Hot Deals
More...
|
|
pbReview.com / Ballers Arena / Ballers Arena / Ballers Arena / Ballers Arena
Ballers Arena
|
|
|
Reviews: |
|
|
Website: |
Click here to visit the field's website. |
|
Email: |
Click here to email the field. |
|
Phone: |
480-668-7868 |
|
Address: |
140 N. Country Club Dr.
Mesa, Arizona 85201
USA
Map - Directions - Weather |
|
Distance: |
Fill in the text box below and click 'Go'
to calculate the distance to this field.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Period of
Field Use: |
|
|
| Last There: |
December 14th, 2008 |
|
Paintball
Experience: |
6 months |
|
Other Fields
in the Area: |
23BPS - Better competition
Cowtown - They are growing into a great destination |
|
Directions
to the Field: |
Arizona Ave/Country Club Dr to just north of Main Street on the west side of the street. Look for the Blue Adobe Grill to find it easier. For some reason that big sign is easy to miss. |
|
| Review: |
Facilities are top notch. The playing field is about 180'x90' so it is just shy of 7 man regulation. Unfortunately they cannot accommodate a regulation xball layout.
The bunkers are all NPPL SupAir and are in decent shape. They need to be better about filling them during the day instead of just when they open.
The refs are hit and miss. They have been going through quite a few changes lately for some reason. Generally the refs are there for safety and not to make sure every hit is counted.
The field paint is XO spectrum and it is garbage. Even at $50 a case it is horribly overpriced.
The biggest downside to Ballers is the lack of competition. It is very convenient for me but my game is not developing because the good players tend to stay away. They are trying to change that and I hope they do. Driving 40+ miles to other fields is not my idea of fun.
Overall an 8 of 10. Fix a few personnel & paint issues and better competition will be there. Then it will warrant a 10 of 10. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Period of
Field Use: |
|
|
| Last There: |
December 2nd, 2008 |
|
Paintball
Experience: |
More than 5 years |
|
Other Fields
in the Area: |
pretty much all of em, this one holds it down guys! |
|
Directions
to the Field: |
North of Main st on Country Club in Mesa |
|
| Review: |
BYOP for Dec rocks! otherwise the prices are average for an indoor field. Safety is great, and they are very serious about teaching young players the ropes. The field is astro turf and the perfect slickness (is that a word?). The rentals are the standard 98's and the refs are pretty good with gun kniowledge and are very helpfull in general. The competition is ok as well, not enough great players but enough good ones to have fun. I have a blast every time and the field set ups are pretty dope. I give it a 9 out of 10!!! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Period of
Field Use: |
|
|
| Date There: |
November 28th, 2008 |
|
Paintball
Experience: |
More than 5 years |
|
Other Fields
in the Area: |
This is my first experience with fields in the Phoenix area. My brother has tried several fields and we both have played at a dozen or so fields in North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Florida.
This is also my first experience with an indoor field but my brother has played at one previously that does not even compare to this field. |
|
| Review: |
*EDIT APRIL 2nd 2009*
After playing at Ballers several times in December, I told myself I wouldn't waste my time or money at Ballers again even if I couldn't play on the weekends and Ballers was the only field open. In early March I was stuck with a full week in which I would only have Thursday. What the heck? Why not give the place another shot, at least they still had BYOP and the facility is nice.
I got to the field around 4pm expecting the turn out to be nothing crazy. Maybe some kids playing after they got out of school and a birthday party or something. I walk in with my brother and a friend to find only three other players there. I talked to (who I presume is the) field owner and decide it would be worth our time to play. Even a lazy day of 3v3 can be fun without shooting a ton of paint.
I go to fill my tank and still find that I'm not getting above 3K. Every time I walk on or off the field I have to pass one of the fill stations but I spend every other game standing by the fill station waiting for the fill station to slowly (and this is the safe way, I know flash filling is dangerous) fill my tank. I know they are very very worried about injuries that come from the tanks or filling stations which is why the hoses are strapped down but wouldn't less people using the fill stations mean less chance of accidents and less wear and tear on the hoses and fill adapters?
