How to Play Pickleball on a Tennis Court | Hybrid Setup (2024)

Having not a single pickleball court in your area may be heartbreaking but not anymore! Have a smile on your face, paddles in hand, and ball in the air as we have brought a few guidelines that explain how to play pickleball on a tennis court. Though, you may be wondering what type of court can pickleball be played on if happen to be a beginner., so know that it’s a tennis court.

Though, before you head to your tennis court, there are a few questions that you need to ask yourself before modifying it. It may include, you often will you play pickleball on that court? Do you need to? Will you be using the court simultaneously? The answers may result in permanent or temporary changes that we have covered in this article to help you facilitate the most convenient option for you.

How to Play Pickleball on a Tennis Court:

To play pickleball on a tennis court, you need to divide the court into 4 parts with 30’x60′ in each portion and lower the net to 34 inches. Though, the changes to make a dual pickleball tennis court require the use of tools such as;

• Rubber strips
• Markers or cones
• Temporary net adjuster or strap
• A tape measure
• Temporary tape
• Court marker kit (for permanent conversion)
• Paints, chalks, or tape (for permanent conversion)

Pickleball On Tennis Court: (Temporary Changes)

To play pickleball on the tennis court, the first thing is to see how the community will react. There’s a war going on between tennis and pickleball. If they’re okay with turning the tennis court into pickleball, you’ll need to work out the dimensions of the court as the tennis court is 60 x 120. While we don’t need that big place to play pickleball, so how many pickleball courts fit on a tennis court? Technically, it’s 4 hence he’ll divide the court into 4 parts. To mark the lines, measure 30 x 60 with a tape measure and point it with the temporary tape in each portion or in the one you want to play.

Now, use rubber stripes as temporary pickleball lines from any good quality brand. We’d suggest going with Gamma or Eco Walker as they’re less expensive and comparatively provides a great experience. Now place them where you have marked the temporary tape. Make sure you have placed them in the backline, centerline, sidelines, and of course the non-volley zone.

See Also

How To Play Pickleball On A Tennis Court: Expert Tips & GuidelinesHow to Play Pickleball on a Tennis Court - My Pickleball HavenCan You Play Pickleball on a Tennis Court? | PickleheadsPickleball Lines on Tennis Court: A Guide to Court Conversion - Pickleball Universe

You may want to use cones as fencing to make the boundaries on the sidelines to prevent the ball from going out of bounds. If cones aren’t available you can use bottles, bags, or anything to mark up the boundaries. Just make sure they don’t have any permanent effects on the court.

Now comes the demanding task – the net adjustment. The first thing you need to know is “how long is a tennis net” to make the adjustments that go right by your requirements. Tennis courts are 42 inches from the sides and 36 inches in the middle and obviously, that’s not what we want.

Here needs quite the investment since we need the tennis net adjuster. However, it does have benefits if you have an entire crew playing tennis and pickleball on regular basis. Back to changes, and here you’ll simply need to adjust the existing net by two inches at 34” from the center and keep it 36” on the sidelines.

The orientation is the same, so you don’t have to go through the vicious cycle for that. Conclusively, you can remove the lines and adjust the net back to its original length, once you’re done playing.

Converting A Tennis Court To A Pickleball Court: (Permanent Changes)

The permanent conversion of a combination of tennis and pickleball court involves painting the entire court to make the pickleball lines. And here’s the disclaimer – it’s not easy! Plus it is expensive as well since you need to buy a good amount of paint to make it happen.

Well, the concerning question is how to paint pickleball lines? Don’t be an over-smart to do it by yourself. Hire a professional who is excelled in that since you have to paint the lines very carefully. In addition, when you’re out to purchase the paint, make sure it’s vibrant and not similar to the tennis line otherwise you’ll ruin the entire court with confusing lines.

In case, you don’t want to paint the court the second method is to use the permanent pickleball tapes that serve as an alternative for making pickleball lines on the tennis court. It is less expensive and you don’t need extraordinary skills to convert the court to this method. Creating lines with chalk is another method for building a pickleball court inside the tennis court. Though, rain or harsh sunlight may cause wear and tear in a long term.

Aside from that, the net adjusting process will be the same for the permanent changes. You can also have temporary pickleball nets installed when playing pickleball and restore the tennis nets likewise as per your playing needs.

Key Consideration:

Well, the changes may be exciting and useful but before you go into any of these determine, what type of court you’re bringing these changes into. If you don’t have the ownership of the court, then must have a permit before you alter anything permanently or semi-permanently. That may include the use of chalk, paints, or changing of the net.

That’s a Wrap!

And it’s done! Remember you have the permissions and of course, the right tools when you start converting your tennis court for pickleball! Though, making it permanent or temporary is entirely a personal decision as it may change the use of course entirely. However, we’d personally suggest giving the temporary changes as it always restores the court to be used for multiple purposes.

Hope that was useful and informative and helped you change your court for your favorite gameplay!