If you are looking to play pickleball in your backyard or set up a pickleball court nearby, one of the things to mind is how to use a pickleball court tape or markers in order to mark the court lines. Everything you need to know about them has been explained in detail in our exhaustive guide for pickleball court tape and markers.
Pickleball is a fun game that you can play easily, with or without a court. It’s easy to set up a temporary pickleball court, as long as you have access to a tennis court, a flat concrete surface, a smooth asphalt space, or an even patch of hard grass.
You can buy pickleball sets that include bats, balls and a net, and some even come with markers. You can however make your own pickleball net and you easily make your own markers too. This means you can play pickleball anywhere, any time!
Before you start, check a few things:
- Do you have access to a space where the surface is even and hard?
- Do you have paddle rackets and a paddle ball?
- Do you have a minimum of two players?
- Can you make a makeshift pickleball net?
If the answers to the above are yes, you are ready to move forward. Make sure you know the dimensions of the paddleball court, and you have sufficient tape to use as markers, as well as having a makeshift net.
Ready? Let’s play.
Let’s start with the dimensions of a paddleball court.
The playing area of a pickleball court is 30 x 60 feet, and the dimensions of a pickleball court are 20 x 44 feet. Here’s our in-depth guide on the dimensions of a pickleball court.
Ideally, in real pickleball, there should be fencing around the area of the court, so the players do not need to constantly collect the ball. Hopefully the area you are using for your pickleball game has fences around it (a tennis court is ideal) or walls around it, such as in a school hall.
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Table of Content
The Lines and Markers
This is where you are going to use either tape to make your lines, or chalk to draw in your lines.
Tape is the best option as you put it in once and it does not lose it’s color, as chalk can. Chalk also can be back breaking walk, so tape is best if you have access to it.
Tape that will stick down on concrete is ideal, but otherwise if you are in outdoor area, get stakes and knock the tape into space. Just make sure you don’t damage the space.
If you are making more than just a temporary pickleball court, and you have a concrete surface, you could paint the lines on with an acrylic paint. You would need to do this carefully, and note, the paint will be on for a long time!
How Much Tape Do you Need?
Always get more than you need is the rule of thumb!
- Your baselines are 20 feet long and you have two baselines.
- Your sidelines are 44 feet long and you have two sidelines.
So far this is 20 x 2 and 44 x 2 – a total of 128 feet of tape.
Now you need to add the centrelines, which are half of a sideline each.
This means you add 10 feet x 2 centre lines – another 20 feet of tape.
Coming next are the non-volley lines which are 7 feet away from the net. They stretch across from the sidelines.
Add another 20 feet x 2, so 40 more feet of tape.
In total you have 128 plus 20 plus 40, which is 188 feet of tape.
You should get a roll or pack of tape that comes in 200 feet packs. It’s always good to have some extra, so get a 300 foot pack if you can.
What about the color of the tape?
Tape can be in any colour but here’re some more details. On a professional pickleball court the lines are generally white, so white tape is best, but it depends on the color of the surface you are playing on.
If you are playing on a tennis court, you might want to try a brightly colored tape, bright orange or bright red, so you don’t get confused with the tennis court lines and the Pickleball court lines.
Remember also that in real pickleball the lines are 2 inches wide. It’s going to be harder to get an exact width, with tape, but aim for a 2 inch thickness.
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The Pickleball Net
If you have a net from a pickleball set, same set where you likely got your pickleball rackets and ball, then you are all set to go. If not, you need to device a makeshift net.
The net is 3 x 33 feet long. Device stands for the net – you need one for each end of the court, and one for the middle, and device a net. Rope, or netting if you have it, will suffice.
How to Set up Your Pickleball Court
You have the space, you have the equipment (have you got a net?) and you have players. You are now going to put your court together, either for long term use or for an ad-hoc game or two.
- Clean up space that you are using so there is nothing lying around and nothing is going to get in your way.
- Make sure you have a tape measure in hand and your tape, or chalk or paint are all handy.
- Measure out the entire space, and place your net in the centre of your space. If you are playing ad-hoc, you don’t need to measure out the whole playing space, just make sure the net is in a central position, so you can build the court around it.
- Start with the sidelines. Measure them from each side of the net, going up to 44 feet long.
- Now do the baseline, from sideline to sideline. It will come out at 20 feet long.
- You should now have a good sized rectangle, 44 x 20, around your net.
- At this point you may need to do a little adjusting. Check that the actual playing area of the court is 44 x 20. If it is less, put the tape out by a few inches in all directions.
- On either side, move 7 feet away from the net and tape in the centre line which will run perpendicular to the baseline. This gives you your non volley zone.
- Make a line from the centre of the non volley line up to the baseline. This will give you your service lines and your service boxes.
- Whatever you do on one side, do on the other.
Few Things To Bear In Mind About Pickleball Markers
The more pickleball courts you make, the more lines there are. If you are making a pickleball court on a tennis court, you don’t have to interfere too much with the lines that are already on the court.
But of course you want to use a very different colour tape or chalk for the pickleball court, so you don’t get the lines mixed up.
If the tennis court lines are white, which they generally are, use a bright pink or yellow for the Pickleball. You need two people to lay the tape, one to hold it in place while the other moves the tape from point to point.
Once you have the lines, markers and net, you are ready to play.
Note that unless you really spend time marking the lines and doing this properly, your markers may come loose. Take the time in measuring out the space and buying the correct amount of tape (or chalk or paint) that you may need, together with any accessories.
You might find it is beneficial to buy a ready-designed pickleball set, that generally includes a net with stands that are durable, and that can be used time and time again.
The same applies with markers or tape.
The costs of pickleball sets all differ, as some are complete sets and others are just the markers and tape.
Buy from a specialist sports store, one that specialises in Pickleball. You can use the markers over and over again. You will find everything under one roof, including the paddles, balls, sets, clothing, shoes and all the accessories.
You might find it is beneficial to buy a ready-designed pickleball set, that generally includes a net with stands that are durable, and that can be used time and time again. The same applies with markers or tape.
Even if you don’t have access to a pickleball court, make one!
Device something, similar to the above, so you can have fun and practice. Pickleball is an incredible sport, one that is growing in popularity all the time.
There are loads of pickleball clubs dotted around the USA, and many schools, clubs, recreation centres and parks already have pickleball courts. We are sure you will find one to use!
