Odds are you might be out of luck if you are trying to play pickleball on grass. It can be done, but it presents some unique challenges to work through that you probably won’t realize until you actually go out on your lawn and and try to play pickleball. Luckily, we’ve covered ways to circumvent almost every obstacle, so you can still get it done and play the game without ever stepping foot on an actual pickleball court.
Why Playing Pickleball on Grass is Challenging?
Playing pickleball on grass almost feels like an entirely different game. There are numerous challenges that pop up the first time you try, but we’re going to show you ways that you can get around or at least minimize them.
The Ball Won’t Bounce Well on Grass
Pickleball revolves around bounces. When to volley, when to let the ball bounce, where to let it bounce are all questions that flies through your mind over the course of a game. On any hard surface you’ll hardly notice yourself even thinking about it.
These dynamics are completely changed playing on grass.
A tennis court can be a grass surface because of the weight, texture, and material makeup off the ball. It is much heavier, is driven harder and further, and is compressible, so while the bounce is certainly reduced, the game can still be played as intended.
A pickleball in contrast has none of these things. It is light, filled with holes for air to flow through, and has a hard outer shell. There is less force behind each hit, and the ball is not compressing and expanding to spring back off the ground. The gentle cushion of the grass absorbs most of this impact.
There are a few solutions to try and remedy this that we’ll get in to in a minute.
The Ball Will Slow Down
Due to many of the dynamics described above, the ball won’t move the same way when you normally play pickleball.
All your instincts and expectations will work against you. The ball won’t travel as far off the bounce.
You’ll begin to take your swing as you see the ball come towards you only for it to bounce and then land a second time several feet short of you.
The Playing Surface is Thick and Uneven
Unless you’re setting up your pickleball court on a proper grass or turf field meant for another sport, the odds of an even playing surface are quite low.
Even on these grass surfaces there will be small holes and rivets in the ground that affect the pickleball.
This presents a difficult challenge because you almost never find a space in your yard or at a park that is completely even. This causes the ball to bounce in all different directions.
It becomes entirely too difficult to predict which way the ball is going to go, and you won’t be able to get set up to hit the ball. The entire game you have to be ready to react to awkward bounces and lunge to hit it in time. This could actually be really fun, it just won’t be what you’re used to.
Better Surfaces for Pickleball
Can you play pickleball on grass?
Yes.
Should you play pickleball somewhere else?
Probably.
Pretty much any hard surface is preferable here.
If you can’t get on an actual pickleball court, any concrete or asphalt pavement will work way better than grass and feel more natural. This can be your driveway, or even the street if it doesn’t get too busy. You might also find blacktop at a park near you.
Pickleball is often played at a tennis court or in a basketball gym too. If any of these locations are closer than your closest pickleball court all it takes is a quick drive and a portable net and you’re good to go.
But it isn’t always this easy. Maybe the driveway has a weird shape, is slanted, or just isn’t big enough. The tennis courts and basketball gym are just as far as the pickleball court. Also there’s nothing wrong with wanting some easy family fun in your own backyard.
If you’re in a pinch, you can definitely get away with playing pickleball on grass, its just preferable to use a hard concrete or asphalt surface if you have a convenient space on hand.
How to Prepare Your Pickleball Grass Court?
If we haven’t convinced you to try playing elsewhere, here’s how you pull off playing in your backyard.
Playing Surface
One of the first things we need to do is find the right spot for our game.
Priority number one is finding a flat surface. Without this some players will always be dealing with an inherent disadvantage and its going to affect the game.
Then you need to make sure the area is well packed.
Avoid the areas of your yard where all the rain runs down because it softens the earth. The driest area your backyard is where you’ll find the most success with simulating the game.
The third element we need to focus on is maximizing our bounce and minimizing the impact absorption. Time to fire up that lawnmower and make several passes over the playing surface.
Ideally you need to cut your grass as short as possible. It should resemble a playing field for football or soccer or tennis, I’m talking the lowest setting possible without the blade digging in the dirt.
From here you just need to set the boundaries.
Court Setup
I’m going to go ahead and assume you already have a portable net.
If not there’s some really good ones that aren’t even that expensive that can easily be compacted making them a breeze to move. They let your turn almost anywhere into a pickleball court, and fit into pretty much every car.
Once you have this setup it’s time to paint the lines and get our dimensions right. If you have the space go with the full 44×20 court layout.
You can do this with any kind of paint or chalk that shows well on grass. There are a lot of products out there that are made specifically for this kind of stuff and are designed not to harm your grass. Check out amazon for paint or chalk like this or find something on at a nearby hardware store.
Modifications to Help Playing on Grass
There are several modifications you can make to play pickleball on grass and make it a lot more fun and enjoyable. With some of these you aren’t really playing pickleball anymore but who really cares as long as it’s still fun.
Changing the Ball
So if a huge issue with the bounce comes from the pickleball, why not just switch out balls?
A rubber ball that is roughly the same weight can make your life a lot easier and will bounce off grass much more than your normal pickleball.
A Spalding high bounce ball will work for this but will be a little smaller.
If you want something the same size, although I’ve never tried it, I think a very inflated firm spikeball could do really well on a grass surface.
Adjusting Net Height
This one is going to depend on you and your preferences or the people you play with but changing the height of the net is a good option.
I suppose you could do this two ways, I’m sure a shorter net works well too because its easier to get the ball over, but I almost think setting the net up higher will work better. Let me explain.
By playing pickleball with a higher net you force people to hit the ball higher into the air and put more force behind their shots. This means the impact with the ground will be greater and bouncing will be higher and more natural. Clearly you won’t be able to volley or slam the ball quite the same but I think it will elevate the experience of rest of the game.
Rule Modifications for Pickleball on Grass
You can also start playing on grass and then modify the game as you go as you see fit to make it easier. For example you get just eliminate bouncing all together and make everyone hit the ball out of the air.
This is going to disrupt a lot of the game and feel very different. I don’t even know how you go about serving. But if you want to play pickleball on grass there’s going to have to be sacrifices.
Conclusion – Pickleball On Grass
It can be done! It probably won’t be perfect, but at the end of the day you’re playing pickleball. You’ll still have a lot of fun and you won’t need to leave your house.
We have loads of info on DIY at home pickleball setups and ways to still play the game when you’re away from the courts that can be found on our site, like this homemade pickleball wall, so make sure to check them out.