Build a pickleball court in your driveway
Easier than you think!
Tired of playing pickleball in the park, or you simply want to play more often? Even worse: you can’t find a pickleball court near you?
Use this guide to build your own pickleball court in your driveway! It’s not complicated or expensive.
Why build a home pickleball court
Let’s assume, if you will, you’re new to pickleball or perhaps have never even tried it.
Now raise your hand if you have tons of money to join a club that offers pickleball or want to take a chance and drive to a pickleball court near you and see if they have an opening so you may get a feel for the game?
Yeah, not many takers.
One of the best things about pickleball is that it is easy to start, requiring not much money at all.
Combining the growth of pickleball and the need for more courts, many people are opting to do a little finagling creating a driveway pickleball court. As a homeowner who loves the game and has both the time and space, this is a great option. You can convert your driveway into your very own pickleball court. This way you get to call the “shots”!
Shocker
Pickleball is most often played at home or on a multipurpose court – not at clubs or dedicated pickleball courts. People want the availability, control, convenience and low cost of a home pickleball court.
What you need to play pickleball in your driveway
COURT AREA
Yes, a driveway is perfect – but any relatively large open area will do for your home pickleball court
PICKLEBALL NET
This will be the one you fret about – sorry. You need a pickleball net in your driveway that will last – you will get what you pay for!
LINES
Don’t sweat this… do the best you can with either tape or a pickleball line set; get good quality, though.
Court area for driveway pickleball
You guessed it…you need a driveway, or something that resembles that area of space. This could also be the dead-end of a street, a cul-de-sac, etc.
Let’s stick with the driveway for simplicity – besides, your neighbors may not appreciate you having a pickleball court on the street.
Make sure the location is large enough for a court and room for players to run beyond the court.
You must be wondering at this point: how can you fit a full scale pickleball court on a driveway?
The answer is: you may not be able to get it perfect.
The dimensions of a pickleball court are 44′ X 20′; this does not include the surrounding area – just the actual playing area. Unless your driveway is at least that size then you will need to make adjustments based on the area you have to work with.
Lines/striping for the court
The next item of business is to think about how you will mark the different areas of the court (these are called zones). You will need clear boundaries to indicate the different areas. For this, you can use sidewalk chalk or large crayons, colored tape or a line set.
Since the is a relatively low cost project anyway you may want to “splurge” a little and buy some true pickleball striping (i.e. a line set). These line sets are made just for pickleball courts and can instantly turn your driveway into a pickleball court. Look for lines made from a slip-resistant rubber material, won’t trip fellow picklers and are very durable. Don’t spend more than ~ $50 or so on pickleball tape or line sets and read any reviews if they have them.
If you’re looking for a super inexpensive pickleball lining systems you can try these options:
Pickleball net for the driveway
You knew it would come to this… this may be the costliest component of a driveway pickleball court.
Yes, you can take a couple of trash barrels, a clothes line and some sheets (?) and pull something together.
It all boils down to this:
Do you want a very nice pickleball court in your driveway that is the envy of the neighborhood? Or something that tells all who pass by that things are not that great at home?
Spend a couple of hundred dollars and buy a very high quality temporary pickleball net. And the best part is you can take this new netting system with you to your town tennis court and create a full scale pickleball court there.
A temporary pickleball net is a must-have.
The point is: if you’re going to do this, then do it right. It’s gonna be a nice long 2023 pickleball season and you want a 1st class court and have tons of fun playing.
Find a portable/temporary net that fits into your budget, will last years, is sturdy and durable and one that gives you the best net for your buck. Pickleball nets for sale can be had for under $200 – but you have to be careful. You want to get your money’s worth.
BTW, many 2023 nets have been updated from the older 2022 models (e.g. pickleball nets on wheels): ask to make sure you’re looking at the most current net set.
We have compiled a short list of, what we think, are the best temporary pickleball nets for 2023, but ask around, too. And read the product reviews as they are usually the best indicators.
Constructing the driveway pickleball court
Creating the pickleball court is an important step in playing this fun sport. To get started, the first step is to setup the pickleball net which is 20 feet wide and 34 inches high. Once the net is in place, you will need to draw both sidelines, a 7-foot non-volley zone and two baselines at each end of the court that should measure 44 feet long. With these steps in place, you are now ready to start playing pickleball!
See also: Building your own pickleball court in 2023 can be an easy DIY project; great details outlining exactly what you need for your driveway court.
A great video to show the drawing of the pickleball lines
