Lake Forest's Public Paddle Season Plays Out at Blair Park in Lake Bluff

If you live in Lake Forest and want to play platform tennis this winter without joining a private club, where do you go? The City's own Parks & Recreation department sends you north. Its court-sports page has no Lake Forest paddle program. It points residents to the Lake Bluff Park District and gives Lake Bluff's paddle line, 847-457-7362.

Lake Bluff's side of the arrangement takes one sentence on its racquet-sports page: "Lake Forest residents qualify for the resident rate." So Lake Forest's public paddle program is a shared one, played on Lake Bluff's courts, and the number of courts at the hut sets how many league teams can play there.

The hut beside Green Bay Road

The paddle facility is at Blair Park. Park district documents place the Paddle Hut on the east side of the Blair Park parking lot, along a sidewalk that runs out to Green Bay Road. At its August 17, 2026 meeting, the park board awarded the 2026 Blair Park Asphalt Resurfacing Project to Murphy Construction Services. At that meeting, staff gave an anticipated start date of September 9 and a three-day timeline. The scope covered the east portion of the lot and a seal coat on the sidewalk from the hut to Green Bay Road.

The hut has had steady upgrades. In fiscal 2025 the district resurfaced the paddle courts, added security cameras at the hut and parking lot, and put air conditioning in the hut for the first time. The district's budget gives the reason for the air conditioning: to support hut rentals all year. The same work added new barstool chairs. The October 2026 bills list a $1,500 payment to Sporfie for a "paddle camera recording service."

That is a lot of investment for a few courts by a parking lot. The reason shows up in the league numbers.

Courts set the size of the roster

The Lake Bluff Park District's FY2026 budget explains the program's size in one line:

"Both leagues have a set number of teams allowed depending on the number of courts at each facility. The Men's league is allowed for 14 teams, and 10 teams are allowed for ladies' league."

The program hit both limits in 2025. The men's league brought back all 14 teams, which the budget calls "a league maximum," and the women's league added a team to reach 10. That new team brought the district $10,000. Here is how the program grew over seven seasons:

From 2019 to 2025, memberships rose by about 40 percent and the women's side doubled its team count. Then growth hit the cap. The 2026 projection adds members but no teams, because there is no room for more teams on the courts. Any growth from here has to fit inside 24 team slots.

The 2026/27 season shows the same limit. The park district's September 2026 report counted 231 league players enrolled for a season starting in October. That is below the 250 memberships counted for 2025. Since the team counts can't change, the season-to-season shifts happen in how many players fill each roster.

The calendar is also fixed. The 2025/26 season ended in March, and the 2026/27 season started in October, so the league runs through the cold months.

What the resident rate buys

Since roster spots are the limited part, it helps to know what each membership tier covers. Memberships run September 1 through August 31. A Lake Forest household pays the same rates as Lake Bluff.

On a night membership, the resident rate saves a Lake Forest player $140 a season compared with the nonresident price. The Social tier stands apart. At $310 it costs about a quarter of a league membership. As of the September 2026 report, five had been sold, against 231 league players. Nearly everyone in the program plays on a team.

For membership, league, or program questions, the park district directs players to Kari Falls at 847-902-9998.

The programs that run beside the leagues

With both leagues full, drills and introductory programs are how many new players start. The park district says paddle programs and drills run all year. This fall's beginner sessions, all held at the Paddle Facility, are winding down through mid-to-late November:

• Ladies Friday Night Lights, a beginner interclub program for ages 21 and up: $250, Fridays 5:30 to 7 p.m., October 2 through November 20, 2026
• Monday Coed Paddle, for adults with little or no experience: $280, Mondays 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., September 28 through November 16, 2026
• Quick Start Paddle for adults: $280, Tuesdays noon to 1 p.m., September 29 through November 17, 2026

Two of the three meet after dark, and Friday Night Lights is built around interclub play. These sessions work as a first step toward league play for a beginner. Once they wrap up, the next round of drills will appear on the racquet-sports page and in the park district's winter program guide.

The program also has depth on the coaching side. In fiscal 2025 the district kept both its men's and women's head paddle pros.

The club courts within Lake Forest

Lake Forest's other paddle courts belong to private clubs. The Lake Forest Club lists platform tennis with its tennis, pickleball, and pool amenities. Knollwood Club on North Knollwood Road and Onwentsia Club on North Green Bay Road both appear on the North Shore Women's Paddle Tennis League's list of places to play. On APTA Chicago's scoring site, a "Lake Forest - 4" team plays in division 4 and "Onwentsia - 7" plays in division 7.

The City's court-sports page covers indoor tennis separately. It sends players to College Park Athletic Club, a nine-court indoor facility, at 847-948-5330. Paddle is listed under Lake Bluff. For a Lake Forest resident who wants public courts, a league, and a resident price, the paddle season runs through the hut at Blair Park.

Kim and Carleigh see paddle at Blair Park as part of a Lake Forest winter, and they bring that knowledge of the area to every home they present. If you want to show what daily life near your home looks like in every season, Kim & Carleigh Team would be glad to help. Schedule a design-forward consultation.