Home Court Advantage

Residential pickleball courts have become a symbol of modern living. Having your own private court increases the enjoyment and frequency of play, adds to your property value and is a great way to spend quality time with family and friends. No driving, online scheduling or court fees required.

Pickleball on the Prairie

 The pickleball sessions at the court next to the home where Bo Palenske and his longtime partner Paula D’Amour live are occasionally interrupted. No stray pickleballs to pick up in this rural setting in New Glarus, Wisconsin. Play is paused to watch nearby badgers, turkeys and deer.

“We see them in the wildflowers and prairie grass close to the court,” Paula says.

The couple lives on 10 acres, 30 minutes south of Madison. They started playing pickleball in 2013 and loved it so much they built their court a year later.

“We had a perfect spot to build a court,” explains Paula, “so we said, ‘Why not?’”

Bo, 68, worked in the furniture business and Paula, 67, is an interior designer. So, they had some ideas about what they wanted.

“The building process was pretty flawless,” Bo recalls. “The excavator and the concrete contractor didn’t have any issues. We and a few friends painted the court, and it became a labor of love. We added some silica sand to the paint, and it came out great.”

The court surface is painted red to match their home. Paula describes the house style as “rustic elegance.” The court surface is 64 feet long and 34 feet wide. The initial cost was $17,500. Lights cost approximately $1,500.

One of the most important parts of the building process is the base, according to Bo. “We spent a lot of time watering down the gravel and compacting it before any concrete was poured. It was difficult but we were very patient, waiting two months for the concrete to cure before painting it. The excitement elevated as we got closer and closer to playing on our court.”

Bo says he’s a 4.0+ player and Paula is a 3.75. They play on their court four times a week from May through October or November, depending on weather. And, they report, despite being 10 years old, it hasn’t had a single crack.

The couple also set up a sound system that’s hardwired, buried in the ground from their garage. There are speakers at each corner of the court in the wildflowers. An Echo Dot in the garage controls the outside music. They prefer oldies and country.

The visiting badgers, turkeys and deer apparently appreciate the music.

Doing it Big in Texas

If pickleball players fell asleep and woke up in Robert and Susan Jones’ backyard in Georgetown, Texas, they might think they landed in paradise.

The lovely Austin suburb is where Robert and Susan began playing on their new backyard pickleball court in 2022. The couple, both 59, played during construction of their adjacent 5,000-square-foot home because the court was finished first, and they were too excited to wait.

The entire court surface is 35’ by 65’ and cost $27,000. Robert hired seven subcontractors, including an excavator who jack-hammered out 5 feet of rock so the court could be sunken. He says the most difficult part of the process was gathering bids and scheduling contractors, and the most important aspect was proper slab construction.

The acrylic coating is from SportMaster, and the court is not cushioned because, Robert says, “The cost was significantly higher. I’m not sure how [a cushioned surface] would hold up with our 100-plus degree days and sub-freezing days.”

Robert is a banker and plays nights and weekends, so he had lights installed. He and Susan enjoy “quality play without fighting the crowds of a public court, the ability to drill any time, and select a play group.”

The lush landscaping, designed by Susan, was $50,000. There are 20 varieties of plants and six types of trees, including a 35-foot-tall red oak.

When the pickleball sessions are over and everyone’s sweaty, they can jump into the 20’ by 40’ pool. And to soak sore muscles, there’s a jacuzzi.

As denizens of the Lone Star State love to say, “Everything is bigger in Texas.”

Fun, Fun, Fun

Steve Meikle is a certified pickleball instructor and about a 4.25 self-rated player. The 70-year-old California resident is also a musician who’s been a drummer and lead singer in classic rock bands. He is a huge fan of The Beach Boys and has met the legendary group’s co-founder and musical genius, Brian Wilson, three times—and has a guitar that Wilson signed. Steve thinks having a home pickleball court is fun, fun, fun!

“I bought a home that had a perfect area for a court,” he says of the Mediterranean-style house he purchased in 2020 in Roseville, 15 miles from Sacramento. “The courts in our area were filling up more and more and I, with my own court, wouldn’t have any waiting time and could schedule my own level-matched groups at home, at times that suited me and the weather,” Steve reasoned.

