Pickleball continues to gain in popularity as more people look for an active game that is relatively easy to play and provides a good cardio workout for those that play. Pickleball satisfies both of those needs and explains just a couple of the reasons why so many are starting to play the game. But with more people playing comes the need for more pickleball courts, and local communities and municipalities are struggling to keep up with the demand for pickleball courts. If you have ever thought of creating your own makeshift pickleball court, read our article to learn the pickleball court dimensions to follow to build your court.
What Are the Dimensions of a Pickleball Court?
The dimensions of a pickleball court are clearly defined by USA Pickleball and are similar to that of a doubles badminton court for what it’s worth. The standard pickleball court size measures 44 feet long (including court lines) by 20 feet wide (including court lines). The net height of a pickleball net is 36 inches high near the sidelines and 34 inches in the middle. The non-volley zone is 7 feet wide on each side of the net.
The USA Pickleball specifications also outline how much space should be allotted for minimum playing surface area and that is 30 feet wide by 60 feet long. All lines shall be 2 inches wide and the same color, with a clear contrast to the court color.
The pickleball court size is the same for both singles and doubles play which is different than tennis as doubles tennis allows players to use the “doubles alley” as part of the playing area.
How Much Space Do You Need for a Pickleball Court?
The answer to this question depends on what type of pickleball court you are trying to build? For the purpose of this article, our focus is on the pickleball enthusiast that doesn’t have a court nearby their home and is hoping to put together a temporary makeshift court or maybe build their own court on their property.
In this case we are talking about a stand alone pickleball court which comes with it’s own recommendations for space. The USA Pickleball guidelines say that the minimum playing surface area should be 30 feet wide by 60 feet long for a standard pickleball court.
But the court guidelines also say that for tournament play the minimum surface area should be 34 feet wide by 64 feet long to allow more room for players to move in competitive play. This is also the recommendation for optimum court surface area when building a stand alone pickleball court.
Pickleball Court Terms
These explanations will help you understand the location of each of the lines on a pickleball court and things to know about that area of the court.
* Baseline: the baselines are the lines at the back of the court, parallel to the net on each side of the court. Players serve from the baseline.
* Sidelines: the sidelines run perpendicular to the net on each side of the court and form side boundaries between the court and the out of bounds area.
* Non-Volley zone: also known as the kitchen, this area of the court extends 7 feet from the net on each side of the court. All lines are part of the non-volley zone so any serve that hits on a non-volley zone line is considered to be out.
* Centerline: the centerline is the line that runs down the center of the court on either side of the net from the baseline to the non-volley zone line.
* Service court: the service courts are located on either side of the centerline and are outlined by the centerline and the sideline, as well as the baseline and the non-volley zone, aka the kitchen line.
Can I Make a Pickleball Court at Home?
Anyone can make a pickleball court at home, the key factor is how much space you have to work with? We talked about the required space requirements and due to the size of a pickleball court and the surface area needed for players to hit wide and longer shots, this may limit where you can place a makeshift court in your area.
But if you are far from the nearest pickleball court in town, just make due with what you have even if the court area might be slightly smaller than the recommended area. My thought is, being able to play on a court that might not be the perfect dimensions is better than not being able to play at all.
I am talking about a weekend home where you may be visiting for only a short time and you want to get some games in with friends while you are away. Or you are traveling to an area with no pickleball courts at all when visiting relatives across the country.
In either case, bring along a portable pickleball net and some chalk or tape (more on that later) and make your own pickleball court in the driveway, the parking lot, or on a basketball court at the local park if that is the only surface area available. Grass doesn’t work well for obvious reasons since the ball won’t bounce properly.
How to Draw Temporary Pickleball Lines
Our suggestion to draw pickleball lines is similar to setting up baselines on a baseball field. Outline the court line by line using string and tape down each corner of the court so the lines are straight and even.
Once you have the court set up like you want it, you generally have two options for setting up the temporary lines.
– Chalk: Sidewalk chalk is a good choice for pickleball court lines and will last for some time without heavy rain. A secondary choice is the kids thick chalk/crayons which also works well, comes in a range of colors, and will last a decent period of time barring any heavy rain. Simply draw your lines next to the string and remove the string once the lines are done.
– Tape: paint stores sell painters tape that works well for pickleball court lines. Look for a good contrasting color based on the surface area where you will be setting up your court. You can either tape over the string if you’d like, or my suggestion is to tape next to the string and remove the string once the lines are done.
What are the Dimensions of a Standard Pickleball Court in Meters?
Most of the dimensions of a pickleball court we quoted so far have been in feet. If you would like to know what those dimensions are in meters, look no further as we have those numbers for you here.
Actual court dimensions: 6.10m wide by 13.41m long
Total Playing surface area: 9.14m wide by 18.29m long
Pickleball Lines 5.08 cm wide
How Big is a Pickleball Court – Final Thoughts
Now that you are fully aware of the size of a pickleball court it’s time to gather your court outlining supplies and set up your court anywhere you can find the space.
Pickleball started long ago in Washington State on makeshift courts that were put together by the early participants in the game. So by making your own neighborhood pickleball court you are doing just as they did in the early days of pickleball and creating opportunities for more people to play.
We would love to see how your court came out, please drop a picture in the comments or on our Facebook page so we can check it out.