I don't think I was asked to chrono but the ref may have seen me because I spent some time playing with the LPR on my gun. The field was in good condition, a definite improvement from the winter and the bunkers seemed to be in decent shape. Whatever they use on the floor is starting to come apart especially at the seams. I learned quickly that sliding on it left you with strange paper cut marks all over your palms. The field layout was one of the strangest I've yet to see at Ballers. IIRC, a good portion of the bunkers previously at Ballers were privately owned. They are no longer being used there and it seemed like Ballers had taken whatever was left to create something that resembled a field. The side furthest from the staging are was not aligned correctly and the bunkers left a massive lane along the netting. Due to the close proximity of the bunkers and the odd angles created by the doritos, running down the field was not difficult until you passed the 50.
We played a few 3v3 games and the guys out there were competitive and pretty friendly. No loud mouthed trash talking at any chance on or off the field. We played at our own leisure with the ref (one of my two favorites) willing to go along with whatever we wanted to do on the field. As more players arrived we had to separate the groups a bit to allow a rental/rookie game and an open game. Players seemed to be leaving and showing up at a pretty quick rate. We never had more than 15 players but a lot of people stayed for 2 hours. Games slowed down eventually until we decided to leave about an ?hour? before closing.
No major ref complaints and games ran smoothly but some of the more competitive walk on players need to be chrono'ed and warned for overshooting newer players. Two or three shots at 280 FPS is really nothing to a seasoned player but there's no reason to let loose on a new player. One player in particular was shooting well above 300, the shell/fill combo he was shooting was always drawing blood on open skin even at a distance. A similar player was lost in the definition of overshooting probably unable to comprehend the difference between rec play and tournament play where something is at stake. In close distance 3v1 situations he still felt the need to hit me 6 times in the head/upper chest region and was aggressively bunkering new players at the end of games.
Rental players were asking for their own game because of the aggressive playing by some individuals on the field. If the owners are going to continue to cater to groups, they need to find a way to utilize one field for two separate groups.
Nothing too positive of negative out of this visit. Business is still slow at times for a field that is open more hours/week than most fields in the country. Ballers will always be a backup choice to competitive players with fields like 23BPS and FAP but I really can't complain as long as they are BYOP and will allow players to change the field layout.
*EDIT DECEMBER 27th 2008*
I felt the need to go ahead and put this edit at the top of my review. I have now been out to Ballers 4 or 5 more times since my first visit. If you don't want to read a wall of text then here's what matters. Ballers is a nice building that has amenities that a lot of outdoor fields do not have but it is one of the worst run fields I have been to. The fact that they are still in business astonishes me.
Employees at Ballers are generally rude or incompetent. During my most recent trip to Ballers I had to deal with the agony of a ref that seemed to have no paintball experience trying to control 40 players a game. So far I have met two competent refs. The rest of the staff is alright but service is not always what I would expect from a "business".
From the looks of how things are run, Ballers is not being run by experienced paintball players. I've seen several fields get run into the ground because they are run by someone who is not a real player. Paintball fields are almost never legitimate businesses that people can live off of. Of all the owners I've met, running their field is more of a hobby and a passion for the sport than anything. Many field owners make enough to scrape by or supplement their family income.
Competition at Ballers is limited. Thursday nights bring out a decent crowd of players but other than that you will be competing against rentals and a posse of 12 year old brats. Nearly every time I have been there the right side of the staging area is infested with an obnoxious group of kids that spend more time screaming, dry firing and showing off their guns than actually playing. I should not be waiting for the day some kid goes to show off his gun by dry firing it all over the staging area when he doesn't realize there is a ball still in the gun and he has removed his barrel sock.
