The craze of pickleball is insane everywhere and people of all ages and skill levels are showing their interest towards the game. But to play pickleball, the important thing is a good pickleball court. You can build your own court in your garden or backyard. But how to make a pickleball court on grass? We are here with a complete step-by-step guide.
I have been playing Pickleball since years and few years back I made a pickleball court in my garden over grass. Today, I will be sharing you my own experience with the court along with the full process of making a pickleball court on grass. If you follow the instructions given by me appropriately, then you will not face any difficulty in making your own pickleball court. So, let’s start making your own court.
How to make a pickleball court on grass?
Playing any game in outdoor conditions instead of the indoor ones, provides you a distinct playing experience. Many people prefer to play pickleball while enjoying the natural vibes and environment, and that’s the reason they prefer to make a pickleball court on grass instead of a cemented one.
But, the process of making a court on grass is quite different from the concrete court, so let’s discuss the process of making your own pickleball court on grass:
Choosing the best location:
When we make an outdoor court for pickleball, like on grass then it becomes important to choose the best location. You should select the best location by following the points below:
- You should search for the area where the terrain is flat. Because the uneven ground level will impact the direction and speed of pickleball after bounce. And it makes difficult to play for you.
- Along with the flat and levelled terrain, the second important factor to look for is good drainage. After rains, the water should be logged out as soon as possible, otherwise it will makes the ground slippery and you can’t be able to play there for several days.
- The selected area should be larger than the dimensions of a pickleball court, so that it gives you some extra space around the court to play out of bound shots.
- The selected area should be open and there should not be any tree around.
Court dimensions and Marking:
After selecting the appropriate area to make a pickleball court on grass, the next step will be to mark the layout of the court following the standard dimensions set by USA Pickleball Association. The pickleball court measures:
- Length – 44 feet (13.41m)
- Width – 20 feet (6.1 m)
Selection of Grass:
Selection of grass is important if you are making a pickleball court on grass. To play pickleball with ease, it’s important that the surface is durable and consistent to play. So, you may go with these two options: one is Perennial Ryegrass and other is Creeping Red Fescue.
The perennial grass have deep roots and provides sturdiness to play heavy game, forming a dark green turf to play. The Creeping Red Fescue spreads densely over the ground and hold the soil tightly.
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Surface preparation:
The surface where you are making your pickleball court must be levelled. If there is any tiny paddles or debris of stones, then remove them out. With the help of lawnmower, trim the grass uniformly if the grass is grown already. And if the surface is without grass, then till the soil, add fertilizer to enrich the soil and then level the surface with the help of lawnmower. The next step will be seeding of grass over the surface.
Seeding grass over the surface:
After preparing the court surface, the next move is to seed the selected grass over the surface. There are two methods of planting grass: one is seeding and the other is sodding.
Seeding coat around $400 to $600 while Sodding is more expensive and it cost around $700 to $1100. The first method is cost effective but time taking. It takes around 4 to 6 weeks to grow completely while the sodding takes only two weeks to grow completely.
If you go with seeding, you have to do watering and weeding more frequently as compared to the sodding. So, it’s your choice to choose the method which suits your budget.
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Painting the lines:
You need to mark the different boundaries and lines as per the standard dimensions like baseline, sideline, non volley zone (kitchen area), center line, etc. The width of these lines should be 2 inches and I will suggest you to choose white colour to mark and paint these lines, so they are visible on grass.
The baseline is the ending lines on both edges of the court while the sidelines are the on both sides along the length of the court.
The kitchen area or non volley zone is marked on both sides of the net at a distance of seven feet from the net. And the area between the kitchen and baseline is divided equally in two halves with a line along the length.
Installing the Net:
Now, you are just one step away from your own pickleball court on grass, and this step is to install a net on the court. As per the USAPA rules, the net height should be 36 inches at the sidelines and 34 inches at the centre. It’s not a difficult task to set up net on a pickleball court, you can do it easily.
Here you have two options to go with: one is permanent installation of net with poles and the other is placing a portable net. You can make your own decision on it, which is best for you. But, you should take care while installing the permanent nets, it may damage the turf of the court during the process.
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Conclusion
I hope you have completed the process of making your court using this easy to follow guide on “How to make a pickleball court on grass?” And you have have enjoyed this process. Just remember the levelling of ground, preparation of surface before painting the lines on the court.
If this article helped you in making your own pickleball court on grass, then I will ask you to share it with other pickleball lovers in your contacts who wants to build a pickleball court on grass. Have a nice day!
