The Southern Recreation Center is the new home for amateur and professional pickleball and tennis tournaments. 

Pickleball Tournaments

The City of Palm Coast hosted its first pickleball tournament in January 2021, and it's only grown in popularity. Our tournaments feature men's and women's singles and doubles, and mixed doubles play for players at or below a 4.0 playing level.  Tournaments are played in a

 double-elimination style. The Southern Recreation Center is available for amateur and professional pickleball tournaments. 

Tennis Tournaments

The Palm Coast Tennis Center has hosted numerous professional tennis tournaments, including the Palm Coast Open, Junior USTA tournaments, the Palm Coast & Flagler Beaches Senior Games Qualifiers, and other local league play. The Southern Recreation Center is proud to welcome back the Palm Coast Open: A USTA Pro Circuit Event. The tournament is an M15 Men's Tournament, meaning that male players from across the world can compete for a total of $15,000 in prize money. 

Tennis Court Reservations
Pass holders may reserve courts up to seven days in advance.
Non-pass holders may reserve courts up to three days in advance. 

Annual Pass Benefits

• No court fees
• Court reservations up to 7 days in advance (for tennis)
• League play (for tennis)
• Discounts on lessons, clinics, ball machine rentals, and pro shop merchandise
• Access to special events and promotions
• Complimentary access to the Palm Coast Aquatics Center

Elliot James

Elliot is from New York and has played tennis for over 50 years. After retiring in 2011, he moved to Palm Coast and has taught at the Tennis Center since 2021. Previously working with organizations such as the International Tennis Performance Association and the Titleist Performance Institute, his approach to instruction involves a strong focus on the biomechanics of tennis. Elliot is a member of the USPTA and is a PTR-certified tennis teaching professional.         
 

Jojo Trinkle

Jojo started with the City of Palm Coast in 2012 and has worked as a camp counselor, facility clerk, and sports field maintenance. He currently works as our Athletics Specialist, overseeing our athletics programs, including pickleball. As a child, he was always an athlete, playing football, soccer, baseball, and his first love, basketball, representing his school at the state level. You can regularly find him coaching his three children in their various youth sports programs. Jojo's work with the pickleball community has been extensive, including introducing our popular tournaments. He is an IPTPA-certified level 1 pickleball instructor overseeing our popular Beginner's Pickleball program.      
 

Jorika Stein

Jorika is from South Africa and has a background in elementary education. Before coming to Palm Coast, she worked as a tennis pro in New Jersey. Jorika served as a ten-and-under tennis coordinator in Flanders, New Jersey, for one of the largest private tennis companies in the country. Jorika is a PTR-certified tennis teaching professional.      
 

Laura Dwojeski

Laura has played tennis for over 30 years and became an instructor in 2018. She moved to Palm Coast from Chester, New Jersey, before joining the Tennis Center in 2021. During her first year, she supervised the Jr. Round Robins and the Men’s Professional Tournament in February. Laura has run all levels of Junior tournaments for the USTA for the last 15 years, including 2 National Championship level events at the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona, FL.     
 

Ralph Tozzi

Ralph previously coached tennis part-time in Woodstock, Georgia, before coming to Palm Coast in 2020. He has been playing for over 50 years and has competed in tournaments across the East Coast while holding positions as a college instructor. His strength is working with a diverse range of tennis players from all levels with varying skill sets. Ralph is a PTR-certified tennis teaching professional.    
 

Sky Buck

Sky joined the Parks & Recreation Department in 2018 as a recreation leader and is currently a part-time tennis instructor. She is originally from California and has been playing tennis since the age of 11. Her bachelor’s degree is in Child Psychology, with a minor in Professional Education. Sky is working towards earning her PTR certification for tennis instruction.    
 

Vanessa Nikolov

Vanessa was born and raised in South Florida and began playing tennis at six. Before instructing in Palm Coast, she coached at the Deerfield Beach Tennis Center in Broward County. She has competed at all junior USTA-level tournaments. Vanessa is a PTR-certified tennis teaching professional and a PPR-certified pickleball instructor.

Patrons must adhere to the rules and regulations stated below to use the Southern Recreation Center so that all may enjoy playing in a safe and friendly facility.

