Who Gets Which Court at Pelican Bay Community Park This Winter

"Members of the public shall have access to 50% of the pickleball courts during the same days and hours as members of the Foundation." That sentence comes from the amendment to the management agreement between Collier County and the Pelican Bay Foundation. It shapes almost everything about the racquets center at Pelican Bay Community Park, 764 Vanderbilt Beach Road, which goes into its first full high season this winter.

If you live in Pelican Bay and have only driven past the fencing, here's the short version. The courts behind it are part of a public park. Pelican Bay members have a guaranteed share of them, and the public has the same guarantee. A booking app keeps track of who has which court. Once you know how that split works, you know how to get a court in January.

A public park that Pelican Bay paid to rebuild

The land belongs to Collier County. The Pelican Bay Foundation paid for construction and took over racquets management under a 30-year land-lease agreement, as Gulfshore Business reported. The County still maintains the playground and green space. The Foundation handles the courts, racquets operations and their upkeep.

The park had gone a long time without a refresh. Naples Press reported that it hadn't been modernized since it was deeded to the County in 1994. Foundation officials told the paper that poor drainage and aging lights on the tennis courts were limiting play. The Foundation had already taken over tennis court management from the previous vendor in April 2024. The rebuild came after that. Six existing tennis courts were renovated, two more were added, and all eight now have lights. The operator describes them as "8 sub-irrigated lighted hydro-grid tennis courts," along with 20 Nova Crylic pickleball courts.

The 50/50 language came from the public side. A Public Advisory Group formed in August 2023, after the County approved the contract. It asked the County for an amendment guaranteeing the public half the pickleball courts, and after a long review the amendment was approved.

Why it took so long to open

Most of the delay came from noise. The advisory group's "Staying Cool on the Courts" post traces the project's multiple delays mainly to the extensive noise testing and mitigation modeling done to address concerns from residents of the Avalon condominiums, which border the park on the south end. Gulfshore Business reported that the Foundation held meetings with neighbors. The mitigation plan the advisory group tracked included:

• A 10-foot fence on three sides of the pickleball courts, wrapped in sound-dampening insulation
• A concrete wall to cut sound traveling toward Avalon
• Two pond fountains near the Breakwater condos, in earlier versions of the plan

By the advisory group's November 1, 2025 update, the 12-foot concrete wall and the courts were done, and the insulated fencing was still going up. Collier County's park page now says the sound-mitigation system is complete and the facility is open for pickleball and tennis. A ribbon cutting was planned for January 9, 2026. The Foundation built its February 16 grand opening around pickleball star Ben Johns, with an exhibition match, a panel discussion with sportscaster Michelle McMahon, JOOLA demos and a one-point doubles tournament.

That sequence explains why this is the first full season. The courts opened as the 2025–26 season was already underway. This winter, the people who signed up last spring are joining seasonal players coming back to Naples, on courts that are already sorted by contract.

How the courts are divided

According to the Foundation's own racquets program page, Pelican Bay members and their guests have three of the eight tennis courts and 10 of the 20 pickleball courts. The operator's FAQ names the member tennis courts as Courts 19 through 21. Courts A through E are open to park members and non-members.

The split has some give. The FAQ says Pelican Bay's designated tennis and pickleball courts can be used by others when no one is on them, first come, first served. The near-term open-play calendar in the booking app also shows separate public and Pelican Bay resident sessions, in 8 to 10 a.m., 10 a.m. to noon and 3 to 5 p.m. blocks.

None of this replaces what Pelican Bay already has. The Foundation calls the park center an addition to its 18 Har-Tru tennis courts at two locations inside the community, and all three sites have pro shops. For a Pelican Bay member, the park mainly adds pickleball, plus three more lit tennis courts on the Vanderbilt Beach Road side.

The app is the front gate

Here's where newcomers and guests tend to get caught. According to the Pelican Bay Courts FAQ, every player needs a reservation made in advance through PodPlay to get in. Here's what that means in practice:

1. Make a free account first. You sign a liability waiver and get a membership number that lets you sign up and play. The FAQ says "Access to play is given only to those who have a membership."
2. Have proof of residency ready. The FAQ says it's needed for some tiers: "Pelican Bay resident, Collier County resident or Non-Collier County resident."
3. Watch the booking window. Annual tennis memberships come with three-day advance booking.
4. Check in on time. You can come in up to 30 minutes before your booking. If you haven't checked in within 20 minutes after the start, it counts as a no-show. "Two No Shows within two months" brings a "2-week suspension."
5. Cancel 24 hours ahead if you want your money back.
6. Park next to the tennis courts or bike in. There are bike racks on site, and parking isn't allowed along Hammock Oak Drive.

Pickleball runs daily from 8 a.m. to dusk, and tennis runs until 9 p.m. every day. If you forgot your gear, pickleballs and Joola paddles are sold during open play, Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon. You can pick a coach in the app with the Coach filter.

What a winter guest will pay

Your houseguests from up north fall into the non-County tier. Here's what pelicanbaycourts.com and the PodPlay membership page listed as of early November 2026:

• Pickleball annual membership: $95 a year plus tax for Collier County residents, $125.40 plus tax for non-County residents, with daily fees of $10 and $13.20 plus tax
• Tennis annual membership: $477 a year plus tax for County residents, $632 plus tax for non-County residents. Afternoon and evening options cost $284 and $432 plus tax.
• Non-member pickleball: $11.60 per person per day for open play, or $25.20 per court per hour to reserve, plus tax
• Non-member tennis: $40 per court per hour for up to four players, and a $16 per-player fee on top of the event cost, plus tax
• One-time day passes in the app: $15 for a tennis day, $15 for a Collier County resident's day of open play, and $20 for a non-County resident's day

Prices on booking platforms can change in the middle of a season, so check the app before you promise a guest a morning game.

The near-term calendar also lists beginner clinics, intermediate coached play and Johns Drill Club sessions. The FAQ says pickleball tournaments are posted on the Events tab.

The open question for this season

The same contract language that guarantees the public its half is behind the one live debate around the facility. The Public Advisory Group's October 18, 2026 update calls the pickleball center "outstanding." It says Foundation members and public players are already playing together in open play, clinics and leagues. The group's current concern is a policy that lets Foundation members reserve courts at no charge while public members pay. It says it has asked management to address this and hopes for "a reasonable compromise." If that doesn't happen, it may ask the County for help. The group also points out that there are no County staff inside the gated facility, so it relies on feedback from public players to keep the County informed.

With 29 years left on the agreement, the reservation rules being set now will probably shape how the courts are shared for a long time. If you play there, the advisory group's page and the operator's site are the two places to watch.

Beyond the fence

The rest of the park is still the County's. Collier County Parks lists two bocce courts, a multipurpose field and a walking trail system, and you can reserve the pavilion at 239.252.4682. The County also posted that the playground would be closed for a replacement project until November 2026. For court questions, the County sends people to the Pelican Bay Courts line at 239.799.6161.

How close to the courts you want to live, and which racquets amenities come with a particular Pelican Bay home, are good things to ask about before you buy. I'm happy to walk through that with you, in person or on a video tour if you're out of town. Let's Connect with Allison Callas and we can talk it over.