Courting New Business? Check Out Pickleball
Chuck Ross
They look a lot like a whiffle ball – and sound like one, too – but that thwok, thwok, thwok sound now resounding through cities and suburbs, alike, is probably coming from a pickleball ball, the centerpiece of a sport soon to be coming to a court near you (in the unlikely case that it hasn’t already), and possibly even to an Olympic arena, if proponents have their way. While pickleball isn’t without its critics (largely due to the carrying power of that distinctive thwok), its growth is unparalleled, and with all the new courts going up has come a demand for lighting – and a great opportunity for electrical contractors.
Since just 2017, the number of U.S. pickleball players has almost tripled, according to a recent Sports & Fitness Industry Association survey, up to 8.9 million by the end of 2022. And the activity is most popular among the nation’s fastest growing age group, with those aged 55 and up comprising almost 20% of all participants. (Interestingly, growth is fastest at the other end of the survey’s age groupings, those 24 and younger.) And players of all ages had 10,320 places to play, as of the end of 2022.
If you’ve had experience installing lighting for indoor or outdoor tennis or basketball courts, you’ll probably have some of the basics down when it comes to illuminating pickleball play, but there are some pickleball-specific requirements. For one, for exterior courts, fixtures should be mounted 20 ft. above the court surface. This ensures that players can visually follow the ball, even with a high lob. Additionally, lighting color intensity and color temperatures can vary, based on the where courts are being installed. The USA Pickleball Association suggests higher light levels in commercial and public courts, along with color temperatures around 5000K. Residential courts can be a little less bright, with color temperatures around 4000K.
Since just 2017, the number of U.S. pickleball players has almost tripled, according to a recent Sports & Fitness Industry Association survey, up to 8.9 million by the end of 2022. And the activity is most popular among the nation’s fastest growing age group, with those aged 55 and up comprising almost 20% of all participants. (Interestingly, growth is fastest at the other end of the survey’s age groupings, those 24 and younger.) And players of all ages had 10,320 places to play, as of the end of 2022.
If you’ve had experience installing lighting for indoor or outdoor tennis or basketball courts, you’ll probably have some of the basics down when it comes to illuminating pickleball play, but there are some pickleball-specific requirements. For one, for exterior courts, fixtures should be mounted 20 ft. above the court surface. This ensures that players can visually follow the ball, even with a high lob. Additionally, lighting color intensity and color temperatures can vary, based on the where courts are being installed. The USA Pickleball Association suggests higher light levels in commercial and public courts, along with color temperatures around 5000K. Residential courts can be a little less bright, with color temperatures around 4000K.
Photo courtesy of LSI Industries
