Pickleball continues to rise in popularity as a recreational sport. In 2024, 18,455 new courts were added to the USA Pickleball database. There are many reasons to upgrade your pickleball court, especially with so many new competitors appearing across the country. By making improvements to safety, accessibility and comfort, you increase the overall user experience of your facility. Many of the features to consider for a pickleball court can help your business attract new players and keep them coming back for another game.
How to Upgrade Your Pickleball Facility
Consider these 10 ideas for leveling up your pickleball court:
1. Pickleball Court Shade Structures
Shade structures for pickleball courts can be a truly game-changing investment because of the multiple advantages they offer for your business. The fundamental benefits of providing protection from the heat and ultraviolet (UV) exposure mean your court can be used all year round. Your court becomes more attractive to customers because of the enhanced comfort of playing pickleball in the shade. This allows players to play for longer, even on hot sunny days.
Shade structures are a fantastic stand-alone solution for covering bleachers and courts from rainfall, allowing players and spectators to enjoy the game uninterrupted. USA SHADE offers pickleball court shade structures to suit your business needs, including high-performance waterproof solutions such as Novashield, PVC and PTFE.
Choosing a bespoke shade structure can give your pickleball court a truly unique and modern look that stands out from other courts. Popular shade structure options include:
- Hip shades
- Shade sails
- Canopy systems
Another advantage of shade structures is extending the longevity of your court’s surface and equipment. This means spending less on maintenance and replacing equipment, giving you more resources to put back into your business where it needs it most.
If your business is looking for professional shade structures for your pickleball court, then choose USA SHADE for unparalleled craftsmanship and aesthetics. Each system is backed by warranties from 10 to 20 years, giving your pickleball court a solid upgrade for years to come.
2. Surface Improvements
Upgrading your pickleball court surface is another way to transform the aesthetics and functionality of your court. Start by making sure the base of the pickleball court is solid and has the recommended specifications for slope and drainage. Here, you may wish to consider increasing the size of your court. The minimum standard size for a pickleball court is 30 feet by 60 feet, but a total size of 34 feet by 64 feet is preferred. Larger courts can be more attractive to players as the extra room gives them more freedom to play.
The color of a pickleball court is more than aesthetics. It is also an opportunity to add your branding to your court, and a well-maintained court with a pleasing color scheme can give players the impression that the court is clean and tidy. But more than that, lighter colors can help repel heat from the sun.
Also consider the cushioning and coating of the pickleball court for the comfort of your players. By investing in cushioned surfaces, players can enjoy added shock absorption, making any movement over the court more comfortable for their joints and ligaments. This cushioning layer can be overlaid with a 100% acrylic coating, which creates a nonslip surface, further enhancing the comfort and safety of your players while maintaining the true bounce of the pickleball.
3. Fencing and Containment
Fencing is essential for keeping the pickleball in the court. If you’re thinking of upgrading your fencing, remember that the pickleball is about 65 millimeters, so any gaps in your fence need to be small enough to keep all balls in the court. This means your players can spend more time enjoying the game rather than gathering loose balls.
Here’s how to upgrade your pickleball court with improved containment:
- Backstops: They need to be 10 feet tall at a minimum. The higher the backstop, the fewer balls players will hit over your facility’s confines.
- Sidestops: These must be at least 3 feet tall. Match the height of the backstop with your sidestop for at least 20-30 feet.
- Gates: At least have one gate at each end of the court. Depending on how many courts you have, more gates could improve access for players and for maintenance.
Windbreaks are another way to enhance your players’ experience while adding custom branding or sponsors to your pickle court. By tackling windy conditions, windbreaks promote continuous play and, which can be a deciding factor for a player. If you choose a contrasting color for the windbreak, it can also make the ball easier to see.
4. Lighting Systems
Lighting is among the best upgrades for your pickleball courts, helping players keep up with the fast pace of the sport. The more lighting you invest in, the better, as this makes the ball more visible for all players, but is especially beneficial for more advanced pickleball players who can hit the ball harder and faster.
But where you add the lighting is crucial. Positioning lighting to ensure uniformity across the court gives players a fair chance on both sides of the net. Uniform lighting provides a consistent playing experience with minimal shadows and glare. Also, use cooler color temperatures of 5000K, which are ideal for maximizing visibility on your commercial pickleball court.
The key benefit of efficient lighting on outdoor pickleball courts is longer playing hours all year round. This is very attractive for pickleball players who want to enjoy a game after work in the darker evenings.
By using energy-efficient LED options for court lighting, your business can save as much as 40%-60% on its lighting bill compared to traditional HID lighting. Typically, a 50,000 LED light will last more than 11 years when used 12 hours a day. Further savings can be made when you invest in separate wiring and controls, so you can switch off lighting on unused courts.
5. Player and Spectator Amenities
Besides upgrading the court itself, your business can also make your pickleball facilities more attractive to players and spectators by adding more amenities. Adding comfortable seating areas to some of your courts is important for encouraging spectators during tournaments or professional matches by giving them a safer place to watch the game without interfering with play.
Easily accessible water stations can also be a big draw for players and spectators, so they can refresh themselves quickly and get back to enjoying pickleball.
The larger your pickleball facility grows, the more equipment storage you may need. Adding more lockers or storage near your courts reduces game setup time and lets your players start and finish on time.
Also consider what your facilities offer players and spectators before and after matches. Consider food and drink options, a creche or play area for children and other supplementary amenities like gym equipment. Addressing players’ and spectators’ needs in multiple ways can help differentiate your business from your competitors and win higher-paying leads.
