How much space do you need between Pickleball courts?
Knowing how much space needed between Pickleball courts is a really important aspect if you are setting up a number of Pickleball courts for a tournament or when you’re changing around a tennis court.
Building an outdoor pickleball court is not an easy affair. Knowing the kind of space it requires and how to build it on your own can solve a lot of your problems.
It is also true that setting up a pickleball court requires a lot of planning. In this article, we will discuss everything you need to know about Pickleball courts, the kind of space they need and how you can build your Pickleball court outdoors.
What are a Pickleball court dimensions?
If you have access to a tennis court, you can change this into a pickleball court.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the pickleball court dimensions that you should know…
- Pickleball court dimensions – 20×44 feet for both the single and double player games
- Pickleball net height – 36 inches around the sidelines, 34 inches around the middle
The minimum space you need for a Pickleball playing area is 30×60 feet or 30×64 feet for a tournament. This includes the space around the court itself.
Find out more details about Pickleball court dimensions by clicking here
How Much Space do you need for a Pickleball Court?
The official pickleball court dimensions are 20×44 feet as we mentioned before. So the square footage of a pickleball court is 880 square feet. However, it is also true that the pickleball court needs to have some extra space around the side to ensure a comfortable playing experience.
The extra space aside from the court dimensions is called the overrun. Reports from the IFP suggest that the typical space needed for the playing area should be a minimum of 30×60 feet. This is considered standard.
Besides the extra room, the extra space also allows disabled pickleball players to have access to the playing area without any complications.
So, the space you need between Pickleball courts is 10 feet clear around all boundaries.
How to Set up an Outdoor Pickleball Court?
Now that you have a basic idea about the pickleball court dimensions and the associated space you’d need, let’s go through the basic guidelines for setting up an outdoor pickleball court. The process is simple and involves a few steps…
Start with selecting the surface materials
It doesn’t matter whether you are building a pickleball court from scratch or you are using an existing court and working over it, you need to be mindful of the surface material. There are a few different types of court surface materials that are used for pickleball. Some of the most common ones include…
- Concrete– ideal for long-term usage, especially because it is durable.
- Asphalt– ideal for players who don’t want to end up spending a lot of money unnecessarily
- Snap together plastic– ideal for temporary fixtures wherein the user wants to improve an existing court and snap on some extra bits on top
Check the perimeter fencing
Once you have the surface material sorted out, the next thing to focus on is the perimeter fencing. This is important if you are setting up multi-court pickleball spots. This also serves as security for the players and enables them to play from the perimeter of the court without hurling through to the other side.
This should be done by a professional who understands the installation process of the fencing.
Install lights
Some players play the game during the daytime while a few others prefer the nighttime. So, depending on the time of the day, we’d recommend that you do install high-quality lights around the court so you can play even when it’s night.
The high-mounted court lights are considered the best. They illuminate the entire court.
Buy the right quality net
Another important factor when it comes to a pickleball setup is the net system. There are portable pickleball nets or you have permanent nets that you can’t move around.
How wide is a pickleball net? The net is 22 feet wide and 36 inches high in the middle (34 inches high on the outer edges)
We’d recommend buying the portable nets because those are a lot more versatile.
Set everything up
Once you have all the components ready you can then put everything together. Always follow the court dimensions, the net size and placement.
Make allowance for the overrun area that the court needs so players can comfortably move around while they are playing.
Conclusion
The space you need between Pickleball courts is 10 feet around each boundary line to allow players to overrun the court and return their shot.
Just ensure that you keep a check on the official rules and regulations from the pickleball associations to ensure that you are building the court the right way.
