Mountain House racquet players now have two places to go, one for each sport, and neither is fully settled yet. Tennis has moved to a new nine-court Tennis Center just east of City Hall. The older Central Park courts are closed while crews rebuild them as an 11-court pickleball complex.
Each sport is getting its own site with its own rules, and the details decide whether you end up on a court or in the parking lot.
Tennis Moved East of City Hall
The City of Mountain House and Mountain House Developers recently opened the new courts on the east side of Providence Street, just east of City Hall, as part of Phase 2 of Central Community Park. The Tracy Press reported that the facility has nine lighted courts, shade structures, spectator seating, restrooms and player amenities, and that a community building is part of the complex. Mayor Andy Su hit the ceremonial first serve and told the paper, "Today is a special day for Mountain House and the Mountain House tennis community."
The lights matter most for after-work play. According to the city's tennis and pickleball FAQ, play ends at 10 p.m., players get 45 minutes to leave, and the lights go off at 11 p.m. As evenings get shorter, a 10 p.m. finish leaves room for a full match after dinner.
The Tennis Center also runs differently from a neighborhood court. It's a programmed facility, and the programming takes up a lot of the court time.
Nine Courts, Four on a Weekday
The city publishes how it plans to divide the nine courts.
| Court use | Weekdays | Weekends |
|---|---|---|
| Lessons | 3 | 2 |
| League play | 2 | 0 |
| Public reservations | 4 | 7 |
On a weekday, fewer than half the courts are open for public booking. On weekends that rises to seven of nine, because league play drops out and lessons give up a court. Weekend reservations should be much easier to get, and a weekday evening slot is the one to book early. The city calls these planned allocations and says the live reservation schedule shows actual availability, which can open up when a class is canceled or programming changes.
Those lesson and league courts aren't open to just anyone. The FAQ says only City-authorized tennis instruction is allowed on City courts, so a private coach can't simply book a court and start teaching. Questions about lessons go to [email protected]. The city put out a call for racquet-sports instructors in September, with approved programs targeted to start October 1, 2026. For league play, the city's Tennis Center Operations Plan describes youth lessons, adult clinics and camps run under the city's program. The city won't run leagues itself. It lists USTA adult, mixed and combo leagues as eligible when approved outside organizations provide them.
So the two weekday league courts depend on an outside organization bringing a league to Mountain House. The other four public courts are the ones you can count on.
Set Up the Account Before You Want the Court
Reservations go through CourtReserve, and it takes a few days before your first booking will work. The city's account setup guide lays out the steps.
- Go to CourtReserve and choose the option for creating a new account.
- Find and join "Mountain House."
- Fill in your profile, including your address, and submit it.
- Wait for the account review, which the guide says takes two to three business days.
If you sign up on a Friday morning, you may not be approved until the middle of the next week. Anyone hoping to play on a particular Saturday should create the account well ahead of time.
Once you're approved, the city's reservation guide walks through booking. You open Reservations, pick a court type, choose singles or doubles, then save and pay. You'll get a confirmation and receipt by email. When the center opened, the Tracy Press reported that residents could book one 1-hour block per day up to seven days ahead, and non-residents one block up to three days ahead. The city's own planning document uses different booking windows, so check CourtReserve for the current window and rate before you plan around either one.
You can still walk on, with limits. The Operations Plan says walk-on play is first come, first served, only during periods with nothing scheduled, and not guaranteed. Play is singles or doubles only. With lessons and leagues using five courts on weekdays, walk-on chances are slim at those times.
The Old Courts Become the Pickleball Side
The courts tennis players left behind are being rebuilt for pickleball. The city's FAQ says refurbishment of the Central Park courts was scheduled to start Monday, October 12, 2026, with courts 1 through 3 closing for the project. The work converts the site to 11 pickleball courts, with the opening scheduled for November 18. The city says the work depends on weather and construction conditions and that it will post updates as the schedule is confirmed. Treat November 18 as the target date until the city announces the opening.
Pickleball players will book through the same CourtReserve account. The city's reservation guide already lists Pickleball Courts as a reservation option. If you set up the account now for tennis, it should also cover pickleball when the new courts open.
Once the conversion is done, Mountain House will have nine tennis courts at one site and 11 pickleball courts at another. Pickleball moves from sharing time on tennis courts to having its own complex, and tennis players at the Tennis Center no longer compete with pickleball for court time. There is also an early community effort forming around the new courts. A site called Mountain House Pickleball Club invites players to subscribe for news of soft-launch events.
Why the Courts Arrived When They Did
Mountain House has had parks on its master plan for years. These courts show up now because their funding depends on home construction. The Tracy Press reported that the tennis courts, the pickleball conversion, the recently opened dog park and the coming amphitheater are paid for by new home construction in The Lakes and other neighborhoods. According to Mountain House Developers, work on these amenities slowed during weaker housing markets and picked back up as building and sales resumed. Nick Arenson, managing director of Altamont Development, which is building The Lakes, told the paper, "As neighborhoods are completed, we will continue to deliver on conditional amenities that enhance the unique quality of life in Mountain House."
Park projects still to come include:
- Central Community Park amphitheater: scheduled to open in December, part of the same Phase 2 as the Tennis Center.
- More Central Park phases: new playgrounds and gathering areas, with plans for an aquatic center and baseball and soccer fields.
- South Community Park: the city broke ground on October 14 on this 23.8-acre park along South Central Parkway, across from the San Joaquin Delta College Mountain House campus. Plans include soccer fields, cricket pitches, basketball courts, beach volleyball, picnic areas, playgrounds and a dog park. The Tracy Press put the cost at about $50 million, with completion expected by spring 2028.
At the groundbreaking, Councilmember Bernice King Tingle told the paper that the master plan provides more than 10 acres of parkland per 1,000 residents, which is twice the county requirement and the national standard of 5 acres. The racquet courts are the part of that plan residents can use right now, and the pickleball complex is next if the November 18 date holds.
If you're weighing how close you want to be to the Tennis Center, the new pickleball courts or the parks still to come, Just 1 Real Estate can walk you through how Mountain House's amenity buildout lines up with each neighborhood. Schedule a free consultation, and bring your court schedule.
