Choosing the right pickleball court surface can make or break your venue’s success. The right material might depend on the frequency of use, your geographical location, and, of course, your wallet.

Seemingly Unassuming Surface

The seemingly unassuming surface beneath your feet holds surprising power—not just for those fancy footwork moves but for the entire flow and strategy of the match. Asphalt and acrylic offer durability and consistent bounce, while clay and grass, borrowed from tennis, bring a touch of tradition. Understanding how each surface plays is key to mastering your pickleball game.

For most pickleball enthusiasts, the quality of the playing surface isn’t usually their primary concern. As long as the shots are bouncing true and there’s no slipping hazard, players prefer to keep their attention on the game rather than the ground beneath them. 

This mindset is a boon for manufacturers tasked with crafting surfaces for pickleball and other sports.

No Random Feat

Yet, achieving a top-notch pickleball court is no random feat. It involves a precise blend of science and various factors to ensure players give it a resounding thumbs-up. 

Jeff Gearheart, SportMaster‘s director of sports surfaces and a respected industry leader, recently spoke to USAPickleball and shed some light on the essential elements that contribute to crafting the perfect court surface for any setting. Some of his most salient points might surprise you.

One critical factor in court construction is the type of sand used in the surface coating mixture.

“Sand varies in size,” explains Gearheart. “We refer to it as mesh, with different shapes and levels of cleanliness. Some varieties contain more dust than others.”

The Ideal Texture

For SportMaster’s PickleMaster surface, they opt for clean sand with small, rounded particles that generate minimal dust. This sand type provides the ideal texture for pickleball courts, striking a balance between grip and playability, according to Gearheart.

In contrast, many U.S. courts feature sand with angular cuts, which can make pickleball more challenging due to increased wear and tear on equipment and players alike.

“If it’s angular, it’s going to tear up the pickleball,” Gearheart notes. “You’ve got a hard, plastic ball that’s hitting it, and if it’s angular, it’s getting chewed up a little much.”

Sand with small, rounded particles offers better ball grip, preventing sliding and skipping during play. Moreover, the use of fine, rounded sand has aesthetic benefits.

“The bigger the texture, the light catches it more,” Gearheart adds. “To the human eye, it almost makes it look like a different shade. When you have fine, rounded sand, it looks better. It doesn’t grab light as much.”

Squeegee Lines

Additionally, this technique helps conceal the marks left by the squeegee during the surface’s application and maintenance.

“When you apply a coating that has bigger, more angular sand, almost like mowing grass, you’ll see the rows more,” Gearheart said. You’ll always see squeegee marks to some extent, but you’ll see way less with finer, rounded sand. It looks better, and it’s safer.”

Gearheart further emphasized the safety benefits of surfaces incorporating smaller sand particles, noting that even when courts are fully or partially damp after rainfall, the surface remains significantly less slippery.

Prolonging The Lifespan Of Courts

Another notable advantage of utilizing a surface like PickleMaster, which uses sand with smaller, rounded particles, is its ability to prolong the lifespan of courts.

“(The sand) is fine enough to where it seems like most players really like it,” Gearheart points out. “If you get something that’s too aggressive, like an angular cut (or sand) with larger grit, you’ll see (those surfaces) get marked up a lot quicker, and it’s grabbing your foot more, too. 

“Those angular pieces are grabbing the shoe rubber. That can also affect you if you’re moving quickly and don’t lift your foot quick enough. It can trip you up a little bit if it’s too aggressive.”

Furthermore, court surfaces can be installed with cushion surfaces beneath the color coatings, serving a straightforward purpose that has minimal impact on gameplay.

“That can make the surface a little softer but not enough to change the ball bounce,” Gearheart says. “We want to make sure it still rebounds the ball in a good way.”

Court Color

Another crucial consideration is court color, especially in relation to climate. Lighter hues like beige, gray, green, or red are preferred in warm climates to reduce court temperatures significantly compared to darker shades like black or dark blue.

Furthermore, the court color should complement the ball for optimal visibility.

“When considering a color, think about ball contrast. Colors that are across from each other (on the color wheel) are easier to see when there’s a contrast,” Gearheart reveals. “Your eye can catch the ball a lot better over a different contrasting surface. If you want the best view of the ball, get (a color) that’s opposite in contrast, and then you’ll know that’ll be the best for viewing and playing pickleball.”

You can read another of our articles on court surfaces here. In this article, we also investigated the legal pitfalls of building pickleball courts.