Pickleball may not be well known throughout the United States, but here in Georgia and the South at large, it is one of the fastest-growing sports. With around 100,000 practitioners, more and more, players are putting pressure on facilities to offer pickleball on tennis courts or their own dedicated courts.
The problem is that many facilities are uncertain how to handle converting tennis courts to pickleball courts. Here, we lay out our guide for the process.
How Pickleball Courts and Tennis Courts Differ
Pickleball courts and tennis courts look somewhat similar. They both have lines that note the various bounds, and a net divides the court. However, pickleball courts are much smaller; they are the same as a badminton court. This makes the game easier for people of all ages and abilities play—a major part of why the sport is becoming so popular.
Options for Tennis Court Conversion
When looking to convert tennis court to a pickleball court, you have two options: a permanent court conversion, where the tennis court is fully replaced by a pickleball court, or a multipurpose court conversion, where the court is adjusted so it can be used for tennis, pickleball, and even badminton.
Permanent Court Conversion
For most facilities, this is not the ideal solution. However, there are situations where it is best. Perhaps you have multiple courts but have seen a decline in interest in tennis, or the demand for pickleball is so high that it justifies dedicating courts to it.
A complete conversion requires removing the current court surface and then laying down an entirely new court. This should allow for the installation of four pickleball courts. If you have a high demand, it is a solid use of space.
Multipurpose Court Conversion
If your clientele still displays a strong interest in tennis, you will be better served with a multipurpose court conversion. With this, you typically just add pickleball lines to the tennis court. In some cases, it may be best to add tennis court resurfacing as well, though this depends on the condition of the court.
At first, this can cause a little confusion for players since the tennis aficionados need to adjust to new lines and the pickleball players need to remember their bounds. However, with the correct approach, most should be able to visually distinguish the different courts.
The other downside of this approach is that you don’t get as many pickleball courts as you do with a complete conversion. The maximum number you can add to a multipurpose court is two, though most facilities opt for just one to avoid the use of multiple portable nets and their holes.
No matter which option you choose, Talbot Tennis can get the job done. Contact us to receive your estimate.