Turn around times between games vary but are usually on the slow side. Some days they will run a rental game followed by a speedball game while other days they will just mash everyone together and run a 20 vs 20 game. When they do separate rental players from everyone else the turnaround time between the rental game and speedball game can be as much as 10 or 15 minutes. If there are enough players to run a rental and speedball game then it should be done. I will wait 10 minutes to let the rental players get two games in so I do not have to triple up on a bunker with two little kids crying. Once the rental players have played their two games the speedball players should immediately get on the field and run their two games. There is no reason to have down time in between the games because the ref does nothing but stand on the side but more on that later.
More time is spent on the field dividing teams than actually playing. If it is a mixed game then the rentals should be separated so that each side has an even number of rentals. The ref should then ask who wants to play together, putting those groups on the appropriate side and then use the remaining players to even out each team. Picking two players as captains is a horrible idea and randomly assigning players to walk or stay rules out the refs judgment on skill. One way of dividing teams needs to be implemented and used by all the refs.
Most recently, we were continually screamed at to "cease fire" before games. The ref said that he was being told by "higher ups" to not have players shoot before games. Whatever the case is, when I walk on to the field I will test fire my gun before the game starts so I am not stuck in the middle of a game with a gun that isn't working. If you have a problem with kids dumping an entire hopper for no reason, yell at them. If you have a problem with kids shooting bunkers before games, yell at them. I should not be getting berated by an employee for doing something that is part of the game. If this continues, you will not see me back at Ballers.
The start of the game can vary. I've been told that on Saturdays they typically countdown with a simple 3-2-1-GO because of the number of rental players. Other times the ref has counted down 3-2-1-TEN SECONDS to prevent players from taking off at 2. Sometimes the start of the game will be signaled by hitting the button on the side of the field. I understand that 3-2-1-TEN SECONDS confuses the rental players. 3-2-1-GO leaves you laning down towards the snake only to find that little Timmy took of when the ref said 2 and made it to the snake before you even had your gun off the wall. Implement the button on the wall in some way to make the start of the game as fair as possible.
While cheating has not been a big issue, it does happen and nothing is done to stop it. It seems that refs are instructed to divide teams, start the games and stand on the side. So far most refs have been incompetent with the first two and the latter could be done by a monkey so why have refs at all? Occasionally a ref will signal a player out from the side but even when players wipe in the snake, a mere two feet away from them, nothing is done.
After being eliminated you walk back behind the netting and up the stairs. Players constantly call out bunkers for their friends and seem to think nothing of sideline coaching. Some days players are instructed not to leave the field until the ref is present. I completely ignore this rule because I am more than capable of putting a barrel sock on. I have yet to be berated by an employee for this but many others have. This seems like just another way to round up and control the rental players.
The field is in horrible condition. Some bunkers stay inflated for an hour at most and are never cleaned throughout the day. I quit playing snake because S1 was falling over on both sides, S2 was barely inflated and S3 was completely covered in paint. Players shooting bunkers before games cover the back of bunkers with paint. Players need to be told not to shoot bunkers before the games and at least the back side of each bunker should be wiped down if dirty.
Air fills are never more than 3.5K on the 4.5K fill station. All three fill stations leak when filling. Towels and spray bottles at the cleaning stations disappear, leaving nothing to clean your mask with.
The "tech" I have seen most days is nothing but a joke. He has disassembled guns he knows nothing about and lost pieces to guns in the process of "fixing" them.
I'm sure I'm forgetting a thing or two but that about sums it up. Ballers has a lot of potential but will never live up to it. They lack a base of repeat customers and seem to survive off of rental groups. I'd be surprised to see Ballers make it another year.
************************************************************
*****************************
As you enter you will pay for entry and paint and the front counter. If this is your first time playing at the field you will have to watch a boring 5 minute movie on safety and field rules. Once you are done with the movie you will go to the rental counter to get your paint. At the time they were selling XO Industries Spectrum paint. I will go into this later but selling only one type of paint is a big no no for any field that is FPO.
The building was previously a bowling alley and the field is set up where the lanes use to be. The entire field is surrounded by netting and a wall with glass windows all the way down the side of the field was built to allow spectators to view the game at any angle. They have quite a few picnic tables set up on two levels, the top level for dining and the lower level for staging. The lower level could accommodate roughly 75 to 100 players for staging. I did not purchase anything at the small restaurant they had but was a nice touch.