For the more serious pickleball player, you could make upgrades by adding training areas where individual players can drill their skills.
6. Safety and Comfort Features
As a no-contact sport, pickleball generally has a lower impact on joints, especially compared to other racquet sports. But like any recreational activity, injuries happen. One study found that the most common injuries were sprains, strains, contusions and abrasions.
When upgrading your pickleball courts, you can incorporate some of the earlier points made about choosing a cushioned, nonslip surface and checking for appropriate lighting. These are preventive measures.
By upgrading first-aid stations, you can also respond to injuries or accidents. By showing good duty of care, you can encourage injured players to return to your facility, knowing that they can be given timely assistance if needed.
Providing rest areas and cooling zones is another way to help protect your players’ well-being. Pickleball is such an accessible sport and is most commonly played by 25-30 year olds, closely followed by people over 65. The range of abilities and fitness levels within each age group means each of your players will have different needs when it comes to comfort. Making sure there is a comfortable place to rest increases the accessibility of your facility. Cooling zones also help with this by allowing players to cope better in warmer weather.
7. Professional Equipment Upgrades
Making upgrades to more professional equipment can provide another positive decision point for pickleball players.
Professional permanent nets are worth investing in over pop-up nets as they are more durable. The governing body of men’s and women’s professional pickleball (PPA) uses a semipermanent net, which plays like a permanent net but can be assembled in 45 minutes. This could be a draw if you want to make a multi-use court appealing to a greater range of sports enthusiasts. Resurfacing courts with a semipermanent surface is easier and allows your business to maintain the courts more efficiently.
Also consider maintaining pickleball courts like the pros by using floor cleaning machines like industrial floor sweepers and scrubbers. These machines are efficient at keeping your courts clean while minimizing damage from more abrasive methods like pressure washing. The big draw for your business is that some scrubbers can scrub, clean and dry a court quickly, so you can refresh your courts when needed without stopping play for too long.
Make sure you keep a supply of professional-level kit at your pickleball facility, including rackets and balls to hire and purchase. Having quality equipment on hand means players can keep enjoying their session if any equipment breaks or if they forget to bring something.
8. Technology Integration
Even experienced players can struggle with keeping score in pickleball. This is one example of where upgrading your pickleball court to use the latest technologies can help solve your players’ pain points. There are some ways players can use personal devices, such as their Apple Watch, as Pickleball scorekeepers.
However, AI tracking systems automatically keep players’ scores. This cutting-edge technology works by having a fixed camera installed on your pickleball court. It tracks the score and many other match statistics. It can also provide on-court video reviews for those tricky scoring calls. There is also the added benefit of livestreaming and the ability to record the player’s highlights.
Also consider upgrades to the booking process. Having an easy-to-use court reservation system where players can reserve online can reduce the amount of admin your support staff does. It also provides a draw for players by making bookings seamless and preventing double-bookings.
Updating your business’s security systems can help protect your pickleball court during and after opening hours. This includes updating cameras and using electronic door entry systems. Upgrading these security measures in favor of more autonomous methods means your staff can spend more time serving customers’ needs rather than being doormen.
9. Accessibility Features
When making upgrades to your pickleball court, accessibility must be considered since the sport is popular among people of a wide range of ages and abilities. This includes Adaptive Pickleball players, who can be wheelchair users or people with other disabilities.
One way to improve accessibility is to ensure your pickleball court is ADA-compliant. Accessible routes must connect both sides of all of your pickleball courts and also account for width and changes in level or surface.
Also, think about how accessible your facilities are as a whole. When planning for upgrades, ensure players and spectators with disabilities can also benefit from the changes you are making. This also means checking the whole journey from the parking lot to the court, factoring in ways to make seating, toilets, lighting and signage more accessible.
Many features compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) are simply good design points that help your business create safer premises that are more easily navigable for all players. By keeping all players in mind, you can create a more inclusive sports facility, which can make you a better destination for pickleball compared to your competitors.
10. Maintenance and Protection
A routine upgrade your business can make to your pickle court is to keep a more regular maintenance schedule. This could be done by staff in-house or by external contractors. Either way, building in or increasing routine inspections means you can quickly rectify cracks and damage on your court before they develop further.
Increased maintenance may be more useful during extreme weather conditions like hot summer temperatures.
You also ensure that any court upgrades last in several ways. First, check and improve drainage to prevent water damage. Wear and tear on a pickleball court is natural, and depending on the surface materials used, you can expect to resurface it as often as every five years. But if cracks appear, use a proper crack repair system to extend the life of your court.
Having a greater staff presence for day-to-day maintenance offers a big pull for your players. You can quickly resolve any issues your customers are facing, like broken equipment or your facilities in general. This enhances customer satisfaction and keeps your players coming back.
Pickleball Court Upgrades — Find Unlimited Possibilities at USA SHADE
Having explored some of the best pickleball court upgrades, there are lots of ways your business can enhance your players’ experience to attract new members and keep them coming back game after game. The challenge lies in determining which upgrades will make the most impact for your business. Investing in shade structures for pickleball courts offers your business many advantages, helping to protect your court’s surface, keeping your players more comfortable, and adding some well-engineered aesthetics to your court.
With over 30 years of experience, USA SHADE designs and builds shade structures with a people-first philosophy. As a vertically integrated business, USA SHADE offers commercial and industrial businesses a customized service with comprehensive resources every step of the way, from design development to construction. We deliver quality shade structures that make a lasting impact for your projects. Turn your commercial pickleball court design dreams into reality today by contacting USA SHADE online or by requesting a quote.
