Woodland’s pickleball courts at Crawford Park have been open for a year and are now attracting attention from throughout the county.

On a recent warm morning, players Alex Fleming and Dylan Goldman were putting in time on one of the six courts located on the southwest side of the park off south College Street.

Both Fleming and Goldman are from Davis and said they enjoy making the trip to Woodland because the courts are so much better. They particularly like the bright yellow barriers that separate the individual courts.

Goldman said he is preparing for a tournament and Fleming added he was along to help out. The pair were standing among dozens of yellow pickleballs strewn across both sides of the net.

Mayor Rich Lansburgh recently pointed to the courts as one of many achievements accomplished over the past year during his State of the City address at Woodland Community College.

In fact, the courts have been operational since July 2024 and are built exclusively for pickleball, which is one of the fastest growing games across the country, being played by young and old alike.

Similar to tennis, pickleball is played using broad solid paddles and a whiffleball, meaning a lot of upper body strength goes into hitting the ball, which doesn’t build up much speed, leaving a high probability an opponent can hit it back.

Construction on the courts began in early April 2024 and consisted of demolishing the old tennis courts, lights and fencing, followed by the construction of six dedicated pickleball courts.

Before the courts at Crawford Park, pickleball enthusiasts had to travel to Beamer Park, Spring Lake Park or Rick Gonzales Senior Park.

While the courts were more than adequate, nets were not provided, leaving players with the responsibility of bringing their own nets. Crawford Park has nets already in place.