Where to play pickleball? Find pickleball locations near you

The word is out – pickleball is a ton of fun and people only have to play it once to become complete enthusiasts, which is why it is among the fastest growing sports in America. Leagues are sprouting up everywhere, but you don’t have to be on an organized team or a member of an association to enjoy the sport – let Pickleball Rush help you find courts in your area.

You want to play, connect and have fun, and that’s what we’re able to help you with because we’re tracking places to play, and there are new courts being made practically every month, so our list is continually being updated. You can be part of the solution by notifying us if there are pickleball courts in your area that haven’t made our list. Just contact us and we’ll make sure the information gets on our website.

Places where pickleball is played

Pickleball was invented on an outdoor badminton court, and there are many outdoor courts across the United States, but it’s also being played indoors, which is a necessity when the weather becomes an issue.

Indoor and outdoor courts from a simple public court in a public park to state-of-the-art facilities that have all the amenities – even trainers – are established everywhere and new ones are popping up all the time. Let’s look at some of the pros and cons of indoor and outdoor:

• Indoor pickleball courts: The beauty of having access to indoor courts is that regardless of what time of year it is or how bad the weather might be – you can still play your games. There is no wind to account for or harsh sunlight limiting your ability to track the ball. However, playing indoors can get quite noisy, especially if there are many courts all filled with players. If you’re playing at your local YMCA, you’re probably playing on a basketball court, which offers a slightly different experience than the traditional tennis court surface.
• Outdoor pickleball courts: We need our Vitamin D, and the best source of it is natural sunlight, which you can get plenty of on an outdoor court. If you’ve ever played pickleball indoors then you know how noisy it can be, which is not an issue when you’re playing on an outdoor court (though there might be environmental noises, such as traffic, that can be distracting). You might limit your outdoor games if it’s too cold, too hot or too windy. Rain can also limit your enjoyment of the game on an outdoor court.

Unless you’ve built a court in your backyard, you’re going to be playing on one of two types of facilities – public or private. Your public courts are supported by taxpayer dollars and maintained by state or municipal employees. Private courts are built by entrepreneurs as for-profit centers and can have any number of amenities. Let’s go over what you can expect at public and private courts.

• Public pickleball courts: Because your tax dollars pay for it, you can’t completely say you’re playing for free, but when you go to most public courts, there are no dues to pay or any type of fee – if it’s open, you play. It’s not unusual to see pickleball courts in the same areas as tennis courts, as it makes economic sense. In fact, a portable pickleball net can be set up on an actual tennis court, making it a dual-purpose surface. The quality of the court is completely up to city or state employees who maintain it, which can vary wildly from one community to the other.
• Private pickleball courts: Private pickleball courts offer such benefits as access to equipment, lessons, reserved courts so you play at the exact time you want, access to refreshments and maybe even locker rooms – it all depends on the organization operating the facility. Private facilities can be indoors, outdoors or both. Because you’re paying for it, you can expect the courts to be expertly kept up.

Should you play pickleball indoors or outdoors?

There is no official pickleball season as you might see with other sports, so you can play throughout the year. The question is – do you want to play indoor or outdoor? It’s really about personal preference, but extremes in weather conditions might force your hand when it comes to outdoor gaming.

What you need to know about indoor and outdoor facilities:

• The Weather: If you have a high tolerance for heat or cold, you’re going to be just fine playing outdoors during the heat of the summer and chill of the winter. However, wind is not your friend. Sure, you can play with a heavier ball and make adjustments in your swing to account for wind, but if it’s really gusting, you’re probably not going to have as much fun as you normally would on the outdoor court. Another bit of Mother Nature that can impact your fun is sun glare, which can make it really difficult to see where the ball is going. Indoor facilities are by and large climate controlled and there won’t be any wind to account for.
• The Surface: If you’ve noticed a difference in the length of rallies from indoor to outdoor games, it’s because of the surface. The hard surface on most outdoor courts keeps the ball moving faster, which can make it more difficult to return a volley. You’ll find the ball bouncing higher and slower on indoor surfaces, which can add to the length of your rallies.
• The Pickleball: Avid pickleball players will keep two types of balls – one for indoors and another for outdoors. Your outdoor ball is going to be heavier to help fight wind drift. The plastic is harder and the holes in the ball are smaller. The smaller holes help to reduce the wind’s impact on the ball. When you head to the indoor court, the ball you take will be made of a softer plastic, the holes in the ball are larger and the ball itself is lighter than the outdoor ball. The indoor ball is designed to make more accurate shots on the indoor surface.

