sites were selected based on a number of factors, including number of courts (at least 3), proximity to GGPTC, and availability of restrooms and parking.

In the pilot program, courts can be reserved – for free – via a mobile-friendly online system, similar to the one already used for athletic fields. Users will be able to reserve courts for 1.5-hour increments and will be limited to one reservation a day and a maximum of three per week. Reservations can be made no more than a week in advance. The pilot launches on Friday, April 12 (first day for court reservations is April 19) at https://spotery.com/site/sfrp (RPD created a how-to page at https://bit.ly/2UyAc2a).

RPD is also setting aside courts at neighborhood sites for senior, youth and high school tennis activities that currently take place at GGPTC. They are also blocking courts on the weekends at McLaren Park (3 courts) for USTA league matches for teams displaced by the GGPTC closure.

Because this will be a new system, and not everyone will be aware of it, RPD will post signage and increase communications at the neighborhood sites included in the pilot.

RPD plans to conduct a survey or host another meeting in six months to hear from the community about what is and isn’t working in the pilot program.

Questions? Contact RPD at RPDInfo@sfgov.org