The popularity of pickleball sports is skyrocketing every year. Do you also love to play pickleball? Got no court to play pickleball? Don’t worry; you can convert it to one or several pickleball courts if you have a tennis court.
Converting tennis to pickleball courts permanently requires you to get permission from the authority. Once you convert it to pickleball courts, it is pretty challenging to convert it to a tennis court again.
Read more “Best Pickleball Paddle For Tennis Players“
Once you are determined to do it and get permission to convert it, you can follow a few easy steps to convert tennis courts to pickleball courts. In this post, we will share how to convert tennis courts to pickleball courts effortlessly.
Converting Tennis Courts to Pickleball Courts: Temporarily or Permanently?
It has become a new trend converting tennis courts to pickleball courts. Some people do it for permanent purposes, while others do it temporarily for a certain period.
How to Convert Tennis Courts to Pickleball Courts Temporarily
When you want to use the tennis court to play pickleball for a short time, it is called temporary modification of the tennis court. You just add a few lines to the current tennis court as per the rule of the pickleball game.
You may struggle to add lines for the first few lines. But once you draw a few lines, finishing the whole task will be easier.
How Many Pickleball Courts from A Single Tennis Court?
As you know, tennis courts are larger than pickleball courts. The standard length and width of a tennis court are 120 feet and 60 feet, respectively. However, the true size of a tennis court is 36 feet by 78 feet. The extra is utilized to make the court roomy so that players can move freely.
On the contrary, the regular size of a pickleball court is 30 by 60 feet. So, if you compare both standard sizes, one tennis court is equal to two pickleball courts.
However, if you prefer to have extra portable nets for the pickleball court, you should only create one pickleball court for every tennis court.
How to Convert One Tennis Court into Two Pickleball Courts?
Two methods are available to transform your tennis court into two pickleball courts. Tennis nets are a little bit upper in height than in the middle position. Thus, you can’t use a single tennis net for both courts. Using a separate portable net for both courts is necessary.
First Method
One method is using the court as a backstop for two courts, meaning the pickleball nets will be installed in a parallel position to the tennis net.
Second Method
The second method is setting up the nets from the upper level, and it will cross the center service line of the tennis court on both sides. So, you want to modify the court like a perpendicular shape.
It’s not a problem to play on each court because there are no interruptions. The portable nets will work as a barrier to prevent getting into the next court.
How to Convert Tennis Courts to Pickleball Courts Permanently?
Nowadays, a considerable number of people are converting their tennis courts into pickleball courts permanently. You know why they are doing it? It is easier to do. Most importantly, you don’t have to shift one to another as you are going for a permanent solution.
Removing Tennis Posts
The first thing you have to remove from a tennis court is the tennis or net posts. Since it is fixed with cement, removing it requires you to do a little bit of work.
Take out the pipe anchor from the middle point of the tennis net. The pipe anchor supports the center strap to stabilize the tennis net.
Setting Up Net Post Sleeves
It is best to prepare for four courts to make the use the best use of the court. To set up four courts, you want to install net post sleeves in footers for each court.
The good news is that you can remove or utilize these posts in the future for other purposes. You want to make sure each net is set up perfectly, so nothing is unstable or moving unnecessarily. Thus, installing one pipe anchor for every pickleball court at the middle points is necessary.
Establishing a New Layer of Lines
The last step is to hide the existing tennis lines and establish a new layer of lines over the surface. You can use silica sand to create texture for the court line, which is used for both tennis and pickleball courts.
This type of material creates a curved, smooth, balanced, and complete surface. Thus, you don’t need to worry about slipping issues. You can safely play even on wet or damp surfaces.
Choosing a perfect color for the lines is essential to make them easily noticeable from a distance. Forest green and light green are the two choices for the latest pickleball courts. But people also choose other colors based on their preference.
Steps To Convert A Tennis Court To A Pickleball Court
Step 1 — Reducing the Tennis Net Height
Reducing the height of the tennis net is simply effortless. You just have to hold the center strap and bring it down. So, how low should be the tennis net for pickleball sports? You should only lower it by 2 inches. It will be enough.
