W
ith all the rewards
my family and I have
enjoyed since we first
took up the sport, last
year, my wife and I set out to build
a pickleball court in our backyard.
We are not builders, but we love
pickleball and weighed all of our
options carefully. Along the way, I
chronicled my experiences so that
you, our readers, could benefit
from my experience, learn from
my mistakes and make informed
decisions pertaining to your own
circumstances. The numbers and
figures presented in this article may
vary from state to state, but after
countless hours of research and
planning, I’d like to share what I
learned to help you decide if building
a home court is for you.
PROS OF HAVING
YOUR OWN COURT
Travel Time. There is no travel
time to get to your game when the
court is in your backyard. While some
players have the luxury of walking a
few blocks in their RV community, or
others drive to a community parks,
many pickleballers travel up to an
hour to get to a court. Now, the game
can come to you.
Choose Your Own Partners.
Another benefit to having your own
court is that you can invite anyone
you want. If you’re a 3.5 player, and
you want to have a 3.5 game, invite
three of those friends to join you.
On the other hand, if you want to
bring in a group of friends who are
beginners, there’s no better place to
practice and give instruction than the
privacy of your own home.
Make New Friends. As you
introduce people to pickleball, you
will make new friends. We all have
friends we like to pair up with in the
mixer games. With your own court,
you will make many new friends as
you travel down the pickleball road.
No Booking Required. By
hour pickleball session. Even in the
having your own court, you can set
places that are free, there’s usually
the schedule or, better yet, have no
a community recreation fee. While
schedule at all. You are no longer
you might never justify the cost of a
confined to times between volleyball
pickleball court, you need to look at it
practices and tennis games.
as an investment in a new sport and
Practice. Many private court
social lifestyle.
owners have a ball machine. The
Pickleball Tutor is a
popular choice and
can be attenuated to
feed anything from
soft dinks to driving-
hard groundstrokes.
If you want to work
on a particular
aspect of your game,
a ball machine on a
private court is the
way to go.
Parties and
Social Gatherings.
We’ve all been to
the parties enjoying
a game of corn
hole, horseshoes
“Benching” a dirt platform prior to further excavation.
or volleyball. Well,
now you can get the party started by
CONSIDERATIONS BEFORE
YOU BUILD A COURT
introducing your guests to pickleball.
Space. The pickleball court
Family and friends will have another
dimensions are 44 feet by 20 feet,
reason to look forward to coming to
but that doesn’t include the out-of-
your house.
bounds areas. A well-planned court
Also, even if your weekly scheduled
will have at least 8 feet behind each
game is too small to be classified as a
baseline and no less than 6 feet on
party, you can still have a barbecue on
each sideline. Therefore, the minimal
the patio and enjoy a couple beverages
required space will be 60 feet x 32
while playing your favorite game.
feet. In a perfect world, having 10
Permanent Lines and Net Posts.
extra feet on each side (64 feet x 40
It may sound trivial, but for many
feet) would make a perfect court. For
of us the hassle of lining courts and
many people, this could eat up their
setting up nets is exhausting. It’s
entire backyard.
a labor-intensive task that no one
Cost. While having your own
enjoys. Even if your courts are pre-
court provides many conveniences
lined, they may be competing with
and other benefits, it comes with a
confusing white lines on a tennis
price. The cost of a court can vary
court. Basically, a court designated
tremendously depending on location,
solely for pickleball is more fun to
land and the contractors you select.
play on than one that’s not.
Here are some factors tha t go into
No League or Rental Fees. If
court construction and a rough idea
you travel around, you’ll find prices
of what you can expect to pay.
ranging from $5 to $20 per three-
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER2017 |
MAGAZINE
27