IF you're one of the thousands who have picked up pickleball as a hobby and now play it regularly, you need not take a break when on vacation in Baguio City.
Landco Lifestyle Venture (LLV) has just opened the John Hay Sports Pavilion, a brand-new facility inside the former US military hideaway that has pickleball and 3x3 basketball courts for Baguio residents and tourists to enjoy.
The facility is open to the public.
READ One of the Philippines' finest golf courses now open to the public
Dreamcourtph in collaboration with Duckworld PH turned a former warehouse located behind the Baguio Convention Complex into a spanking new facility that now has four pickleball courts and three Fiba-standard 3x3 courts.
"We're simply giving back John Hay to the Baguio community," said LLV head Pato Gregorio, who has overseen the tourism push of the MVP group's real-estate arm in the Camp John Hay complex since its ownership was returned to the government.
"And i just realized, (pickleball) is the biggest sports craze in the country today. So it's nice to have pickleball courts here that are accessible to both residents and tourists," Gregorio added.
There are other popular pickleball facilities frequented by enthusiasts in Baguio, among them the five courts in the Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary. But the John Hay courts are a par-5 away from the top hotels in the area.
Reservations can be made at the John Hay Sports Pavilion website.
The rates are as follows:
Pickleball Court Reservations
8 a.m. to 11 a.m. (2 courts available)
11 a.m. - 5 p.m. (4 courts available)
Rates: P600/hr, max of 10 players
Pickleball Open Play
(3 batches everyday)
8 a.m. - 11 a.m. (max 16 players)
5 p.m. - 8 p.m. (max 32 players)
8 p.m. - 11 p.m. (max 32 players)
Rate: P250/head
Basketball Half Court Reservations
8 a.m. - 11 p.m. (3 half courts available)
Rate: P600/hr, max of 10 players
Equipment Rental:
Paddle - P100 with 2 balls
Basketball - P100/ball
Titan Ball Machine Rental
1hr - P600
More than 1hr - P500
Gregorio, a former PBA chairman whose Duckworld PH is part of the consortium that runs the John Hay golf course under an agreement with the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), said the Fiba-standard half-courts are also perfect for the high-altitude training of 3x3 national teams.
"The SBP (Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas) and college teams can use the basketball courts for their 3x3 training and competition," Gregorio said.
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