Cool Summer Deals at Marco Racquet Center

With summer in full bloom around the island, the City of Marco Island Racquet Center is offering programs that make it easier to get on the courts—whether it be tennis, pickleball, or racquetball.

“For pickleball,” said Ava Ricigliano, senior park attendant, "we have a summer special. It's $80. It's for pickleball only. It was effective June 1 and it goes all the way through September 30.”

Ricigliano said the deal is for unlimited play.

“You can play whenever you want,” Ricigliano said. “This off-season special helps so people can now play in the mornings. We're able to do this because we're in such a seasonal area. We have so many people that are snowbirds that go back for the summer months. So June, July, August, September, even most of October, is going to be very quiet. Mid-October, people will start coming back. But for right now, we have the ability to get on the courts.”

It can be hard to get on the pickleball courts in the morning during winter season. Currently, the Racquet Center has more people on their waiting list than they have on their membership roster.

“During season the scenario is there’s no parking and an average of 72 members a day are playing in the morning,” Ricigliano said. "So it's a lot of wait time in between games. So that's why we put a cap on the membership. That way we can regulate how many people are out on the courts at a time."

Ricigliano said there are pickleball players who play at their condos in the winter, then join the Racquet Center for the summer.

“One of the things that helps us during season,” she said, "is a lot of the condos have their own courts, so there's plenty of people to play with. But once they leave for the summer, the few that are left behind come here and play. So that helps during season."

Ricigliano said the summer membership program is popular and takes some of the pressure off of the overcrowded facility during the winter.

“A lot of people will just do the summer membership if that's what we're offering,” she said. “That way they don't have to tie up a spot for somebody that wants to play year-round. So I thought that was really nice that those community members or those members that gave up their spot went for the summer special because they can play at their condos anyway. We also have a lot of people that own property here, but they live on the other coast, so they rent their property here during season and then during off-season, they come over here and they do the summer membership as well."

The Racquet Center also has a $5 pickleball special during the summer.

“It’s $5 per person from 6:00 to 8:00 in the evening,” Ricigliano said. "We still have free play Monday through Friday from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM and then after 1:00 PM on Saturday and Sunday. The free play includes pickleball, tennis, and racquetball. After 6:00 PM, if you feel like you want to keep playing, instead of the $11 regular rate, we're doing the $5 special from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. So really, you can play for four hours for five bucks. So that's not bad."

Ricigliano sees a pattern.

“It’s mainly guests of members,” she said. "After they've done the beach for the day and they've had a chance to do Florida activities, they want to come and finish the evening with pickleball. We have a men's and ladies night. Tuesday night is men's night. Thursday night is ladies night. They'll come in and play for $5 with the other members. So that's an option as well. We have that group that comes in and that gets the members to come in. For vacationers, the heat is just too much for them, so from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM works great. They can bring a family of four and play for two hours for 20 bucks. So it's a good deal."

There are also summer tennis camps available.

“We’re doing that from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM, Monday through Thursday,” Ricigliano said. "It's $100 per student."

The Racket Center is having a pickleball tournament on Saturday, July 1st. Ricigliano said it’s more of a friendly tournament.

“It’s for members, but other guests can join, too,” Ricigliano said. “No teams, just good-natured fun." 

The entry fee for the July 1st tournament, which is themed around the Fourth of July, is a very clever $17.76. 

"I'm not sure who came up with that,” Ricigliano said, "but we ran with it."