His neighborhood has a homeowners association, however, so he needed letters of approval from two neighbors who could be affected by the noise. He didn’t install lights and typically plays mornings. “And now neighbors are interested in learning to play,” he says.

Steve was a civil engineer for 44 years, so he knows something about construction. He did some of the work on the court himself, starting in May 2020. He also put considerable thought into the area around the court.

“The vegetation outside the perimeter of half of the court has a thin black decorative wire, an almost invisible fence to stop the ball for easy retrieval,” Steve explains. “On the north end is a brick retaining wall that also stops a runaway ball. The ball may find its way over the neighbors’ fence occasionally with a random block or mishit, but when the neighbor finds it, it gets tossed back over the fence.”

The landscaping project included artificial turf with putting greens, a built-in barbecue, a water feature, a concrete walkway and patio areas.

Steve says, “I am very happy with my court, and was able to keep the contractors in line during the build.” That’s because he was home during construction, recovering from a hip replacement. “Having the ability to be present while contractors were here gave me the option to adjust the overall design and keep the work adhered to specifications. I didn’t let them cut corners.”

The court was finished in August 2020. Steve plays four or five days a week despite having both hips replaced.

At Steve Meikle’s pickleball court, there are only Good Vibrations.

Southern Comfort

The pounding on Rick Thoennes’ knees, hips and back was making every morning a chore. The 54-year-old Greenville, South Carolina, resident plays a lot of pickleball, recreationally and in tournaments. His profession also requires physical work—he’s a custom home builder. In Rick’s case, having a cushioned court made sense.

 “I had seen cushioned courts online, but had never played on one,” he says. “I was skeptical about the bounce of the ball compared to a hard court, but really don’t notice any bounce difference compared to the public courts. 

“The cushion is a 4mm pad that Acrytech makes, called CushionX. It goes down on top of the concrete surface and is like a mat. After the mat is down, they finish the surface just as if it were a concrete surface. I literally can play so many more games in a session without my knees hurting. It really spoils you from playing on hard surfaces.”

He can now practice every night with his wife, Carol, 55, a registered nurse. “Drilling definitely makes you better and this is what I love most about the court,” Rick says. “Well, I also love the drive time, not having to find parking spots, being able to run inside and grab a drink or dry shirt. It’s also nice to be able to jump in the pool when you get too hot!”

The Thoennes’ 35’ by 65’ court cost $60,000, including landscaping, lighting and artificial turf. Rick did all the grading, concrete work and turf installation.

“It took approximately two-plus months from start to finish,” he says. “This was removing the existing grass, grading, pouring concrete, letting it cure for five weeks, putting down the cushion surface and painting with Acrytech acrylic, installing lights and putting down artificial turf.”

The court was finished in June, complete with the non-volley zone being painted a color called “Passion Pink.” Now Rick and Carol are more passionate than ever about the sport they love.

Lakeside Lobbing

Some of Steve and Wendy Silverman’s friends could conceivably take a boat to play on the pickleball court at the Silvermans’ lake home.

The court is 75 feet from Canandaigua Lake in upstate New York.

“Those friends who live on the west side of the lake will often boat over to play,” Steve says. “It’s roughly a 10-minute trip. Otherwise, it’s a 20-minute drive around the lake.

“We had the court painted to match the house,” he notes. “We used dark beige and brown for the kitchen and border.”

The painter told Steve he’d never in 15 years seen a pickleball court those colors.

“These were not popular colors,” Steve acknowledges. “But we love the matching look and would recommend it to anyone looking to do something a little different.”

Steve, 61, is a vice president of information technology for a large eyewear supply company. Wendy, 63, is a registered nurse. Their main home is in Rochester, 30 miles away.

The court’s construction had a few obstacles. It began in April 2020 and wasn’t completed until a year later. Located 100 miles from the Canadian border, there was the usual rough winter weather plus supply chain shortages due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The builders ran out of bricks and other materials.

“We built the court into the side of a steep hill without a lot of room around it, so we had huge mounds of dirt everywhere and it all had to be hauled out in small truckloads,” Steve adds.

