The Beginner's Guide: Your First Backyard Athletic Court
Building a backyard athletic court is a fantastic way to encourage more outdoor activity, improve athletic skills, get more exercise, and increase your home’s value. Whether you’re interested in a basketball court, tennis court, or multi-sport athletic court, this guide from C&C Courts will walk you through the basics of your first backyard athletic court.
From inception to maintenance, there’s plenty to know before you break ground on your project.
Determine Which Court You Want
The first step is to determine which court you want to build. There are many court options, and deciding can be a challenge. Do you want a basketball court to improve your game and get exercise? Or do you want a new court for a sport you’re interested in learning, like pickleball?
Or if you can’t decide, you can go with a multi-sport athletic court, which can accommodate many different sports. Some popular options include:
Choose the Right Location
The kind of court you build will largely depend on how much space you have in your backyard. For starters, you should definintely consider sunlight vs shade, the ground level, and proper drainage.
The orientation of the court should also be taken into account, particularly to avoid direct sunlight in players’ eyes. Angling the court in an east-west location will avoid direct sunlight. If you have a large, level space, your options for courts are endless.
Plan Your Design and Layout
The fun part of building an athletic court is designing it. At C&C Courts, we feature a unique “Design a Court” application that allows you to design your court down to the size, logo, and surface colors. The application will provide a 3D rendering of your court, giving you a perfect idea of what your court will look like when it is completed. Check out our “How to” guide on using your Design a Court application for more information!
Surface Material and Accessories
Other decisions you need to make include the outdoor surface material and accessories. If you are investing in a proper athletic court, you don’t want to settle for concrete, as it is not the safest material for playing sports. At C&C Courts, we feature several premier outdoor surface materials for at-home courts, all of which are perfect for safety and reducing joint fatigue.
Our three main surface materials include:
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PowerGame: A perfect beginner court surface, PowerGame has the lowest skin abrasion risk of any other outdoor surface. Also has a shock absorbing grid to ease the strain on joints and muscles.
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PowerGame+: PowerGame+ is a step up from PowerGame, designed for all sports and your performance needs. Provides superior traction.
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SportGame PB: This surface is perfect for pickleball courts and can easily be retrofitted over existing surfaces. Very durable and provides precise ball control.
For your court accessories, you will need to decide which ones you need based on the game court you want to build. Some options include:
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Ball containment nets
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Basketball hoops
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Court lights
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Ball rebounders
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Multi-nets
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Batting cages
Athletic Court Maintenance
Routine athletic court maintenance is essential to keep your court in top shape. You should regularly clean the surface, sweeping away debris. You can also use a hose to wash away leaves or dirt to keep the surface clean.
Before playing, always check for damage such as cracks, loose tiles, or other damage and repair them promptly to avoid injury. Avoid using de-icer on your court in the winter, as it can damage the surface material.
Build Your Backyard Atheltic Court with C&C Courts
There are many benefits of having a home athletic court, and with easy access to play your favorite sports without leaving home, you can get more exercise and fresh air. By choosing C&C Courts to build your backyard athletic court, you’re getting over 30 years of backyard court-building experience.
We only use the highest quality materials, and our custom design experts will help you perfect your backyard court before installation. We cater to many areas in Wisconsin to ensure we can help our neighbors have the best game court around!
Give us a call today at 414-377-5294, or request a quote online!