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44 | OHCC LIVING | FEBRUARY 2023 | Racquet Club Since the courts are open for use by all OHCC residents, what's the big draw to join the Racquet Club? According to President Bob James, it's "just for the fun of it." Realtors showing prospective buyers around always stroll by the courts to highlight the active lifestyle that residents of all skill levels, shapes, and sizes – residents older and "younger" – embrace when they make OHCC their home. A 2022 Sports & Fitness Industry Association report says pickleball is the "fastest growing sport in America" with 4.8 million players nationwide – a nearly 40 percent increase from 2020. Pickleball courts are going in everywhere – from public parks to resorts, hotels, and private clubs, to school yards, and even VRBOs. How lucky we are at OHCC with eight beautiful courts, six which are LED-lighted for evening play? The free beginner pickleball lessons most of us took from Herb Livsey and Mike Hoggatt is where so many of our best Ocean Hills friendships began. Lots of us were non-athletes who wanted to see if pickleball lived up to the hype. It's healthy, easy to learn (well, except perhaps for keeping score!), it's affordable, it can be played by all ages, and what most differentiates it from other racquet sports — it's inherently social. Come down to the courts anytime games are going on — sit and watch for a bit — and see for yourself. But in fact, pickleball is not for everyone because there's a certain measure of mobility required to play safely. You will find there's a strong emphasis on safety in all of our classes. Part of the Racquet Club's agenda for 2023 will be to expand pickleball playing with more "small" court events to draw players out during the midday hours when courts are lightly used, including drill practices and more "friendly" skill competitions. And while our tennis courts don't attract players like they used to, anytime someone new moves in and wants to play tennis, we're quick to connect them with those residents who do play. Up at the HOA courts, devout paddle tennis players are always ready to share their fat neon-colored paddles with curious residents at Monday morning drop-ins and encourage them to give paddle tennis a shot. And when summer comes around, badminton returns for the season. Free beginner lessons are available to all residents for pickleball, paddle tennis, and badminton. Check our website ohracquetclub.org or email our Help Desk ohrchelp@gmail.com. We look forward to meeting you and getting you out of your houses and onto our courts! Golf Club Happy New Year everyone! Hope 2023 offers us all a lot of birdies and eagles. Well, let's start with the good news. We don't have to pay our usual yearly fee to join the golf club, so that's one less check to write on Do Dues Day this year. And we now have a functioning bathroom on the back nine so we don't have to look for a tree to relieve ourselves or to hold it until we finish the round. It's hard to concentrate on those short putts when nature is calling. Another positive is that the 17th hole is now playable, but on the reverse side, we can't count on a three on that hole any longer. Also, one of our favorite events, Guys and Dolls, continues into this year. The next fun tournament will be on Sat., Feb. 18. Finally, the net on the eighth hole will soon be up, so we can bombs away when the hole becomes a par four. Look out Chuck Miller, here we come. Next, the bad news. As of now, no one has stepped up to run Touring Amateurs. It's definitely a time-consuming job and a lot of hard work, but we hope that someone or a group of people could volunteer to continue these tournaments. And it looks like there will be no Special Tournaments this year, since none of the sponsors want to endorse a tourney that might be only nine holes, given the uncertain time frame of the pond's completion and whether the course will be shut down during its construction. Anyway, we still have our Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday games, and, of course, each other. Monday morning paddle tennis drop-in always draws a lively group. Paddle Tennis action Jack & Lois Green go on defense as others wait their turn to rotate in. Felicity Swerdlow and John Gildner design year-long calendar of tournaments, small court events.

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