After paying you are given a piece of surveyors tape to show that you have paid. This method works but most fields seem to use wristbands that would be difficult to find in stores and do not easily fall off. The video claimed they had 3K and 4.5K fill stations but I never got a fill about 3K. Not a problem for playing simple rec games but I would sure be pissed if I was playing in a tournament and only getting 3K fills. Due to someone getting hit in the head with a fill hose (which caused a concussion), you must wear your mask while filling your tank. I believe fields should only use self service fill stations during tournaments where they can count on knowledgeable players connecting the fill hose to the nipple correctly but that does mean staffing another person during normal play. Allowing new players to fill their own tanks is a liability whether or not you make them wear a mask.
The chrono station is located right next to the air fills and "cleaning station". There is a sign up stating that it should not be used without assistance but again, this is a liability. All it would take for someone to get hurt is for the player chrono'ing their marker to turn while attempting to cover their barrel and accidentally hit the trigger sending a ball down the staging area. This is probably my biggest safety concern because the solution is so simple. The chrono range should be moved on the other side of the door that separates the field from the staging area. There is plenty of space down the hallway behind the field. The chrono limit is 280 FPS which some might say is a little high for an indoor field but I think the size of this field justifies the speed. There was no mandatory enforcement of chrono'ing.
The field itself was overall quite nice. They had a NPPL 7-Man field set up. I was surprised to see the bunkers were in fairly good shape. Only a few lost so much air that they were unusable for player after 5 or 6 hours. It would have been nice to see the refs go out there every 3 to 4 hours to top off the bunkers. My only real complaint about the field was the amount of paint that built up towards each end and the distance between the first bunkers and the starting area. Another row of bunkers could have been set up to create some interesting angles.
Unlike many of the fields I have been to the reffing staff was both courteous and knowledgeable. They tended to stay on the sidelines most of the game but did a good job of calling players out. Safety was higher than most fields with signs marking most areas to show players when goggles were required or when barrel socks had to be put on.
Most of the players there were new players. Only one other player showed up that had a decent amount of experience. This usually resulted in splitting up my two brothers and I to even out teams although we did try to play a few 3 on 7/8 games. I would guess that some nights have higher levels of competition but I still enjoyed myself. Initially games were run very quick with only a few minutes of downtime in between games. Later during the day, several games would run in quick succession followed by 10 or 15 minutes of waiting. Still, this field had a much better turnaround time than most fields I have played at.
Now to the most critical part of the review. The paint was probably one of the worst brands I have ever shot. Over the years I've shot all the RPS, Draxxus, Evil, etc and this paint definitely ranks in the bottom ten. The bright orange fill was great for spotting across the field but was extremely oily. The shell was unpredictable at best. After the first game or two I was reminded or playing with Stinger, a paint that stays true to it's name. I was getting bounces off my shoes, arms and legs. Only a few games later my barrel was dripping orange soup. While some of the paint I was pulling out of the bag had shells made of rubber, others had an extremely brittle shell. Twice I opened up my Halo to find more orange soup, the same happening to one of my brothers. Looking at reviews of this paint here on PBReview, it seems like this is your typical whitebox paint that would normally sell for $35 or $40 a case. I'm willing to spend $60 a case to support an indoor field but only if the paint is consistent. There were times when I opened the bag to find that a ball had broken inside and the shell of that broken ball had somehow slipped over another ball creating a double shell paintball. Thankfully the guy at the rental counter took back one bag of paint without question even though it was open.
Overall I was very pleased with my experience. I cringe at thinking how much money was invested in the building. The turf, the parent's room with a large flat screen TV, the wall separating my field from the spectators area and many of the other nice touches will hopefully pay off in the end for the owner. I would not hesitate to play there again as long as the paint issue is fixed. I would be very pleased to see them get their paint through Procaps and offer at least two different brands.