If you think the net cable becomes extremely tight, just loosen the ratchet. If you want to accomplish the net post, you may need a wrench. Furthermore, you can purchase a net conversion kit to avoid messing with the straps.
Apart from that, using the tennis net as a backstop requires installing an extra portable net. From one side, you should place it in the middle of the court.
Step 2 — Drawing Lines
Before marking the pickleball court lines, you first have to know the accurate measurement. The sideline measurement will be 20 feet, while the baseline measurement will be 44 feet.
First of all, you want to mark the non-volley area from both sides, which measurement must be 7 feet. Make sure not to draw any centerline on the non-volley site.
From the rear side of the non-volley area, you want to mark 15 feet extended from one sideline to the opposite.
Determining the dead center line between your sidelines is mandatory, and its measurement should be 10 feet. After marking all the lines, test whether the whole court is square or not. The measurement should be 48 feet 4 inches from one baseline to another.
What to Use to Mark Lines on The Pickleball Court?
Before choosing a particular thing to mark lines, you first need to decide whether you want to mark the lines temporarily or permanently. Tape, chalk, paint, etc., are among the options you have to choose from.
If you want a temporary yet long-lasting marking, you can consider the blue contractor’s chalk. It is a popular choice. Plus, the markings won’t fade away easily. You can, however, remove them after a specified period of time.
Another popular option to consider is a kit of vinyl. They are durable and abrasion-resistant. They have available in different colors. You can use various colors on various court areas to make them distinctive from other zones easily.
Different types of marker products are available in the market. You don’t have to use tape or permanent paint if you prefer to remove the mark lines after a particular period.
4 Pro Tips to Transforming Tennis Courts to Pickleball Courts
If you are creating a pickleball court for the first time, you may make several mistakes unknowingly. You want to make the pickleball court as flawless as possible to make the best use of the space. Here are some pro tips you should never overlook.
1. Choosing North To South Zone
It is better to choose the north to south-facing zone for creating a pickleball court. This will ensure no direct exposure of sunlight to your eyes while playing the game. Avoid creating the court perpendicular to a tennis court as it creates an unfavorable atmosphere for pickleball courts.
2. Cleaning The Court Deeply
Before marking lines on the court surface, do a deep cleaning to remove all the courts dust, debris, and dirt. Otherwise, they may get attached to the markings and disrupt the smooth lines.
3. A Tennis Net Adjuster
There are different types of tennis net adjusters you will find on the market, which allows you easily adjust the tennis net and make it compatible to play for the pickleball game. Hence, you don’t need to buy pickleball nets separately. The adjuster will do the job.
4. Picking different color lines
Some markings of tennis courts may stay after heavily removing them. That’s why it is better to choose a wholly different color for the pickleball court. It will prevent confusion, and you can easily determine which are the new lines and which are the old ones.
How Much Does It Cost To Add Pickleball Lines To A Tennis Court?
Adding marking lines to the tennis court requires you to spend some money. If you don’t know how to do it yourself, you can hire a professional service. Doing it of your own requires you only buy the necessary item for marking, and you do the rest of the things.
If you didn’t do it before and are unaware of doing this task properly, it is better to hand it over to a professional. The company will handle everything from beginning to end, and no purchase is required. They will bear the cost.
You may need to spend around $250 to $600 per court. However, the cost may increase or decrease based on several crucial points. Here are they:
1. How Good the Tennis Court Surface
If the tennis court is not adequately cleaned, cleaning is necessary before marking the lines. Additionally, if all court surface areas are rough and uneven, they need to be smooth.
2. How Many Courts to Create
One single tennis court can be utilized to transform up to four pickleball courts. So, the more court you want to create, the more marking lines need to be added. If the area is prone to rain regularly, multiple applications might be necessary to ensure the markings lines don’t go away.
3. Which Materials to Use
As we already mentioned, you have options to choose different materials to mark the lines. Choosing expensive options will increase the overall cost, but they will be durable too.
Finishing Up
Very few sports are as suitable as pickleball sports to play on a tennis court. Knowing how to convert tennis courts to pickleball courts will help you to enjoy both games. We have outlined both temporary and permanent methods. You can follow a particular one based on your preference. Enjoy the pickleball game!
