Almost a decade ago, when I first started getting into Pickleball, I was perplexed by how similar the court looked when compared to a badminton court. Considering that I am a seasoned badminton player, it almost felt like there was no change in the dynamics here.

But not too long before I started to learn the basics, things in the court felt way out of place, there were plenty of discrepancies between Pickleball court size Vs badminton court size, in fact, I was in for a surprise on various aspects so much, that I felt obliged to curate an article on it.

So why waste your time when you could scroll down below and learn from my experience,

Pickleball Court Size Vs Badminton Court Size

Let’s take a look at the key differences between the dimensions of Pickleball Court and Badminton Court.

1. Physical Dimensions

The official pickleball court is 44 feet in length while having a width of 20 feet while the nonvolley zone or kitchen area ranges up to 7 feet on each side of the net.

Each side of the court also has a baseline which is the initiation point for a player to serve the ball. The kitchen zone is where the ball shouldn’t be volleyed when a player is standing in it otherwise it will result in a fault.

Keep in mind that regardless of the playstyle played i.e. single or doubles, the dimensions remain the same.

The physical dimensions for the badminton court however, remain pretty much the same, ranging up to 44 feet in length while having a 20 feet width, the discrepancy arises in double format however, since in doubles format, the badminton court is supposed to be 17 inches wide to prevent collision of players.

2. Net Height

The net height of a Pickleball court is much more accessible and lenient due to the nature of the game, henceforth, the net is 36 inches at the center while having a height of 34 inches at each side of the fixed post.

Meanwhile, Badminton courts tend to have higher hanging nets ranging up to 60 feet or 5 feet, all across the center to each side of the post, even an inch lower isn’t acceptable at least at competitive levels.

Keep in mind the height of each corresponding sport is directly proportional to the nature of the shot execution as pickleball uses a plastic hollow ball which has lesser momentum capacity to hold while a shuttlecock is highly oriented for travel time, henceforth, Badminton courts have considerably raised nets.

3. Frontcourt Vs Kitchen Zone

In Pickleball, the nonvolley zone is called a Kitchen Zone while in Badminton court it is categorized as Frontcourt. The Kitchen Zone is 7 feet in length in Pickleball, while the frontcourt is considerably smaller as it only ranges up to 6 feet and 6 inches respectively.

Although both terms can be interchangeably used, it is professionally appropriate to use the assigned names in their respective sports.

Bottom Line

Whether it’s the high contrast court of pickleball or the electrifying field of badminton, the thrill is beyond impalpable and there are no two ways about it. 

While Pickleball court size vs badminton court size might feel like two sides of the same coin, there are still some smaller variations you need to be mindful of especially if you want to get into these sports for competitive or professional purposes.

Nevertheless, after reading this article I hope you now have acknowledged the intricacies of both badminton and pickleball courts, so the next time you hop into one, you can share this article among your peers to be seen as the most “Knowledgeable one”.