If you moved to St. James Plantation in the last few years because someone mentioned pickleball, you probably pictured one place to show up with a paddle. That's not how it works here anymore. The sport outgrew its original footprint fast enough that the community now runs courts out of two separate facilities, and the newer one is easy to miss if you're going off an old amenities sheet or a real estate listing that hasn't been updated.
Here's the geography, the name behind the newer courts, and what's actually on the calendar this fall if you're looking to get in a game.
Where the ten courts actually sit
Most of what gets written about pickleball in St. James still describes "two pickleball courts," tucked in alongside the tennis program at the SeaSide Club. That was accurate once. It isn't the whole picture anymore.
| Location | Courts | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Greg Rymer Memorial Pickleball Courts | 8 | Hard surface, permanent lines and nets, restrooms on site, near the Main Gate |
| SeaSide Club | 2 | The original courts, membership access |
The Rymer courts sit at 3911 St James Dr SE, just across the street from the Reserve Club entrance if you're coming in the main gate. That's a different corner of the community than SeaSide, which is why residents who learned pickleball at SeaSide years ago sometimes don't realize there's a dedicated eight-court facility a short drive away.
The Clubs at St. James describe the addition plainly on their own racquet sports page: the sport "gained popularity, so much that we added 8 more courts to our current court offering for a total of 10 courts." That's the number that matters if you're trying to find a game on a Saturday morning. Ten courts across two sites, not two courts at one.
The name on the gate
The eight-court facility carries a name worth knowing before you show up to play. Greg Rymer was the Assistant Teaching Tennis Professional and the community's founding pickleball professional, the person who built the sport here before it had its own courts. After he passed away, his wife Katie set up an endowment fund in 2021 to continue his work. The fund supports free and low-cost after-school and summer programs in tennis, pickleball, and education for children in underserved communities across Brunswick County.
The community also runs an annual tournament in his name at the Rymer courts, with proceeds going to the endowment. Registration works a little differently depending on where you live: residents get billed through their Troon membership, while non-residents pay by credit card through the tennis shop. It's a small operational detail, but it tells you the tournament is built to include people from outside the gates, not just St. James members.
So the courts aren't just an amenity upgrade. They're named for the person who taught the sport here first, and the tournament held on them still funds youth access to it.
Getting on a court without guessing
Playing regularly means joining the St. James Pickleball Association, known around the community as SJPA. Membership runs $20 per person per year, on a calendar-year cycle from January through December, so it doesn't prorate or roll over if you join mid-summer. The association coordinates with Troon, which manages the courts, to keep expanding the quality and quantity of pickleball facilities as demand keeps climbing.
Court time itself gets booked through Court Reserve rather than by just walking up and hoping for an open slot, especially for lessons. St. James Pickleball Pro Joey Caraccio teaches Tuesday through Saturday mornings, and lessons go through Court Reserve or a direct call to the tennis shop. Round robins and social play sessions get posted the same way, often tied to specific skill brackets so a 3.0 player and a 3.5 player aren't matched by accident.
The SJPA also runs its own Facebook group for members, which tends to be where the day-to-day scheduling chatter actually happens rather than on the official club calendar.
What's actually on the court this fall
If you're looking for something to sign up for between now and November, the calendar is more specific than a general "pickleball season."
The Cape Fear Intercommunity League, known as CFIL, is running its 2026 season now, from mid-September through mid-November. St. James fields teams against other Brunswick and New Hanover County communities, including Winding River, Brunswick Forest, Waterford, Compass Point, Porter's Neck, Landfall, and Del Webb. In a past matchup, St. James's team beat Porter's Neck in the Intermediate Division, winning five of seven rounds and tying one, for a final score of 214 to 193. That's the level of competition the current season is picking back up.
One date worth putting on the household calendar directly: Saturday and Sunday, September 26 and 27, the Battle of the Paddle Tournament at the Rymer courts, a two-day team event with four teams of 25 players each, balanced by gender and skill rating.
You don't need to already be deep into league play to get a taste of the social side. SJPA also runs casual open-play socials throughout the season, often paired with a local food vendor and music, open to all members rather than just competitive brackets.
Why the split matters more than the total
Ten courts sounds like a lot until you realize it's really eight at one facility and two at another, run under one club system but with different access patterns depending on which complex you're closest to and what time of day you play. If you live near the main gate, the Rymer courts are your default. If you're closer to SeaSide, you may still be playing on the original two courts more often than the newer eight, simply because of the walk or golf cart ride involved.
That's the kind of detail that doesn't show up in a bullet list of community amenities, but it's the difference between showing up to an empty court and driving to the wrong side of a 6,000-acre community on a Saturday morning.
If you're weighing a move to St. James Plantation and pickleball access is part of the calculation, it's worth knowing exactly what you're getting: two facilities, ten courts, a member association that keeps dues low and access organized, and a fall calendar with real competitive stakes if you want them. Vic's Picks works this community daily and can walk you through how proximity to each amenity, including the courts, actually plays out depending on which section of St. James you're looking at. Reach out anytime you're ready to talk specifics.
