'It's electric when 25-30 people are playing.' Indoor pickleball facility opens in Mass.
ASHLAND – No rain, no wind, no neighbor complaints.
Not until entering the back of the building – located at a busy intersection – climbing a flight of stairs, opening a door and walking down a long corridor will the sound become obvious: paddle connects with plastic. On repeat.
To the rhythm of ‘80s rock.
Noth-in’ but a good time ...
A century-old former factory in downtown Ashland is home to the area’s latest pickleball venue, with additional amenities to come. Clock Tower Pickleball opened on the second floor of Clock Tower Center building on March 14. In a space recently cluttered with boxes of documents, CTP consists of four courts and is open to members as early as 5 a.m. seven days a week.
The space was clattering Friday afternoon with balls flying back and forth under the 14-foot ceiling, which is considered out of bounds.
“When everyone walks up those stairs and they walk in here, they just go ‘wow.’ They can’t believe this is on the second floor of this building,” said CTP creator Steve Prozinski, a former 30-year Ashland resident who once owned the building. “It’s electric when there’s 25-30 people in here playing.”
CTP hosts clinics, groups, birthday parties, leagues and tournaments. Members, of which there are currently 100, can play from 5 a.m. to noon Tuesday through Sunday and Mondays are member-only days; the general public is welcome after noon on the other six days.
The facility will also include a restaurant and bar by the fall. Many members of the CTP team are new to both the sport and the ownership world.
“We’re just figuring it out as we go,” Prozinski said. “None of us have done this before. We find out new and different things every day. We’re just rolling as we go, and we’re having fun with it.”
Pickleball remains the fastest-growing sport in America, adding 223% more participants than in 2020, according to a February report by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. The Association of Pickleball Professionals in 2022 estimated that 36.5 million played the sport.
The rise in popularity coincides with a surge in noise complaints. But that scenario goes out the window when the courts are inside.
Former clock factory now a 'fun place to hang out'
The former Telechron building housed one of the largest electric clock makers in the world from 1926-1993. But it is currently used for many recreational activities that are not dependent on time, including golf, fencing and a pair of fitness centers.
The pickleball facility also includes an area behind the courts for children to play and watch TV while their parents work up a sweat.
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“When Steve introduced us to this space and we comprehended the idea, I don’t think we ever looked back once,” said Peter Evans, also part of the CTP ownership team. “People are looking for things to do in the winter. If nothing else, it was a fun place for everyone to hang out.”
The facility may call October-April its busy time, but the climate-controlled area will also bring in players during warmer months, boasting the ability to play in dry, windless conditions.
“Outdoors, you really need all the stars to align in order to have a fun game; wind is a problem,” said Ashland resident Mike Groark, who handles the digital side of CTP. “We can play anytime and that’s a big advantage.”
Groark was in between games on Friday, as a group of six players rotated through a series of doubles matches. Prozinski, in charge of the physical side, was interviewed while he waited his turn. He envisioned what the place will look – and sound – like when the restaurant and bar become established.
“There’s more of a social atmosphere after you play or during play,” he said of the benefits of an indoor facility. “A lot of people come and they’ll bring eight people to play and they’ll switch back and forth; there’s an area for people to sit. You can socialize in between.”
And come the fall, when the Patriots, Bruins and Celtics return from their offseasons, Prozinski imagined the atmosphere – using his usual charged-up description.
“There’s not many spots in Ashland that are great for TV watching,” he said, “but we’re going to make that bar absolutely electric.”
Tim Dumas is a multimedia journalist for the Daily News. He can be reached attdumas@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @TimDumas.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Indoor pickleball facility opens in Mass.; restaurant and bar to come
