Hey Picklers. Have you ever looked at your backyard and wondered whether you can create a Pickleball court there?
I get you. I have experimented with creating a backyard pickleball court a few years back, when I had just started getting the hang of the game.
My backyard had patch of green grass. It was mostly covered by the thrash that piled up there over the years.
So I thought, “Why not build a pickleball court here. I can practice whenever I want.” The only problem was, there was at least 6 inches tall grass in the area. I didn’t want to invest my money to make a concrete court. Afterall I was just experimenting for fun. So I decided to go with a grass court.
So I mowed the tall grass cutting it short enough to make it suitable for playing Pickleball.
Do you want to know whether it worked or not?
Here is a complete story of what worked, what didn’t for me in a detailed guide for you to follow & make your own backyard grass pickleball court setup.
Day 1 of Setting up Backyard Pickleball Court
I set up my newly bought portable net on my lawn that was delivered just a day before. I used the chalk powder to set up boundaries of the kitchen line and the court.
It was time to test my own personal Pickleball court. I took out my paddle and regular Franklin X-40 pickleballs. On the other side, my wife (not a very regular player) stood as my opponent.
I started the game with the first serve and the ball hit the ground and died there. We both laughed. So I tried hitting another serve and again the same thing happened. The ball didn’t bounce. So we wound up the game with no results as our ball was refusing to bounce.
Why doesn’t the Ball doesn’t bounce on the grass surface?
On a regular pickleball court, the surface is firm that enables the ball to drop and bounce back up the way you expect it to.
Whereas grass absorbs the energy carried by the ball, this makes it go flat when it drops on it. Even if the ball bounces somehow, it will be low bounce or it will slow down and go in a totally unpredictable directions.
Understanding the type of grass
Another thing I realised was that there are three types of grass
- Short dry firm lawn
- Thick and uneven grass
- Wet and muddy soil
The playability on these types of grass is best for type 1 and lowest or not worth at all on type 3 grass.
Fortunately my backyard had dry firm grass grown. So I mowed it further under an inch removing the resistance of the blades of grass that were giving cushion to the ball.
Even after putting in these extra efforts, I felt the bounce of the ball was not enough.
Experience with ball
One thing got clear, the regular Pickleball doesn’t bounce on the grass the same way as a court.
So I turned on my laptop and started researching on internet about the similar attempts made by fellow Picklers.
I came across a thread on reddit where someone suggested “ Try Gamma foam balls. The regular ones just roll.”
So I ordered Gamma Foam Quiet Pickleballs and immediately tried them on the court.
The results were surprisingly amazing. The ball was bouncing better than regular ones. The great thing about them: they make less noise and are durable even when used on uneven grass surfaces.
However there is trade-off, the bounce won’t be as good as it is with regular pickleball. But you can hit rallies with it.
You can also try with Spalding High Bounce balls or rubber practice balls on grass as these too work well.
However, these are not recommended for regular practice. You must hit the regular court if you are a serious player. Otherwise they suffice for fun family weekend activities in the backyard.
Lesson learned: Regular outdoor pickleballs (hard plastic, 40 holes) don’t work on grass.
Does Paddle matter on Grass court?
Not really. However if you are using a lighter graphite paddle, it will help you to react quickly and control the soft volleys with less wrist movement. On the contrary, wood paddles are heavier and make wrist control harder. Don’t invest in paddle separately just for the sake of playing on grass courts.
Things to keep in mind while building Pickleball Court in Backyard
So this was the final outcome of my experiment. Here are the lessons I learnt experimenting with game
1. Choose Flat area
If you have an uneven, bumpy surface in your backyard, skip it. It is a requirement to own a flat surface to build a Pickleball court.
2. Short Length of grass
Ensure to mow grass under one inch. It will give best possible replica of Pickleball court in your backyard.
3. Setting up the boundaries
I used chalk powder at first to set up the boundaries of my grass Pickleball court. You can use spray paint, or even better option garden string to set the boundary.
Standard Pickleball court size is 20 ft × 44 ft. However, you can adjust the size by shrinking it proportionately in order to fit it in your backyard. Make sure it doesn’t shrink too much. Up to 18 × 38 ft works fine.
4. Setting up the net:
I used a portable pickleball net for my Pickleball court, you can use a low-hung badminton net. Make sure to hang it at a standard height of 36 inches on sides and 34 inches at center. I would recommend raising height further up to 40 inches so that the ball gets a good bounce and you can enjoy volleys without interference.
5. Start playing but don’t be afraid to improvise
You are building a custom backyard Pickleball court on grass. So don’t shy away from improvising playing rules a bit. Improvise only when you can’t find another way around it. Adjust your spacing, switch balls if needed, and just get used to the feel. Do whatever that helps you enjoy your game.
How to tweak rules for making Pickleball Grass court games enjoyable
As I mentioned earlier, you can tweak rules as per your comfort. Here’s the list of rules that I created for my backyard games.
- I discarded the double-bounce rule completely
- Reduced size of court this reduced the movement around the court
- Use of foam balls only allowed on my court
Grass Court vs Turf Court: Which is better?
Compared to grass courts, turfs give better experience for sure. Turfs provide better traction, with minimal maintenance with fairly consistent bounce. However these are expensive to install.
If you’ve got access to turf at a community field or school, make use of it. It’s the closest you’ll get to a real pickleball feel.
Things to Mind while playing Pickleball on Grass Court
Now that we have covered everything about the setting up of Pickleball court, the type of ball to use on it, tweaking the rules to make it fun, let’s look at the things that most of us ignore.
On the grass court, balancing yourself is the biggest challenge. The grass surface is risky to play especially if it has collected dew on it or the weather is moist. Running side to side can get slippery resulting into fall and causing an injury.
While you can’t eliminate a risk completely, you can put in measures to reduce the probability of its occurrence. Here some safety measures that can save you from disasters
- Wear turf shoes
- Avoid playing in the morning or when the grass is even slightly wet
- Keep your steps short
- Don’t forget to warm up your ankles and calves before starting the game
How to improve your Grass court game?
Although it is not the way of a real Pickleball game, unless you are too lazy to drive all the way to real Pickleball court, you can skip it.
These are the tips based on what I experienced.
- Stay closer to the net
- Focus on volleys to enjoy the game
- Skip power shots as these won’t work on grass courts
- Keep your steps short in order to maintain the balance.
How to maintain the backyard court?
If you are using your backyard regularly for playing Pickleball, you need to take care of it regularly. Here’s a simple routine to follow:
- Before every game mow the grass short
- Every month level the surface monthly.
- Patch bare spots with seeds.
- Use portable nets to avoid damaging grass
The little maintenance keeps your custom court ready for the game all the time.
How to actually convert your backyard grass court close to a real Pickleball Court?
If you are really loving the backyard game and want to make it as close to real court as possible, then there is a solution.
It’s Portable court tiles.
Products like PickleRoll or VersaCourt snap together and sit right on top of grass. These tiles give a firm and flat surface for playing the game. These tiles are removable and come with proper line markings on them. However it’s expensive to set up, roughly $1000-$2000 for full set up depending upon the type.
Final thoughts
Playing on grass courts did improve my game to some extent. As the bounce was unpredictable, I developed the ability to focus on the ball. This in turn helped with my reflexes in real games.
So even if it’s not real practice, it helped me.
After sharing my backyard Pickleball grass court experience with my close friends, they took help from me to set up a court in their backyard.
The experience for all of them was fascinating. Their children are enjoying playing on the court instead of putting their head inside the smartphone.
Would you try building Pickleball court in your backyard?
