GAF awards Pickleball Club funds for ball machine

The Leisure World Pickleball Club encourages residents to take up the sport of pickleball. Instructors give free lessons every Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. The first Wednesday of each month is especially designed for new players. Basic strokes are introduced, and new players begin to learn drills.

The Golden Age Foundation generously awarded the club funds to purchase a ball machine and related court equipment.

The equipment will enable new players to practice skills and advanced players to improve theirs. The machine is similar to those used with table tennis tables and tennis courts. It allows for variable ball delivery speeds and an oscillator alters direction and timing. The machine is programmable to accommodate players of various abilities.

The grant also allows the purchase of ball “picker-uppers,” some small court nets that contain loose balls from rolling into neighboring courts, and a storage bin to protect the machine when not in use.

Only Pickleball Club members may use the machine and it is under the authority of the Pickleball Club’s approved instructors.

—Donna Gambol