In some of our previous pickleball articles we have spoken in-depth about building pickleball courts either by self or by using the help of contractors. One of the pointers mentioned in our piece on getting pickleball courts made was the need for light for night-usage of those playing areas.
In this piece, we look at the various factors associated with pickleball court lighting; the whys, hows and the whats of it.
If you add lighting to pickleball courts you get a lot more use out of them. You can play the game day and night, you can practice day and night, and if you are a pickleball coach, you can coach day and night too.
Pickleball lighting improves the experience and when installed correctly, gives the players an almost nature light, to enjoy proper games. There are rules and regulations regarding the lighting of a court, and lighting must be mounted on poles, two or four, that are twenty foot high.
Each pole should have an LED light fixture attached to it and the light fixture should supply what is known as 30 footcandles with a maximum or minimum ratio of 2.0 or under.
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Why Is A Pickleball Lighting Pole 20 Feet High?
You want to make it easy for the pickleball players to see the ball at night, from all angles. Mounting the lights from this height means they can see the ball even when it is hit up in a high arc.
Lower lighting poles for pickleball mean the ball would literally just disappear into the darkness, surprising the player on its way down.
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Why Are The Footcandles 30?
This is the level of the light that players need to see the ball, whether it is moving at a low or a high speed. Anything lower would make visibility of the ball tricky, and anything much higher would make the eight too bright.
What Does The Minimum And Maximum Ratio Of The Light Mean?
This is amount you get when you take the highest area of light on a pickleball court and divide it by the lowest area of light o a pickle ball court. The ratio is a measure of how spread out, or even, the light is.
Pickleball’s maximum and minimum ratio gives an all round even light that enhances visibility. Players will not need to adjust to varying light levels during the game, the light will be evenly spread.
Use Energy Efficient LED Lighting
While it is not a requirement, all suppliers now include, or should include, energy efficient lighting, which is LED lighting.
LED lighting is more environmentally friendly and efficient, more so than incandescent light bulbs. Many manufacturers have stopped making the incandescent light bulbs and only focus on LED lighting, or even higher technology. Your lighting should be LED.
Another advantage is LED lighting is long lasting. While lighting any court at night can be costly because electricity is costly, LED lighting is durable and has a long life span.
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Lighting Should Be Glass Free
Lighting for sports courts should be glass free or made of such materials that if hit with a ball, the lighting will not break.
Pickleball court lighting should also be strong and durable enough to sustain bad weather conditions, including storms, high winds and hurricanes.
Lighting should always be sealed to protect from the elements and should remain working no matter the conditions. Saying that, it is unlikely anyone will be playing Pickleball during a hurricane, no matter how tempting it is.
What About Bird Spikes on Pickleball Court Lighting?
Some lighting designers will add bird spikes to their light fitting, to stop birds from perching on top of hem. This is up to you!
What Are Backlight Shields on Pickleball Lighting?
The lighting supplier, who is likely to work closely with the Pickleball court supplier, will give you the option of Back Shields.
Back shields are devices that slip on over the light and can prevent a glare or what is otherwise known as light trespassing.
Light trespassing is when the light you have installed bothers a neighbour or a passer by, by shining in to their property or similar. Backlight shields can prevent such light trespass coming from your Pickleball lights.
Pickleball Lighting Comes With A Warrantee
Lighting a Pickleball court is not cheap and must be done by a reputable supplier, one who understands Pickleball courts and how or where the lighting must be set out.
Your lighting should always come with a guarantee or warrantee and the lighting installation should include the design, materials, manufacture, transport and assembly of the lights. The same company would hopefully service the lights for you, or change the LED lighting when necessary.
Get the most out of your Pickleball courts. Get lighting installed when you build your court, although of course you can get it installed afterwards too.