Due to my issues with the paint my initial reaction was to give the field a 7 but I think they honestly deserve an 8. This is by far the most aesthetically pleasing field I have ever been to and their concern for safety makes an 8 justified.
*EDIT*: So looking through the other reviews I figured I'd add a few things.
The air conditioning was nice and kept the field at a pretty good temperature but it would have been nice if it was a bit cooler. I'd rather be a little cold while running across the field than sweating.
Maybe I missed something but the Proshop was not stocked at all. They carried plenty of pants, jerseys and other clothing but did not have but a few markers on the wall. I understand that shops cannot compete with online stores but they should at least carry all the essentials to prevent anyone from going home early due to equipment failure.
If I remember correctly, entry and all day air were $20 and a case of paint was $60. This does not include tax so it is roughly $90 for your average player. They do not fill CO2 but I'm assuming you could rent an HPA tank from them. Their rental guns are Tippmann 98's with steel 47/3K HPA tanks. Rental masks were V-Force Rentals which in my opinion is a bad move that many fields make. The comfort and visibility of your mask can affect your experience on the field greatly. Several kids I played with were having problems with fogging. The most common complaint I hear from new players is issues with their mask. While probably twice as costly to maintain, upgraded masks may be worth the customer satisfaction.
Their website covers prices, hours and all the special discounts they run. I was previously told by a ref that you are not allowed to wear cleats but apparently you are allowed to as long as they are not steel cleats. | Last edited on Thursday, April 2nd, 2009 at 10:20 pm PST |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
slush |
|
Monday, August 25th, 2008 |
|
Period of
Field Use: |
|
|
| Last There: |
August 22nd, 2008 |
|
Paintball
Experience: |
1 year |
|
Other Fields
in the Area: |
23 bps; spring of life; cowtown |
|
| Review: |
THE CENTER/FIELD : very nice. used to be a bowling joint, they bought it up and turned it into a field. The field it self is indoor, NO DUST, NO HEAT, NO SUN. They got astro turf that is pretty well maintained. There is only HPA (compressed air, nitro, whatever), two 3000 psi fill ups and one 4500. 20 to get in 10 for all day gas and 60 per case. Overpriced but remember they are trying to stay in business.
WORKERS: Very nice people, will help you out if you ask, and sometimes when you don't :)
The workers know what the hell they are talking about unlike some places.
SAFETY: From what i saw everything was top notch safety. The ref would make sure there were no extra balls after you got out, ect... The 280 fps is STRICTLY enforced,
PEEPS: Ranged from dad/son. teams. solo people and newbies. 99% of people called them self's out witch was nice. In sum, there were no real dipsh*ts.
All in All nice field, could work on advertising to get more people to come in. one of the best in AZ!!! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Period of
Field Use: |
|
|
| Last There: |
June 14th, 2008 |
|
Paintball
Experience: |
2 years |
|
Other Fields
in the Area: |
Tempe Paintball- Still Indoors but the fighting is an urban combat scenario. |
|
Directions
to the Field: |
In Mesa, by the East Valley Institute of Technology (EVIT) University campus. On Country Club turn left just after 1st street where you see the big blue steakhouse sign. |
|
| Review: |
ENTRANCE: Your first time at the field you will need to see a short video describing the building and rules, etc. A wrist band will allow you to exit the facility for w/e reason and be able to get back in. Custom guns of any shape and size are allowed they just have one rule about them; you can use any mode EXCEPT Ramping, which might get you removed from the building. NO outside food/drink and NO outside paint. The plastic tables and bowling ball racks can be used to store your stuff or you can rent a locker. Your paint is purchased at the rental area. That basically covers it.
SAFETY: Excellent for the most part. Some of the rules I didn't care for such as you need to wear a mask while filling your tank, but anything can happen and I'm glad to see they are on top of things. When someone doesn't have a barrel condom on they are not allowed to exit the field but if they do slip by, a ref always shouts "Barrel sleeves on!" and runs down to the person, holding their barrel until they put it on. During a game there isn't much you can do so if you fall or whatever they will just tell you to walk it off. No special attention in-game.
