Pickleball in Madison, Wisconsin

Madison, the capital of Wisconsin and seat of Dane County, sits on an isthmus between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona and had 269,840 people in the 2020 census. Most of its public pickleball is on shared tennis courts: the Parks Division says that among "nearly 100 tennis courts, located in 24 Madison parks, most are dual-striped for pickleball." Only Garner Park has dedicated outdoor courts today, with a second dedicated site under construction at Warner Park. In 2023 Channel 3000, citing the Trust for Public Land, reported that Madison ranked fifth in the country for pickleball courts per capita, at about 1.6 per 10,000 people. For courts closer to La Crosse, see the La Crosse-area guide and the Eau Claire page.

City rules that apply everywhere

• Walk-on play. Courts are "available for individuals on a first-come, first-served basis," but "all leagues and lessons must reserve in advance."
• Hours. City parks are open 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. No city page gives separate pickleball hours or an outdoor open-play schedule.
• Nets. Dual-striped courts use a tennis net, which the city says is about 2 in taller than a standard pickleball net (see net height and setup).
• Reservations. Court bookings are made online and paid in full when booking. Changes or cancellations need at least 11 days' notice (75% refund at 28 days or more, 50% at 11–27 days, none at 10 days or fewer). Lights are charged per use after sunset. Public reservations open the third Monday in February.
• Fees. The city pages opened for this guide link to a price table but do not show hourly court rates, so this page cannot confirm them.

Dedicated and notable city courts

The other parks on the city's list, each with 1–4 asphalt tennis and pickleball courts, are Bordner (2), Brittingham (4), Elver (3), Heritage Heights (2), Huegel (2), Kennedy (2), Nakoma (1), Norman Clayton (2), Northland Manor (2), Richmond Hill (2), Walnut Grove (2), Waunona (2), Westhaven Trails (2) and Wexford (2). The city's court numbers appear to count tennis courts at shared sites, as the Reindahl and Olbrich notes show. The Vilas Park tennis courts are closed: the city's risk manager judged them unsafe, and replacement funding is "several years away."

• Outdoor court
• Indoor court
• Under construction, or a tennis-court outline

1. Garner Park: 6 dedicated asphalt courts, reservable (City of Madison).
2. Warner Park: 8 new dedicated courts with fencing and seating, construction begun May 18, 2026, completion anticipated fall 2026 (City of Madison project page).
3. Tenney Park: 3 courts, the only ones the city lists as lighted; the yellow mark shows the lights.
4. Olbrich Park: 4 pickleball courts with portable nets on the space of 2 tennis courts (City of Madison).
5. Warner Park Community Recreation Center: 2 courts in the Blue Gym and 3 in the Green Gym, each 20 × 44 ft, reservation only (City of Madison).
6. Dill Dinkers: 10 individually fenced indoor courts at a private club (Channel 3000, Cap Times). The dashed line separates outdoor from indoor sites.

Warner Park: new dedicated courts

The city's project page describes 8 new, dedicated pickleball courts "between the existing shelter and tennis courts in the southeast area of Warner Park," with fencing and seating. Funding was authorized in the 2025 Parks Capital Budget. Construction began May 18, 2026, and the area "will not be available for use until construction is completed which is anticipated for fall 2026." The courts "will be on a reservation system," and the page says Parks typically keeps one court free to play and unreservable for walk-on players. The lights next to the old courts are being removed; a "new modernized lighting system" is left to a later phase, and the existing tennis courts are planned for removal. The page's latest update is dated May 20, 2026, so this guide could not confirm whether the courts have opened.

Indoor: Warner Park Community Recreation Center

The WPCRC (1625 Northport Dr.) celebrated the reopening of its expansion on July 8, 2026; the new Blue Gymnasium of about 9,000 sq ft has flooring for pickleball, basketball and volleyball. The membership page lists 5 indoor courts (Blue Gym 2, Green Gym 3) as "open and ready to be reserved." To play you need an active WPCRC ID plus a Fitness Center/Pickleball Membership or a daily admission, and one player reserves the court through WebTrac.

Building hours from September 8 to December 31, 2026 are 8 a.m.–8 p.m. Monday to Friday, 8 a.m.–6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.–6 p.m. Sunday. The center lists no separate pickleball hours. Both WPCRC pages also say the fitness center "will be closed until further notice" while the final phase of construction is finished; the membership page still describes the courts as open for reservations.

Leagues, lessons and clubs

• MSCR. Madison School & Community Recreation lists pickleball among its non-league adult indoor sports: players register to play at the same site for 2 hours each evening over a 15–16-week season, September to May. Sites and times are in MSCR's program guide.
• City lessons. The Parks pickleball lessons page says the program is being redesigned and points to MSCR.
• Capital Area Pickleball Association (CAPA). Madison Magazine (August 2025) describes CAPA as started in 2016 with more than 1,300 members; the Cap Times put membership at more than double its 2021 level. No CAPA website was opened for this guide.

Private indoor clubs

Hours and prices were not checked on the clubs' own sites.

Where the sources disagree

Where the city publishes its own figure, this page uses it.

Before you go: checklist

• Most outdoor courts are shared tennis courts: expect a tennis net about 2 in taller than a pickleball net, and tennis players.
• For evening play, Tenney Park is the only city site listed as lighted.
• Groups, leagues and lessons must book; walk-on players can use any unreserved court.
• Indoors at WPCRC, get a WPCRC ID and a membership or day admission, then reserve a court.
• Know the scoring and bring outdoor balls for outdoor courts.
• This site cannot take reservations or sign-ups; use the city's and venues' own pages.

Nearby: La Crosse, WI · Eau Claire, WI · Sparta, WI · Rochester, MN.