Play Tennis Outdoors in Brooklyn April to November, Under $20 a Month

150 Tennis Courts Available, Located in Fifteen Brooklyn Parks

By Ellen Freudenheim, About.com Guide

Play Tennis Outdoors in Brooklyn April to November, Under $20 a Month

The majority of Brooklyn's 150 public tennis courts are outdoors.

Photo © Ellen Freudenheim

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Looking for a tennis game? With 150 hard courts in over twenty public parks, Brooklyn tennis buffs can easily find a public outdoor court.

Unlike private tennis clubs, which can be pricey, the season-long fee for Brooklyn's tennis courts is pocketbook friendly, with reductions for senior citizens, children and youth. It pays to start in the spring and play all season because the permit fee is not pro-rated, so permit holders pay the same amount whether they start playing in the spring or autumn.

2013 Fees

Full-season permits for adults 18-61 cost $200.
Permits for seniors 62 and over cost $20 and permits for juniors below 18 cost $10.
Single-play and reservation tickets cost $15.

Brooklyn has a wide range of tennis facilities, all open from 8 AM until dusk, from April through November.Some, like Marine Park — with 15 courts, Brooklyn's largest public tennis facility — are quite busy. The courts are in various states of repair, some better than others. (see link below about Fort Greene Park's courts).

A few particularly family-friendly single courts (listed in full on the New York City Parks Department website) are conveniently tucked in or near playgrounds, for instance at Decatur Playground in the East Flatbush neighborhood.

Lessons are offered at some locations, and a few courts also have facilities with showers.

Finally, it is essential to obtain a tennis permit before attempting to play.

For more information on permits, fees, facilities, court times, and rules for using the public courts, visit the New York City Department of Parks tennis website (see above).

Here's where you can find outdoor public tennis courts in Brooklyn, listed in order of how many courts are located in each park.

Brooklyn Public Parks with Numerous Outdoor Tennis Courts

Marine Park Tennis Facility