Similarities of indoor & outdoor pickleball play

The adjustments you make to your game when you’re playing outdoors compared to indoors might be dramatic, but the game itself has many similarities:

• Pickleball court dimensions: Your indoor and outdoor courts, if they’re built to regulation, will remain the same: 20 feet wide by 44 feet long. While outdoor courts might have permanent lines on the surface, some indoor courts might have lines made with temporary tape. Regardless, the lines should be exactly in the same areas whether you’re indoors or outdoors. Furthermore, singles and doubles dimensions also remain the same.
• Net height: At 36 inches at the sidelines and 34 inches in the middle, the net height remains the same indoors as it is outdoors.
• Rules: While you might have to account for indoor obstructions, the rules will remain the same indoor and outdoor.

Indoor pickleball courts

If your favorite place to play is indoors, you’ve got a lot in common with the majority of pickleball players. Most indoor enthusiasts point to the consistency of the surface and lack of elements such as wind, sun and rain that influence their decision.

The indoor experience is one that offers more precision, which means you don’t have to vary the way you play as you would if you’re battling wind, sun and extreme temperatures on outdoor courts. You’ll find that the consistent surfaces of indoor courts allow for predictability in how the ball will bounce, so there is little to no variation in how you approach your game. But there also some drawbacks.

Potential indoor drawbacks:

• Noise. If you’re distracted by the cacophony of paddles hitting pickleballs, the sound of the ball hitting the floor and the heavy breathing and exclamations of the players around you, just know that the indoor environment amplifies all these noises. You either use the noise to help you focus or you succumb to it. Others might actually thrive on the din as a byproduct of a fast-paced game.
• The court. A large percentage of indoor court surfaces are either similar (if not exactly the same) as a tennis court, or you’re playing on a basketball court. The basketball court already has lines on it, often for basketball and volleyball, which means it can be quite distracting when you lay down the pickleball lines and try to remember which ones are yours.
• Lighting. This can be quite the adjustment for those who are used to playing in natural light, but after a few games, you should become accustomed to the indoor lighting.

Outdoor pickleball courts

Exposure to sunlight gets a lot of bad press due to the overexposure (purposefully sun tanning) that leads to skin issues, but the reality is that a normal dose of sunlight is essential to good health. Our circadian rhythms are positively impacted when we get natural sunlight, which means we sleep on more regular schedules. Furthermore, Vitamin D, which we get from exposure to sun, is essential in maintaining healthy bones, teeth and protecting against many diseases.

Playing in the sun also positively impacts the production of serotonin, which makes us feel happy. Obviously, if you’re playing in direct sunlight, wear sunscreen and the appropriate clothing/hats to prevent burning.

Potential outdoor drawbacks

A wind gust is only nice if you’re flying a kite; for pickleball players, windy conditions can definitely push an outdoor game to an indoor facility. If you live in an area where humidity runs high in the summer, keep in mind that high humidity can make an 85-degree day feel absolutely miserable.

Noises, such as heavy traffic, beeping horns, sirens, music from passing cars, planes in the sky and other distractions naturally occurring in the environment are also potential distractions.

How to find a pickleball court near you

Pickleball might be one of the fastest growing sports in America, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to have access to a court that is conveniently located. According to the USA Pickleball Association, there were 6,000 known pickleball locations and 90 new locations being added each month, so that’s excellent news for pickleball enthusiasts.

At Pickleball Rush, we’ve made it easy to find courts nearest to you. Visit our “where to play” page and click on your state. Next, click on your city to see exactly where the courts are located. If you don’t see your city, click on a nearby community to see what is available.

We are working on a daily basis to keep the list current, so check back frequently to see if new courts have been established in your region. Again, if your community has added courts that aren’t on our list, contact us and give us the details.