Do You Prefer Indoor Or Outdoor Pickleball?


For several years now, I have heard the ongoing opinions about which is better? Indoor or outdoor pickleball?

Personally, I like outdoor assuming the following conditions are present:

 1.  Little or no wind

 2.  Not too hot

 3.  Not too cold

 4.  Dedicated pickleball only court

 5.  Permanent net

 6.  Reserved court

Wow!

That makes me sound quite spoiled doesn't it?

And it isn't all that often all those conditions occur all at the same time on an outdoor court.

So, since I can rarely have all my outdoor court requests, I really like indoor pickleball.

However, I also have preferred indoor conditions: 

 1.  Permanent outdoor court surface

 2.  Dedicated pickleball only court

 3.  Permanent net

 4.  Reserved court

 5.  Outdoor ball

Wow!

I still sound spoiled, don't I?

Well, I have played in all sorts of venues both indoor and outdoor, but here is what I really don't like:

 1.  Basketball court floor

 2.  Flimsy, portable nets

 3.  Indoor ball, especially an orange ball

What about you?

Do you have preferences?

Are they really strong preferences like mine?

Let me explain my dislikes.

Basketball court floor:  I really don't like the dead spots I have encountered on basketball court surfaces during pickleball tournaments.  You know, when the ball hits and doesn't bounce making you shank it or whiff completely when trying to return it!  Frustrating!  And the oak-colored wood floor which is somewhat orange-ish in color is not a good combination for me with the orange ball.

Flimsy, portable nets:  As you know there is a wide variation in the quality of portable nets.  Some of the more expensive ones are actually pretty good.  However, more often than not, it has been my experience that the portable nets I have encountered in pickleball tournaments are often more flimsy than I would like. You know, the kind that allow your opponent's shot which hit the net 3 inches below the top of the net to trickle over anyway, costing you a point!  Annoying!!  And that has been true of portable nets, whether indoor or outdoor.  When matches are close, one or two of those trickle overs can be the difference in the game.  Yes, I know it's flimsy for both teams, but I don't seem to get the same "net love" others do!  So, I don't like them.

Indoor ball:  You have to admit, there is a noticeable difference between the indoor and outdoor balls. The indoor balls are made of a softer plastic. They have larger holes. They have fewer holes. And when combined with the basketball floor, they bounce differently from the bounce of an outdoor ball on an outdoor surface. And I mentioned that I really didn't like the combination of the basketball floor with an orange, indoor ball. I honestly just don't see the orange ball well in those conditions.  There are a couple of nearby tournaments that I have played several times that use an orange ball. And they are played indoor on basketball court surfaces. I struggled being able to consistently see the ball every single time I played in those tournaments.  Needless to say, I didn't play well, and that didn't help my partners. So, I finally decided that those tournaments weren't worth the frustrations.  So, I no longer play those particular tournaments. I have encountered others who also say they don't see the orange ball well. Yet, I have also encountered some who say they see it better.  I will leave those tournaments to the orange ball fans!

What about you?

Do you have issues that are so significant that you don't play certain places? 

Finally, to answer the question asked at the beginning of this commentary, I prefer indoor pickleball on an outdoor court surface which has dedicated pickleball courts and permanent nets with an outdoor ball. And I prefer to have a reservation.

And if I can't have that, I prefer outdoor pickleball on a dedicated pickleball court with a permanent net when it's not too hot, not too cold, and not too windy!  And I still prefer to have a reservation.

As someone once famously said, "As long as everything is exactly the way I want it, I'm totally flexible."

I'm really not THAT bad!


Ben Holt
​CEO, Pickleball Living