FIELDS: This building was remodeled from a bowling alley, and the actual alleyways are the one field(X-Ball). I don't know if it is official size or anything but however long an average ~24 lane bowling alley is, that is the size of the field. The field itself is top-notch. Astroturf (excellent sliding!) and NPPL labeled bunkers are kept clean and weighted by sand bags. The field is sealed by glass and ALL walls including the glass looking off the staging area is draped in netting to stop the balls. They play music- Lots of Rock, Techno and Hip-Hop. And games consist of two teams against each other until eliminated, and then you switch sides and repeat. Then everyone moves back to staging area.
HOURS OF OPERATION: The field is closed Monday and Tuesday but the rest of the week usually has about 6-8 hours opened from morning into afternoon. Weekends are crazy, Saturday and Sunday they are open from 10am until Midnight. They will let your group do special private matches upon asking until they have about 15-20 people
PRICES: Prices were better than any field I've been to. The usual expected $20 entrance fee INCLUDES unlimited High-Pressure Air, not that C02 crap. Rentals are $10 (most fields are upwards of $20 and the rentals are crap too) the paint is $60 a case which is a heavy tag but, their paint is custom; Manufactured by Evil, their paint has their colors- Red/Silver with their logo on the Silver side. The fill is pink and fairly thin but it gets the job done.
RENTALS: For rent you are given a Tippmann 98 with a standard hopper, barrel sleeve, 3000 PSI tank, neck guard, and chest protector. NO pods/harness.
PROSHOP: I was their early on the weekend so things weren't really stocked but they have all of the basic things (Pants and Jerseys (Empire and JT brand) High End markers, High-Pressure Air tanks, pods and harnesses, etc.
STAFF: The owner is very nice and friendly, you'll mostly see him cleaning guns in the front or something. The refs are nice and helpful. Any one with a rental they will stay back and watch to see if you know what you are doing (Everything is self-serve) but if you are really stuck you usually don't have to ask for help. They are nice guys to talk to and if you come in enough they will become friends and even let you play with their new toys ^_^ (The owner got in a new Mini for sale and he let me try it out for a few games after the usual cleaning and tinkering in the front)
PLAYERS: the players are generally nice and friendly too but as far as sharing goes... Don't even think about it! No one wants to give away their paint. Towels and cleaning solution is provided.
FACILITIES: The whole building is very clean and organized, with air conditioning. When I was there it was a tad on the warm side and even the owner was like, WTF? There are two chrono stations at each side of the field in the staging area. The left staging area has two 3000 PSI fill stations, and the right side has one 4500 PSI fill station. Their Arcade, Parents' Room, Bathrooms and other facilities were all large, bright and spotless.
FOOD: This place has its own whole diner style restaurant called Bunker Grill that serves pretty much everything... Milk shakes, topped potato skins, burgers, cold subs, etc. etc.! Its amazingly good food and reasonably priced too. (I had their Grilled chicken sandwich and fries with a 32oz Vault soda. It came with lettuce, onion, pickle, the whole bit on the side so that you can pick and choose what you want on it- it was only about $7)
Overall, I'd give this field a 10/10 despite the no BYOP and no rental pods this is still one of the best fields in Arizona...Period.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Period of
Field Use: |
|
|
| Date There: |
April 26th, 2008 |
|
Paintball
Experience: |
Less than a month |
|
| Review: |
Ballers Arena was my first experience with an actual paintball field. I have played paintball out in the middle of nowhere with friends before. However, after playing at Ballers Arena, I won't go anywhere else again. It is clear they are very concerned with your enjoyment of the game. I brought my 10 year old son along to play. He got hit on the back of his head (which really hurts btw) in the first game. It was obvious that he was in pain and unhappy. Every ref in the game came by after the game and checked on him. They gave him ice for his head and made sure he was taken care of the rest of the day (he didn't want to play anymore).
