Over the last few years, the growth of the sport has exploded. With a professional circuit and players, the sport only continues to grow with no plans of stopping soon. However, pickleball is not only for professionals.
Pickleball’s growth is primarily due to its accessibility to people of all ages and athletic abilities.
Whether you are a prime, physical specimen or you are entering your golden years you can enjoy heading out to the pickleball courts and challenging yourself with pickleball.
Now, chances are if you are reading this article, you already know all of that.
If you are to the point of looking to build your own backyard pickleball court, it’s safe to say you are obsessed - you play pickleball in your sleep. Pickleball is no longer something you enjoy, it is now your passion. You have been bitten by the pickleball bug and a pickleball court is the obvious next step.
Maybe you are tired of sharing pickleball courts with other players.
Maybe you are tired of waiting for pickleball courts at your local park.
Maybe you can't find pickleball courts nearby.
Or maybe you want to have your own private spot to host a tournament with your friends.
Whatever the reason for building your own pickleball court, we are here to get you started.
So let’s dive right in.
Preparing Your Pickleball Court
Before you begin to build your pickleball court, we first need to consider how much space you are going to need. There’s no point in starting a project you can’t finish, so let’s make sure you have enough room before you go to too much trouble.
To meet regulation USA pickleball court dimensions, you are going to need at least 30 feet wide by 60 feet long.
The actual pickleball court is 20 feet by 44 feet. The additional space is for out-of-bounds areas. An additional 5 feet on the width on each side, and 8 feet on the baselines. The good thing is that these pickleball court dimensions fit all types of pickleball games - whether singles or doubles.
Once you are sure you have enough room for a standard pickleball court, whether in your backyard or wherever you put your outdoor pickleball court paradise, you are going to need to make sure it is level.
Obviously, if there are trees, plants, or anything else in the way those would need to be removed for your outdoor court.
Once the area is cleared and leveled it’s time for the concrete or asphalt.
Building Your Pickleball Court
With your base poured and set, you then have a couple of options.
The first option is to purchase a modular court flooring solution. These can be great for retrofitting a space you already have. These are perfect for resurfacing an old tennis or basketball court.
They can also be removed and transported. For our home gym owners, think of them like rubber interlocking tiles. These are going to interlock and form a complete, professional-looking, overall great pickleball court.
The other option is to get your court coated with a sports surface coating.
Another thing to consider when building your space is fencing.
Oftentimes pickleball courts are surrounded by fencing. Now, this is obviously not necessary, but could be depending on where you are building the court.
A chain link fence about four feet tall should do the trick here. Pickleballs don’t really fly quite as far as say tennis balls so it is not as big of a concern as with a tennis court if you don’t decide to add fencing.
You should also consider adding lighting.
This is also not necessary but can add a lot of fun and extra usability to your space.
Some LED lights can really elevate your private court and allow for night games - or more like late afternoon in the winter.
On the topic of lighting, make sure to build your court in such a way that it is neither team is going to be directly staring at the sun - typically this looks like building the court north and south. This is great for not only the overall enjoyment of the game but also safety.
Finally, if you are going to go through all this trouble to build the court of your dreams, don’t skimp on the pickleball net.
Make sure it is regulation size - 36 inches high at the sideline and 34 inches in the middle. They make permanent nets and portable nets. Permanent would probably be best for your pickleball court, but some of the portable nets could work as well.
(Pickle) Ballin' On A Budget
Okay, let’s be honest, does this seem a little much for your current budget? Or maybe you really like pickleball but don’t know if you LIKE it that much.
That’s okay, building your own court is a huge commitment.
Think of this like a home gym. You could jump all the way in and buy a squat rack, leg press, elliptical, dumbbells from 5 to 105 pounds, and the nicest barbell around. This would no doubt be an incredible home gym. But, you could also start with a couple of dumbbells and a bench and have a great time.
Similarly, pickleball can be played at home on a budget.
We mentioned above that there are portable nets. These can be a great option when exploring just how much you love pickleball.
For less than $100 you can get a pickleball net.
Next, go to your daughter's sidewalk chalk bucket, and pick out a pretty pink and purple chalk crayon (you could also use tape if you don’t have chalk). Grab your tape measurer and head to a flat surface.
This could be a parking lot, cul de sac, or even potentially your driveway One thing to note here is that grass will not work nearly as well, so try and find a concrete surface for your outdoor pickleball court.
Now, obviously, this won’t look quite as nice as a professionally installed court. But, it can be a great start if you aren’t ready to commit to the full court and want to play pickleball as soon as possible!