Dottie Bridges Tennis Center

Reminder!!!

Our courts are closed due to construction Monday May 4 to Friday May 15th. Courts will be locked. If this project is not delayed due to days of rain, construction will end earlier and the courts will reopen! Stay tuned!!!

📣📣📣📣permanent Pickleball courts!

Coming in May!! One of four courts at Flat Shoals Park (aka Dottie Bridges) in Decatur, GA is being converted into two pickleball courts at the request of the surrounding community. This site has 264 pickleball players who will be relieved they no longer have to carry nets and ball stoppers to play Pickleball. Park users will be able to play tennis or pickleball when they visit the park or rent a pavillion. Must bring your own paddles or rackets & balls.

When is construction? May 4-15

All courts will be CLOSED. the first week. Courts 3&4 'may' be open the 2nd week. It's will be up to the vendor to decide. They requested two weeks to perform the installation.

Congratulations to community residents who showed up to meetings or wrote emails/letters of support for pickleball in their neighborhood park.

Pickleball program play is held:
-Wednesday mornings
-Bi-weekly Fridays
-Sunday Funday

Otherwise with the new courts you can pop-in and play anytime, as is done with tennis. It is great to have a choice!

Pickleball has been around since 1964. The game uses a smaller paddle, smaller court and a plastic ball with holes in it. Originally considered a game for seniors, it's been embraced by all ages. At Dottie Bridges players range from 8 to 84.

In 2026, in addition to pickleball, the park will receive a safety face lift, with new signage, to provide information about what is in the park and directional flow to get to the park greenspace.

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2026 Pickleball.

Those who play pickleball can play on courts 1 or 2 any day except Friday morning reserved for when Coach Foster gives tennis lessons.

April: Pickleball program:

Wednesday mornings - the time changes when the weather heats up. Currently 10-12:30. - weekly.

Sunday Funday - the time changes when the weather heats up. Currently 2-5:00 - weekly.

Biweekly Fridays - 5-7:30 - seeking facilitator.

Two nets are available near court 1 for pop up play.

April dates 2nd-Thrs and 4th-Saturday. mornings are reserved for Samson gym players.

Thank you to the Divine 9 for using Dottie Bridges to host their Picklebsll event. Food, fun and fellowship. Awesome event!

It's December and warm. Head to the Dottie Bridges neighborhood courts. Play tennis or pickleball. There are 4 permanently lined pickleball courts. Two pickleball nets are outdoors on the court or bring your own pickleball net. Bring out friends and/or family members 🏓 or 🎾 You have options at your neighborhood courts. Also take a walk on the 1/2 mile hard surfaced trail! Enjoy and have fun!

We will post 'what's new for 2026 on Jan 1.

Friends of Flat Shoals Park - we are a volunteer group of residents interested in a clean & safe park. We focus on park enhancements, maintenance, safety and programs. Got ideas, join us its free!

Thank you to DeKalb County Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs Dept for their support in making Flat Shoals Park a jewel within our neighborhood. Also thank you to the surrounding Subdivision HoAs for partnering with us thru the years to enhance this park.

Pickleball program pause - every year we pause programed pickleball during December and January. However because the lines are permanent on tennus ciurt 1 and 2, you can still play on a sunny warm day. Need inspiration? Nets are on the court. Take one out and enjoy your pickleball journey. Got questions? Send a message.

Faces of pickleball players at Dottie Bridges.

1st Cosmic pickleball held Friday, Oct 31st. We had an awesome time. Blacklights, glow court lines, glow HOST tshirts, sponsors, awesome decorations the best planning committee ever and pickleball player fun! Enjoy some pictures. Adults only! Dottie Bridges courts in Flat Shoals Park. Costumes & nein colors! In Decatur where it's Greater!

Name change on the horizon!

Since 2002, the Dottie Bridges Tennis Courts and surrounding 18 acres has been owned by the DeKalb County Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs department. In 2002, the tennis location transitioned from being a 'center' with court lights to a 'neighborhood' court with no lights, residing within the new Flat Shoals Park. Over the last 3 years, this site has expanded its mission to include Pickekball, a much requested sport by neighboring residents. Currently there are four permanently lined pickleball courts requiring residents to purchase and set up nets every time they play or wait until a pickleball program is sponsored where the nets are set up for them. In 4Q2025, one of four tennis courts will be converted into two pickleball courts with permanent nets providing residents the option to play tennis or pickleball at their neighborhood park whenever they want to play.

When the pickleball courts are scheduled for installation, all tennis courts will be closed so the pickleball courts can dry undisturbed from rolling pickleball/tennis balls and to prevent individuals from walking on wet courts. Signs will be posted at the park and as in the past, on the Dottie Bridges facebook site. Known coaches will be notified in advance. This notice could be very short so the recommendation is to not plan 'events' during November and December, 2025 at Dottie Bridges. The courts will be scheduled based on weather conditions and slots of availability by the vendor.

The site name will change to Dottie Bridges Tennis/Pickleball Courts and possibly eventually to Flat Shoals Park tennis/pickleball courts. If you have questions, please leave a message. Thank you!

September Youth Pickleball Clinic. Every Saturday, 3-4:00pm.

From Cee Jai Jones: USTA Southern is Hiring! Check out the positions. :

Greetings, we have much going on at Flat Shoals Park.

1. Our surrounding community has reauested for one of four tennis courts to be converted to two pickleball courts leaving three tennis courts for community tennis players. Altnough its been around since 1965, Pickkeball is the fastest growing sport in America. Many in cur community are playing.
-this year it was part of the DeKalb County Senior Olympics. Our players took home medals! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
- with our community consisting of 50% seniors its wonderful to see them out getting exercise and being social. Covid stopped so much of that.
- they simply want to come to the court with a padfle and ball (like tennis players do) and play. Now they need to go purchase a net, lug it to the court, set it up to play and then wait to recover before playing. That's too much!
- lets share the courts not segregate out groups of people like our seniors.
-A Community meeting with pickleball and tennis players is set for Saturday, July 19, at 2:00 at the Community Achievement Center. 4522 Flat Shoals Pkwy. Follow-up to June 4th discussion. Come join ys

2. We are working towards submitting a grant due Sept 1st for improved signage in the park. Sponsored by the Friends of Flat Shoals Park. updae: in target for grant submission

3. We are seeking a 'gatheribg space' concept for Table Tennis in the park. We will present the concept in a Park Pride workshop in August. Hoping to apply for a grant in 2026. No other park in Southern DeKalb has table tennis. Interested? Let me know. Sponsored ny the Friends of Flat Shoals Park. Update: design prucess

4. We are putting up a new Storywalk on July 3rd for children in the park. Just in time for the 4th of July fun in the park. Update: been too hot Will unstall Aug 2

5. To reserve the park pavillion look up the DeKalb County parks department to obtain the 'pavillion' reservation number.

6. We still have a stray dog in the park. Appears friendly but has to go! Do not feed strays in the oark. Take it home to feed it! Update: dog captired

7. The park has had a foul smell and we now have a resolution. It occurs becsuse the sanitation bin top has been broke for years.; when the trash, rain and heat mix, it leaves a hortible smell in the air. Great news! We are getting a new sanitation bin! Thank you parks dept. Long over due but we thank you!!! Uodate: still awaiting roll-off bin

Rochelle