Okay, so, I’ve been playing pickleball for a while now, and I gotta say, finding a dedicated court can sometimes be a real pain. But, I’m not one to give up easily, you know? So, I started thinking, “Can I just play on a tennis court?” Turns out, you totally can!
First, I did some digging online. I found out that a tennis court is actually big enough to fit up to four pickleball courts. That’s crazy, right? But it makes sense when you think about it. A tennis court is 60 feet wide and 120 feet long, while a pickleball court is only 20 feet wide and 44 feet long.
So, I went to my local park, which has a few tennis courts, and started measuring things out. I used some chalk to mark the pickleball court lines. It was a bit of work, but hey, nothing good comes easy, right? I also talked to the park manager first, making sure it was okay to mark up the court. They were cool with it, as long as I used chalk that could be easily washed away.
Next up was the net. A tennis net is a little higher than a pickleball net. Tennis nets are usually about 3.5 feet high at the posts and 3 feet high in the center. Pickleball nets, on the other hand, are 36 inches high at the posts and 34 inches in the middle. Luckily, the tennis net at the park was adjustable. So, I lowered it down to about 34 inches in the center. It wasn’t perfect, but it did the job.
Once I had the court marked and the net adjusted, it was time to play! I grabbed my paddle, a ball, and a buddy, and we started hitting the ball around. It felt a little weird at first, playing on a tennis court, but we quickly got used to it.
- We played a standard game to 11, switching sides when one team reached 6 points.
- In casual games, we sometimes switched sides at the end of the game.
Honestly, it was a blast! We played for a couple of hours, and it was just as fun as playing on a dedicated pickleball court.
So, if you’re ever in a pinch and can’t find a pickleball court, don’t worry! Just grab some chalk, adjust the net, and you’re good to go. It’s a great way to get your pickleball fix without having to wait for a dedicated court to open up. It might not be perfect, but it’s definitely doable, and it’s a lot of fun. Trust me, I know from experience!