Check-In
All players must check in at the Southern Recreation Center welcome desk before proceeding to the court.

Court Fees 
Fees must be paid in advance of taking the court.

Court Reservations
Standard reservations are one and a half (1 ½) hours in duration for tennis starting at 8 am on the hour-and-a-half interval.  Pickleball currently does not have a reservation system.

• Reservations are made by calling the Southern Recreation Center, in person, or online.
• Pass holders may reserve a court seven (7) days in advance.
• The general public may reserve a court up to three (3) days in advance.
• Players with a Punch Card may reserve a court up to three (3) days in advance.

Punch Card 
Purchasing a Punch Card is optional and is not a membership or requirement to play. With a Punch Card, players enjoy the benefits and convenience of reserving courts up to three (3) days in advance, online court reservations, and outdoor court time at no charge.

• Failure to pay the balance due will result in a loss of ability to make future reservations or program sign-ups until payment is made.
• Late cancellations or no-shows will be charged the full price of the court(s).

Tennis & Pickleball Instruction 
City of Palm Coast tennis and pickleball Instructors are only authorized and allowed to provide tennis instruction, private lessons, and clinics at the City-owned courts and facilities.

Court Etiquette 
Players must be courteous to other players and facility staff.

• Do not enter the court area before your reserved time, and allow players to finish the point in progress.
• Leave your court when time expires, i.e., do not hang around and talk as new players begin to play.
• When taking your assigned courts, do not walk across adjacent courts when possible.
• Players are expected to return stray balls to the correct courts immediately.
• No animals, or dogs are allowed on the grounds, courts, or inside the tennis centers.
• Turn down cell phones and devices while playing on the court or watching.
• All players must clean debris and remove personal items from the court at the conclusion of play.

Disruptive Behavior 
The deliberate hitting of balls on fences, windscreens, and light fixtures is prohibited. No profanity, racquet or paddle throwing, spitting, loud noises, or hitting racquet/paddle on court surfaces, nets, or backdrop windscreens will be tolerated.

USTA and USA Pickleball Code of Conduct
Players and spectators are expected to follow the USTA and USA Pickleball Code of Conduct; if anyone behaves disrespectfully toward others at any time, they may be asked to leave the facility.

Attire 
All players must wear proper attire and shoes. Shirts and shoes must be worn at all times.

Alcoholic Drinks
No alcoholic beverages or glass containers on the courts.

No Smoking
City of Palm Coast facilities are non-smoking.

Not Permitted
The consumption, possession, or distribution of any controlled substance is prohibited on the premises at any time. No firearms are permitted on the premises at any time.

Southern Recreation Center Closings 
The Southern Recreation Center, at its discretion, may close or cancel scheduled activities, reservations, programs, lessons, and clinics for inclement weather, player safety, maintenance, special events, and tournaments.

Loss or Damage of Personal Property 
The City of Palm Coast and the Southern Recreation Center staff are NOT responsible for the loss or damage of personal property on the courts, the facility, and the surrounding premises.

Dispute Resolution 
The Southern Recreation Center staff have the final decision regarding all dispute resolution. Failure to observe the above rules and regulations may result in an immediate stoppage of play and possible removal from the Southern Recreation Center or being banned from future use of facilities.
 

Lightning 
When lightning is detected within the area, everyone must immediately seek shelter in the building, or their automobiles. The pavilion, shade covers, and covered courts are not safe during lightning. An announcement will be made to evacuate the mentioned areas, and it's essential to wait for an all-clear announcement before returning outside. NOAA advises that we should not return to our outside spaces until 30 minutes after the last lightning flash within the 10-mile zone. Play may not occur under the covered courts when it is lightning in the area.

Rain 
When raining, play should stop immediately on any uncovered courts to prevent slipping. The covered courts (pickleball) are protected from rain when it falls straight down, allowing play to continue without any issues. However, when the rain is driven sideways by strong winds, some of the covered courts may get wet and become unsuitable for play. We have curtains as well on those courts to help protect the courts.

Cancelled Programs 
If a program is cancelled, a make up or credit will be added to the account.