In June 2023 the PBC released A Guide to Pickleball Court Planning and Operation.

 Here’s my Summary of Recommendations

Significant investments are required to build new courts, and it is a travesty when they are constructed so that neighbours campaign to have the courts removed or users complain about poor and/or unsafe design for years afterwards. 

The Factors in Good Court Design

1.      Located with attention to noise and traffic impacts on neighbourhoods

The most important as courts that are a significant irritant to neighbourhoods have and will be removed and the investment lost.  Setback distance recommendations in this report have been made after acoustical analysis.  See p. 15.

2.      Ample playing envelope

Players will step out of the 20’ by 44’ court and into the envelopes to retrieve balls that bounce on the line, without looking for bodies, balls or fences occupying the same shared space. 

The USAPA guidelines stipulates a 5-foot minimum for the sidelines while new experience suggests 7’ or 8’ to a fence are preferred.  Where no fence separates side-by-side courts the separation should be 10’.  From the baseline to a fence should be a minimum of 8’.

The USAPA has envelope suggestions for adaptive/wheelchair pickleball. 

3.      North-South orientation

Pickleball is played at all times of the day and often through the winter months.  This means a low sun for many hours a day will blind players facing east or west.  This is in addition to when retrieving a lobbed ball.  In all, east-west orientation is to be avoided.

4.      Perimeter Court Fencing with Multiple Gates

            Gates facilitate access to courts without disturbing other games.

5.      Fencing Between Courts

Increases safety, preventing players from running into each other or stepping on a ball, as well as reducing ball interference significantly improving the game experience.

6.      Washrooms and Potable water

7.      Ample Parking

8.      Multi-court hub

6 to 8 courts (i.e. the footprint of two tennis courts) is a suggested minimum for a multi-court location especially as players are often driving some distance. 

 9.      Signage

Play one game to eleven and surrender the court when people are waiting.  A paddle holder or whiteboard facilitates a culture of sharing of a scarce resource and reduces anxiety and competition between waiting players increasing court satisfaction. 

While all of these design factors can be compromised, each compromise will, in some way, negatively affect the playability and/or safety for the lifetime of the courts.

How compromises to these standards are made should be done in consultation with local players/clubs. 

Estha Parg Murenbeeld

September 2023