They are very big on safety, and inforced the rules that pertained to it. But it was clear they weren't bogged down by rules. The games did not start at certain times or at certain intervals. If there was a lull in the action and a group wanted to do a 3 on 3 game, they were allowed. They even let my son get out into the field between games to shoot the paintball gun (thats all he really wanted to do in the first place).
It is an indoor field with 'astroturf'. The air conditioning is pretty good. They have self-service compressed air stations in the staging area, and air is included in the field entrance fee. They have a eatery with a pretty good selection of food at very reasonable prices (all things considered).
I can't write a review that can give this place enough praise. I was extremely satisfied with the visit and I am planning on going there again and bringing some friends.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Period of
Field Use: |
|
|
| Last There: |
March 21st, 2008 |
|
Paintball
Experience: |
2 years |
|
Other Fields
in the Area: |
Westworld Splatter Ranch- Best recball out there.
Westworld Xtreme Pursuit- Eh. Its speedball, but for the newer guys (I think)
Cowtown- Doesn't even compare.
23 Bps- Just plain hardcore speedball. |
|
Directions
to the Field: |
On website. In Mesa, on Clubhouse...I think. |
|
| Review: |
This field is amazing!!! I love it!!!
SAFETY: Almost perfect. There were a few no-barrel-sleeve situations, but other than that the refs always make sure that everybody is safe when returning to the staging area.
FIELDS: Only one field, but probably one of the best fields out there (besides 23 BPS). It is sort of small, but the bunkers are top notch, clean, and weighed down by sandbags (no dangerous things sticking out). I think that the turf is astroturf, but I'm not sure. You can definately slide on it pretty far. Everything is air conditioned!!!
HOURS OF OPERATION: On website. Usually about 8 hours average of open time per day. Very convenient, open most of the week (I think)..
PRICES: Um prices may be a little bit high, but TOTALLY worth it. I pay maybe $80 for a full day of paintball, which includes field pass, paint, and air. Also, the restaurant there is reasonably priced.
PROSHOP: The proshop has all of your basic needs- hoppers, squeegees, pants, jerseys, markers, and other common items. Nothing too special, just basic stuff.
STAFF: The owner is very nice and friendly. The check in guys are nice and helpful as well. The refs are helpful, and safety-conscious. However, the refs are just the smallest bit bad when it comes to reffing games. There were a few minor incidents when the guy took a while to get called out, but nothing at all serious. Everybody is nice and helpful!
PLAYERS: The games are run in a way that the newbies play first, then the more experienced players second. That way, things aren't uneven. So, I only played with the experienced guys. They were generally nice, and pretty good.
FACILITIES: The whole building is very clean and organized, with air conditioning. There is a full glass window for viewing the games, and bleachers to watch them on. Also, they have many tables, and air stations on both sides of the room.
FOOD: This place even has a mini restaurant titled the "Bunker Grill" or something like that. To say the least, their philly cheese steaks are killer. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Period of
Field Use: |
|
|
| Date There: |
February 2nd, 2008 |
|
Paintball
Experience: |
More than 5 years |
|
Other Fields
in the Area: |
Tempe Paintball - Significantly different style of play. No real comparison
Westworld Xtreme Pursuit - Similar style, but Ballers Arena is far superrior
Westworld Splatter Ranch - Ballers Arena wins out here
Cowtown - Cowtown is unsafe and not recommended for anyone. Ballers Arena is far superior. |
|
| Review: |
Good indoor X-Ball field in a converted bowling alley. They have good, comfortable facilities, excellent staff, and good food with a full kitchen. Really an excellent place. This field is just classy in the way it's run. The playing surface is astroturf, and they keep it clean. I really cannot complain about the facility or the staff.
The one complaint I did have is the paint. The paint they used was brittle. However, the staff informed me they were just shooting up the last of it and were switching to Evil once it was gone.
Bottom line: this is a top notch field. You really should check this place out. It shows Westworld and a few others just how a field should be run. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
