Can I play Pickleball on a Tennis Court?
Pickleball is a new sport to the UK. Although our climate in Scotland in particular means we will play the sport mostly indoors but it's also nice to play outdoors in the summer months. As demand for courts grows, most people who want to play outdoors will look to play on a tennis court.
Can Pickleball be Played on a Tennis Court?
Well, the short answer is yes! Playing pickleball on tennis courts gives players more options for practicing and playing than if they had no access to a tennis court at all. So, you don't have to wait to have access to a pickleball court before you enjoy this fun game!
There's no harm in using a tennis court to play pickleball. With the right pickleball equipment, you can "transform" your tennis court into a pickleball court. But a tennis court is much larger than a pickleball court. So how do you go about playing pickleball on it? All you need to do is mark out the measurements you need.
Interestingly, a typical tennis court can contain up to four pickleball courts. That means you can have 8 to 16 people playing pickleball on a tennis court simultaneously. But to avoid confusion, you can make two pickleball courts on a tennis court and have active fun with seven other friends and family at a time!
How to Play Pickleball on a Tennis Court
So you're excited and ready to play. But how do you play pickleball on a tennis court? Well, the first thing is to get your equipment ready. Some of the equipment you need includes:
- A temporary pickleball net (or you can use the tennis net if it is adjustable). A pickleball net is 2 inches shorter than a tennis net.
- Measuring tapes
- Chalk or temporary marker.
- Painter's tape.
If the tennis court is still in use as a tennis court, you should use temporary markings.
How do you turn a tennis court into a pickleball court?
A typical pickleball court consists of four areas. These are the baselines, the sidelines, the non-volley zone (sometimes called the kitchen), and the centre lines.
1. Set up your net at the middle of the half-side of the tennis court. This simply means each half of the tennis court would contain the whole of the pickleball court.
2. Measure the sidelines of the court using the three measuring tapes. Place your measuring tape about a foot inside the net as your starting point and pull the tape out to 22 feet. With your chalk or temporary marker, make a line along the edge.
3. Measure the baseline from the 22-foot mark of the sideline and simply extend the baseline tape out to 20 feet. Remember to place a mark when you get to 10 feet (halfway). Now trace down the edge of the measuring tape with chalk.
4. Repeat the first step to get to the other sideline and connect it to the 20-foot mark of the baseline. Mark out the measuring tape along the edge with the chalk. Great! The outside lines are complete.
5. Now to mark the non-volley zone, measure 7 feet from the net on the sideline. Then run your chalk to connect to the other sidelines at the 7-foot mark of the other sidelines. While doing that, remember to make a mark halfway (10 feet).
6. Connect the 10 feet marked at both the baseline and the non-volley area.
7. It's time to put the final touches on. Tape along the lines, hold one end, and stretch it all the way out. Now, slowly lower it down onto the chalk, tapping it in order to secure it.
8. Repeat the process on the other side. Now you have your own 44-foot pickleball court. It's time to play pickleball!
Pickleball net height v Tennis net height
If you take a casual look at the heights of a pickleball net and a tennis net, you may not notice the difference. But for professional players, they're not the same at all, though they might be similar in composition, texture, or construction.
A pickleball net is 36 inches (91.44 cm) high at the side posts and 34 inches (86.36 cm) high at the middle, whereas a tennis net is 42 inches (106.68 cm) high at the side post and 36 inches high at the middle. Therefore a pickleball net is about 2 inches (5.08 cm) lower than a tennis net.
