Pickleball has been gaining popularity ever since its start in 1965, when Washington state congressman Joel Pritchard and businessman Bill Bell invented it. With its ever growing following, there is unsurprisingly an increasing need for more pickleball courts, and the most common surface for them is asphalt.

Bituminous Roadways, Inc. has been installing pickleball courts throughout Minnesota for years and has some good ideas for ways to incorporate a court into your neighborhood park or apartment complex tennis court!

Pickleball Is a Sport for Everyone

When Pritchard and Bell created pickleball, they were hoping to entertain their families with a fun game for everyone, kids to grandparents. They borrowed ideas from tennis, badminton, and ping pong to establish the rules and refine it, and years later it is still a sport for everyone.

City Pickleball Courts Bring Communities Together

Cities and parks and rec departments have been catching onto the pickleball trend by installing new courts into their parks or by incorporating pickleball court designs with tennis courts. When redoing a tennis court, including a pickleball court into the design is a cost-effective way to bring more activity into the park.

This is Salem Hills Park located in Inver Grove Heights. BR reconstructed the athletic surface to include one tennis court and two pickleball courts. However, the tennis court is also striped for pickleball.

 

Some cities are offering summer pickleball programs for adults and youth from beginner to advanced, like Bloomington and Shoreview. It’s a great way to build community and give Minnesotans something fun to do this summer!

Fun for the Whole Family

Pickleball has caught on because it’s good for all ages. With the court being the size of a badminton court, the game is easier on knees and ankles than tennis, so even as people age, the game doesn’t wear on their bodies.

The sport is also fun for little kids. The court size and slightly lower net make it a perfect stepping stone to tennis, and with easy to understand rules, it’s simple for the whole family to catch on and play as singles or doubles.

Pickleball Clubs

With its growing popularity across the state, there are numerous pickleball clubs and leagues around Minnesota. Some, like the Twin Cities Pickleball Club, offer free beginner and intermediate clinics. 

The clubs also host and sponsor pickleball tournaments for competitive local amateurs to professionals, and they encourage spectators to watch tournaments, too. Some tournaments have even been played since 1972, like the Preserve Pickleball Tournament in Eden Prairie.

Install a Pickleball Court in Your Community

The consensus of pickleball players is that asphalt courts are the way to go when playing because of the good bounce the ball gets and the flexibility of the surface. In fact, the best designs for pickleball courts mimic tennis courts.

Same Court Design

What makes tennis courts [1] so effective is professional asphalt installation and precise color coating. With a specific slope and elevation, and a correct compaction of the aggregate course, tennis courts withstand years of play and harsh Minnesota weather.

 

Pickleball courts function best when installed in the same way. They can even be laid side by side with a tennis court if installed at the same time. 

Installation Options

Pickleball courts can also be included in a tennis court design. Depending on how many courts you want to have, one pickleball court can fit inside a tennis court and use a slightly lower net.

For a maximum use of space, or if you want the option to host clinics or tournaments, four pickleball courts can overlap the four corners of a tennis court as long as the whole court is the regulation size of 120 feet long and 60 feet wide.

You also have color options, where you can paint tennis court lines one color and pickleball court lines another to make for easier play.

Bituminous Roadways Is Your Twin Cities Pickleball Court Installer

While sports fade and grow with time, the asphalt court is everlasting. When installing a tennis court for your recreation center, consider adding in a pickleball court, too. Or lay several pickleball courts next to a tennis court for the complete racketball experience!

For all of your asphalt court laying needs, call us at 651-686-7001 or contact us online, and we’ll send you a free estimate for your pickleball project!