Is it possible to play Pickleball on grass?
Can you play Pickleball on grass the same you would on concrete or asphalt? Do you get the same bounce? Can you make the same killer shots?
Read on to find out how easy it is to play Pickleball on grass.
Although pickleball is gaining popularity, it is also true that renting out a professional pickleball court is not possible for everyone. With Covid creating financial struggles many people don’t have the chance to hire a court. If you are one of those and want to set up a Pickleball court in your backyard, we have some information to share with you.
Typically, pickleball is best played on the professional concrete court. However, many people ask can it be played on grass? And, to answer your question, yes, it can be played on grass.
In this article, we will lay out all the facts that you need to know about playing pickleball on grass and everything you need to set up the court properly.
Can grass be used to play pickleball on?
Although grass is not everyone’s first choice when it comes to playing Pickleball, we can say that very compacted and smoothed-out grass can be a viable court for your game. However, one issue that is quite persistent with grass is the lack of bounce.
So, if you are considering playing a serious Pickleball game, your backyard won’t be an ideal spot for it. The primary reason why professional pickleball players steer away from grass courts is that it causes variation in the bounce.
Typically, yes, you can play pickleball on grass lawns and backyards, but only when you limit it to a practice match or fun hits.
Most of the amateur pickleball matches are done on grass to help the players brush up their skills and know more about the game and the rules.
In case you can’t afford to rent out a tennis court for your pickleball game for a friendly match, grass lawns work pretty good. We’d recommend that you consider grass only for fun matches.
How to make a Pickleball court on grass?
If you want to build a handy pickleball court in your backyard by yourself, there are a few things you need to be mindful of. Firstly, you need to know about the basic court dimensions.
Keep in mind that you need to create the non volley zone too.
Besides the court, you also need to pick out the ideal kind of Pickleball ball for playing on the grass court. Although indeed, the predictability of the bounce is not optimal on grass, a heavy density ball works better than a lightweight ball.
As for the court dimensions, it typically measures 44×20 feet along with the non-volley zone which is around 7 feet in depth on either side of the court. The net is placed in the middle of the court and is 34 inches high.
Now that you have a basic understanding of the court dimensions, you can easily take chalk powder and draw out the basic outline of the court.
Read more about how to make a home Pickleball court here.
Just keep in mind that you should always start with the outline of the court first. Once that is sorted out, you can then insert the net in the middle of the court and then draw out the non-volley zone on 7-feet on either side of the court.
Can you play pickleball on wet surfaces?
If you are wondering whether you can play pickleball on wet grass, the answer is yes. You can play on wet grass but chances are you my slip.
The combination of wet grass and mud underneath can pose safety concerns, especially when you are sprinting across the court trying to make a shot. So, if the grass is extremely wet along with the soil underneath, we’d recommend that you completely avoid playing pickleball.
What are some modifications needed before playing pickleball on grass?
Playing pickleball on grass is fun but not always easy. You need to prepare your grass accordingly and introduce a lot of modifications along the way to make the game as smooth as possible.
Some of the modifications include:
Playing on a tennis court
This is hands down one of the most common changes that get made. If you are playing on a tennis court, you need to sort out the boundaries for a pickleball court.
Level up the grass
If you are considering playing pickleball on your lawn, you must level up your grass and flatten down the surface to reduce the bounce issues as much as possible. The easiest way to do that is by mowing the lawn and trimming down the excess grass from around the side. Once the grass is short enough, you can use a lawn leveler to level down the grass and leave yourself with a smooth surface.
What kind of Pickleball ball is right for Grass?
If you are playing pickleball on grass, you need to use the right pickleball ball.
The staple lightweight ball won’t bounce properly so use a heavy, outdoor Pickleball ball that gives some bounce and doesn’t get swayed around by wind.
Conclusion
If you are considering playing pickleball on grass, we hope this article gives you some of the information that you need.
Focus on implementing the right strategies and court dimensions before you try playing this Pickleball on the grass. Pickleball started as a backyard game and still is a great game to play in the backyard.
