I tried the new indoor pickleball courts in Monmouth County (2024)

⚫ Seven courts are running daily

⚫ You don't have to be a member to sign up for an open-play session

⚫ The facility features two "hitting walls" that track your shots digitally

OCEAN TOWNSHIP (Monmouth) — New Jersey's weather has officially recognized that it's no longer summer, which meansthe days of outdoor (and free) pickleball will likely be limited in the Garden State for the next few months.

This fall and winter, folks in the Monmouth County area have a new option when they get the itch to play — for some players, that itch occurs every day.

One Love Pickleball is open daily at Seaview Square Mall, right next to the Jersey Strong gym.

The venue is open to pickleball lovers who want to become yearly members and to non-members who would like to use its services occasionally for a fee.

Getting into pickleball

I've been trying to improve my game since March, when I first joined a pickleball class/open-play group in Howell.

Before this year, I had played pickleball once in the summer of 2022 and once in the summer of 2023. Once I started playing weekly this year, a slight obsession kicked in, and now I try to get out (or in) on a court at least twice per week.

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Some level of skill came naturally to me, perhaps because I grew up playing and loving table tennis. But my fascination with the game is the level of strategy that's involved — that's the piece that has me wanting to play over and over and over again.

You may hear pickleball being described as the "fastest-growing sport" in the country. It helps that people of all ages can play this physical game at the same time. I'm regularly crushed on the courts by people who are decades older than me.

My visit to One Love Pickleball

Faced with some time to spare and inclement weather, I decided to sign up for an "open play" session on a weekday morning at One Love.

As many spots do, the facility breaks up its open-play sessions by skill, so that the more experienced players aren't stuck on the courts with newbies, and vice versa.

My session was open to eight sign-ups, but other sessions have room for many more. To keep the games moving, One Love had a schedule of games ready to go, and the players followed along, switching courts and teammates after every match.

There are seven courts, each fenced off from the others.

I didn't expect such an immaculate facility when I walked in. The place does an amazing job with appearances and upkeep, considering the venue has been open to the public since August.

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My open-play fee as a non-member was $18, but I showed up early and also got the chance to use the other amenities included with that fee. There's a pristine stretching area, a virtual "hitting wall" to improve accuracy and a dink court for warmups.

When I noticed how I was feeling after two hours of games (pain-free), I did some research and picked up on another plus: the courts at One Love have extra cushioning compared to what you'd typically find outside.

According to the venue's website, the Pro-Cushion system has a thin layer of cushion beneath the routine court surface. It's meant to result in fewer injuries and less wear-and-tear on the body; at the same time, it doesn't affect the way the ball bounces.

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