Playing Pickleball at Home

Although there appears to be an end in sight, we are still navigating life in the pandemic. Outdoor sports are still low risk, but some might prefer to keep the risk at zero and play from home. Luckily, it’s very possible to create your own pickleball court with a little bit of space and a few materials.

Court Dimensions

A typical pickleball court is 20 feet wide by 44 feet long. The width of the court is split into two 10-feet sections: the right and left service areas. The length is split into two 22-feet sections on either side of the net. The 22-feet sections are then each split into 7 feet of non-volley space and 15 feet of service area. 

To create these court dimensions at home, you can use sidewalk chalk to section off parts of a driveway or patio. Or, if you’re more of an indoor player, an unfinished basement is the perfect place to make your own court using tape lines. Of course, if you don’t have enough room for the exact dimensions of a regulation pickleball court, you can scale it down to size.

Pro Tip: If you’re cramped on space, measure out a kitchen-only court to practice your close-net play. 

Net

A typical net on a pickleball court is 36 inches tall (with a center height of 34 inches) and covers the width of the court at 20 feet long. You don’t need any sort of fancy permanent net taking up space in your driveway or basement; a portable net is a great alternative. Plenty of net options will work for either indoor or outdoor play, but you can also go with a sturdier net to withstand wind or other outdoor conditions, or a simpler net for indoor games. 

There are quite a few choices for affordable indoor, outdoor and indoor/outdoor portable nets. 

And don’t forget to print off a scorecard for family tournaments.

Making your own pickleball court at home is not only possible, but relatively simple, with just a touch of creativity and a small list of supplies. Remember, nothing has to be perfect to play!