Pickles at Forté

Was in Honolulu for five days, and thought of playing a little PB. Went to Forte since it was indoor. Turn out to be 4 days of 2 hours lessons with Kata ( Ekatarina). where do I begin? She is hands down one of the best teachers out there. And I have taken a lot of lessons From all over the US and in Southeast Asia PB Mecca, Vietnam. Each coach has their own strength and weaknesses. In her case Kata is very technical and very particular on how one should hit the ball and playing out the point. She has the skills to back up what she teaches. She focuses on your strengths and weaknesses. Therefore optimizing on how best to play your game. She will work on your weaknesses until you get it right or close to getting it right….Even to the point of nearly frustration, but she won’t give up on you. She is absolutely outstanding and I will continue to take lessons from her whenever I am in Honolulu.

2 weeks ago

If you like only playing 2 games in 2 hours, this is the place for you! Only 3 open play courts and they will gladly shut one down to create a reservation without warning. The people that play here are all awesome, unfortunately the place is completely mismanaged.

a week ago

Difficult to find - no exterior signage, and the address directs you to the wrong entrance. I had to walk an extra block to find check-in with no clear directions. The surrounding area felt unsafe. Parking was hard to get. The facility itself has very low ceilings (frequent ceiling hits, can’t lob), but my main issue was with how open play was managed. I paid $30 as a visitor and only got to play 2 games because there was no rotation system. Established players kept playing together and wouldn’t rotate in paying customers. Most players were advanced regulars and only wanted to play with other regulars. For $30, I expected the facility to enforce fair rotation so everyone gets equal playing time. While they said the pass was “good all day,” that’s not practical for most people. Suggestions for improvement: • Add exterior signage for easier access on both sides of the building • Allow non-members to use CourtReserve and pay ahead of time. What’s the difference if we’re going to pay such a high price anyway, whether we call or show up in person for open play? With CourtReserve, we can see how many players are signed up instead of having to drive over or call to check. Pretty much all pickleball facilities do this. This is the first one I’ve experienced that doesn’t allow it. • Implement a rotation system for “all levels” open play, especially when there aren’t enough players. Facilities that label sessions as “all levels” should encourage inclusive play toward players of all abilities. • Have a staff member facilitate rotations • Post clear rules about inclusive play The players I did play with were skilled and the court surface was fine, but the management of open play needs significant improvement.

2 months ago

best experience ever!! highly recommend getting a membership! if you’re looking to improve — you’ll definitely improve fast!

4 months ago

I’ve been a member since it opened! Pros: - Air conditioning - Validated parking - Many courts, especially now with the upstairs - Great hours Suggestions: - Make every court open play by default, and then charge a small fee to reserve. When open play is only two courts it can get way too crowded and cliquey. A lot of the joy of pickleball is meeting people in the community you wouldn’t meet otherwise! - Open a pro shop so people can buy gear and apparel - More events, eg Leagues, DUPR matches

2 months ago