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Lake Oswego: A solution is emerging to your long-standing pickleball crisis.
At the Garages Eatery & Taphouse, located on the LO side of Interstate 5 just a stone’s throw from Bridgeport Village, is installing courts specifically for the tennis/ping-pong hybrid as a response to the closure of the town’s only other venue for the sport.
On Jan. 17, the Lake Oswego City Council voted 4-3 in favor of suspending pickleball play at George Rogers Park following a barrage of noise complaints from neighbors. Concerns about the acoustic landscape being punctuated with unending “plinks” began rolling in last January, though the courts, which are now locked up, had been around since 2015.
Following hours of comments from both noise-tormented residents and pickleball enthusiasts, who cited the importance of the health benefits that come with keeping the courts, the city council discussed sound mitigation and relocation options. They determined that the most cost-effective possibility is the conversion of Westlake Park’s tennis facilities into pickleball courts, and directed the Parks and Recreation Department to begin researching noise, parking, traffic and rehabilitation expenses—a process that would leave Lake Oswegans without a dedicated space for pickleball indefinitely.
Which is how a venue best known for its live music seven days a week will likely become a savior to the pickleball community.
At the Garages CEO and managing partner Kent Drangsholt, who moved the business from Beaverton to Lake Oswego in 2022, says he was approached by USA Pickleball Association ambassador Tom Widden about saving pickleball from extinction in Lake Oswego.
“As a businessman, when opportunity knocks, my wife and I analyze how to turn it into a successful venture,” Drangsholt tells WW. “This one was easy to say yes to. Tom’s years of experience and expertise, the lack of available courts, the easy freeway access and the affluent local neighborhoods in Lake Oswego, Tualatin, Tigard and West Linn mean that the likelihood of success is high.”
At the Garage’s courts, which should open in February, will be located in what is currently a sprawling back patio, large enough for two full-sized playing areas. A large, heated courtyard can also accommodate two “dinker” courts. They will operate from 8 am until the venue closes for the evening, which is usually by midnight. And paddle-wielders can start or end their session with food and drinks, including breakfast, at the bar.
Those interested in participating can eventually become club members for a monthly fee. Benefits include price advantages when reserving courts as well as discounts on menu items and music performances. Nonmembers can walk in to play on a first-come, first-served basis and pay by the hour. Prices are set to be finalized at a later date, but will be competitive with other pickleball facilities.
So, in the end, this might be a fairy-tale ending for Lake Oswego’s pickleball fanatics—whose ranks have grown tremendously over the last several years thanks to ease of play—and the sport’s detractors. And it’s undoubtedly a win for At the Garages, a seemingly ever-expanding haven of fun.
“Our customers know we provide premier bands, weekly open mics and jam events, cornhole, pool tables, party rental space, great food and adult drinks,” Drangsholt adds. “With the addition of pickleball, we will advance our unique brand and serve our local community. Add in TGSW Antiques & Collectibles Mall that we started 12 years ago, and you’ve got the one-of-a-kind place that people are looking for. A successful business solves the need, wants and desires of clientele, we aim to do that in as many ways as we can.”