Two 4-foot-high retaining walls were a significant part of the $30,000 cost for the court surface, which is 30 feet by 60 feet. Due to the heavy winter snows, the surface is blacktop. The hardscaping surrounding the court was $35,000.

Steve says he’s between a 4.0 and 4.5 player and Wendy is a 3.5. They play on their lakefront court between April and September. “We play three or four days a week, and every day when our adult children are in town. We always invite guests and rotate partners.”

And afterward, some of the guests get on their boats and cruise back home.

Serving Up Pickleball

Although Nikol and Steve Grubbs’ 4,500-square-foot, industrial-style home in Rio Linda, California, isn’t scheduled to be finished until late this year, the Grubbs started playing on their new lakefront pickleball court in the spring of 2022 because they were too excited to wait.

The couple’s new home is just off the 18-acre Bell Acqua Lake, a private waterskiing facility minutes from downtown Sacramento. Steve, 51, is an avid water skier, and the couple’s children—Jana, 24, and Blaze, 21—are high-level water skiers who compete nationally.

“They all ski almost every day since the lake is in our backyard,” Nikol says. “Pickleball was a great addition for our family to break up all the hard [skiing] training.”

Their court surface was done by Acrytech and is 60 feet long and 40 feet wide. It’s surrounded by a wire guard panel fence and the total cost was $30,000. There is no homeowners association and Nikol says the installation process went smoothly. She added that the toughest part was finding a fence that was modern and not a chain link.

Nikol and Steve own six franchises that are part of a drive-thru coffee chain. Already serving coffee to customers, now they’re serving up pickleball to family and friends.  •

EXPERT TIPS ON BUILDING A BACKYARD PICKLEBALL COURT

Brent Poss, experienced court builder and president of CourTex Construction Inc. in Spring Branch, Texas, gives some pointers.

Space Needed: A standard pickleball court is 20 feet wide and 44 feet long, with a total playing area of 30 feet by 60 feet, but 34 feet by 64 feet is preferred. That is court space. You typically need about 3-5 feet extra all around for construction space. Have a plan for spectator viewing, seating and shade. After all, pickleball is a very social sport. Extra space is rarely a negative. Too little space can be a huge negative.

Court Position: Courts should be built predominantly north/south. This way, the sun goes left to right over both sides of court and not straight into the eyes and straight over the heads of players on both sides. The exact orientation depends on geographic location. Sun angles change throughout the year, but the general rule is north/south; avoid east/west.

Permit Requirements and HOA Regulations: Check the local municipality for permit requirements. If you live in a community with a homeowners association, check approval rules, property setbacks and easements. Consider proximity to neighbors due to the noise pickleball will create.

Surroundings: Think about the surroundings of your court prior to building, including drainage, landscaping, tree removal, etc.

Court Builder: Search for a quality local court builder who has been in the business for many years with many positive reviews. Do not expect a pool builder, landscaper, or general contractor to build a quality court. Do your research. Contact others to get feedback on what they wish they had done differently.

Sub-Surface and Surface Materials: For sub-surfaces, post-tension concrete is the best for court construction. Rebar reinforced concrete would be second, and asphalt third. Site preparation is important too, especially with rebar reinforced concrete and asphalt. The most common playing surface is acrylic. Cushioned acrylic is more costly but adds some comfort to play. There are a couple of modular tile surfaces by well-known manufacturers that are designed for pickleball. Those are mostly for beginner or recreational players, not for advanced players. They offer excellent cushion but play differently than acrylic, which is more durable and long-lasting. Be cautious of new products or ones you have not seen in person and/or played on.

Building Time: A court usually takes two to three months to build. Concrete must cure 28 days before it can be surfaced, and asphalt is 14 days.

Cost: Professionally built courts range from $30K-75K depending on location, lay of land, and construction variables.  •

Matthew Schwartz spent 40 years in television news and won more than 200 awards, including four Emmys and four Edward R. Murrow awards for investigative reporting. His 2020 memoir, “Confessions of an Investigative Reporter,” was an Amazon #1 bestseller. He writes a weekly blog for Hudef Sport and plays pickleball six days a week.

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