Pickleball was invented in 1965 when two friends devised the game using an old badminton court, a perforated plastic ball, and ping-pong paddles. A third friend helped provide finishing touches and a set of rules. Basically, it’s played on a 44’ by 20’ court, and either singles or doubles can play. It’s similar to tennis but with smaller rackets.
By 2001, pickleball was introduced in the Arizona Senior Olympics. In 2003, it was part of Utah’s Huntsman World Senior Games. Now, there are indoor, regional, and national championships. It’s quite popular in Long Island too, where beautiful scenery and weather make for the perfect backdrop. There are not that many 55+ communities in New York that have their own pickleball courts, but we managed to find three in Long Island for you to consider.
Meadowbrook Pointe Links & Spa – Medford, NY
Mid $500s – Low $600s
This gated retirement community is in Suffolk County, and it will have 280 new and resale attached homes when completed by Beechwood Homes. The eight tastefully appointed floor plans range from 1,523 to 2,191 square feet with one to two bedrooms, two-and-a-half to three bathrooms, and attached garages. All homes include wood cabinets, nine-foot ceilings, maintenance-free exterior elements, unique stone and vinyl architecture, and golf course or lake views. You can also expect to find features like dens, two-story foyers, and basements in these exclusive homes.
Meadowbrook Pointe Links & Spa is across from Mill Pond Golf Course, an 18-hole championship course and restaurant. Meadowbrook’s on-site clubhouse has pickleball courts, bocce ball courts, a state-of-the-art fitness center, an outdoor pool, a sports bar, a ballroom, and a great room. Homeowners have the added convenience of a salon on the premises, which offers hair, nails, wellness services. The monthly activities calendar offers community events like a wine club, walking class, Bingo, Mexican Train Game Nights, and holiday parties.
This lovely neighborhood is just north of the Long Island Expressway and south of Rocky Point Pine Barrens State Forest. The town of Medford is toward the center of Long Island, less than 30 minutes from Cedar Beach and Shirley Beach.
Homeowners have their choice of nearby shopping outlets, with a Target, a CVS, a Michael’s, restaurants, and a Sam’s Club right by the expressway. The hamlet of Coram (part of Brookhaven) is three miles away, and it has additional shops and services.
Request more information about Meadowbrook Pointe Links & Spa here.
Vineyards at Brookfield – Center Moriches, NY
Mid $400s – Mid $500s
Vineyards at Brookfield is an intriguing active adult community that’s slated for 146 new attached homes when work is finished by Ornstein Leyton Company. In 2019, the builder broke ground on this Suffolk County property located not far from where Long Island splits into its North Fork and South Fork.
The thoughtfully designed townhomes range from 1,557 to 1,997 square feet with two bedrooms, two to two-and-a-half bathrooms, and one- to two-car garages. You can expect to find desirable features like gourmet kitchens, oak flooring, nine-foot ceilings, patios, full or partial basements, and decks, depending on which of the six models you view.
Residents can spend time at the private clubhouse, which accommodates gatherings in its bar, lounge, meeting, and multipurpose rooms. There’s also a community kitchen, bocce ball courts, an outdoor pool and patio, and of course, pickleball courts. Popular activities include happy hours, card games, and water aerobics. The surrounding area is full of waterfront restaurants and golf courses too. Westhampton Beach is only 10 miles away, and it has an upscale Main Street shopping district, a performing arts center, wonderful restaurants, and sunny ocean beaches.
The region is served by several medical organizations, including Long Island Community Hospital and Mather Hospital. There’s also an urgent care only three miles away. For shopping needs, the South Port Shopping Center has a Stop n’ Shop grocery store, a Kohl’s, and a pharmacy. The surrounding area also has several houses of worship, bakeries, farms, convenience stores, and the Animal Farm Petting Zoo (for visiting grandkids).
Request more information about Vineyards at Brookfield here.
Leisure Glen – Ridge, NY
Low $200s – Mid $400s
Our most affordable pickleball-friendly community on Long Island is Leisure Glen, an established, gated neighborhood built from 1985 to 2010. It has 646 resale attached and single-family homes, and it’s located in between a state park and forest. It’s also less than three miles from the North Shore.
There are five attached models sized from 1,140 1,635 square feet with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a one-and-a-half- or two-car garage. The three single-family floor plans range from 1,417 to 1,685 square feet with one to two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and attached two-car garages. Options may include dens, brick patios, gas fireplaces, vaulted ceilings, and French doors.
Leisure Glen’s clubhouse has a Nautilus exercise studio, a fitness center with locker rooms, a large auditorium, craft studios, a music studio, and other gathering rooms. In addition to the pickleball courts, there’s bocce, tennis, shuffleboard, an Olympic-sized outdoor pool, and dozens of clubs and activity groups.
Resident also spend leisure time at the Nassau County Museum of Art and Rolling Oaks Golf Course. And when it’s time to run errands, the Wading River Commons shopping center is 10 minutes away, and it has a King Kullen, pharmacies, a post office, and restaurants.
