Tennis Court for STR

[Ian Tyndall]

I am buying a property that has a regulation Tennis Court on it 120'x60'. I thought that this would be a great feature in my STR. It is a older Court and needs some cracks repaired and a new net.

The cost surprised me: $22k to bring it back up to USTA regulations. I would consider a dura tile overlay but that is even more expensive. 

I might just power wash it and fill the cracks and not do the full treatment to get it to professional standards. Pickle ball seems to be more popular around here anyhow. I might look to modify the court in the future to become a dual pickle ball and basketball court as that might appeal to more families. Any thoughts on how to maximize the space?

[Chase Hoover]

Pickleball gets my vote!  You can't find a tennis court in the trendy cities out west, they've all been converted to pickleball.  It's picking up steam out east now.  That would be a very nice amenity.  Whether I'd spend $20k on it, I don't know..... I think putting lipstick on the pig and turning it into a nice patio with cornhole, seating, etc. might be money better spent.

[John Underwood]

I would just clean it up and fill the cracks.

Can they not play pickle ball on it too? Not sure what pickle ball is, like bad mitten?

[Ian Tyndall]

Quote from @John Underwood:

I would just clean it up and fill the cracks.

Can they not play pickle ball on it too? Not sure what pickle ball is, like bad mitten?

Pickle ball is like tennis, but played with paddle tennis rackets and a whiffle ball. Lots of old people like me are into it. Looks like there are 5 million players now in the US. We have a city court and they are packed day and night. 

[Karl B.]

You could always leave it as it is and dangle the fact it could be converted as a basketball court. I think more people would be interested in the potential for a full-court basketball court (which is roughly 94 X 50). 

[Mike Smith]

@Ian Tyndall I'm starting to see multifamily projects that have dual pickleball courts that can also be used for half court basketball. Maybe two pickleball courts is overkill for one STR, so maybe one pickleball court and cornhole/outdoor shuffleboard/etc with half court basketball.

I'm a basketball player myself, and I feel very few STR tenants would play full court basketball. You typically need at least 8 players in decent shape to get a good full court game going.

I agree with others, you don't need to spend 20k to bring up the court to USTA standards.  Tennis seems to be really dying out, at least in the northwest, compared to pickleball.  

[Ryan Moyer]

Pickleball and half court hoops gets my vote, but I'm biased because I love pickleball and hoops.  I have rented at least 4 rentals now that had this pickleball/hoops combo.

The only benefit I could see to tennis is maybe if it's a luxury rental there would be a market there for higher end country club types that would dig a private tennis court.  But I don't know anyone that plays tennis anymore.

The sport court tiles were much cheaper than 21k when I priced them out for pickleball size at one of our places.  The really expensive part was going to be the concrete pad but you already have that part.

ETA: That was pre-covid though so maybe the price has gone up considerably now.

[Cliff H.]

Agree with others. Tennis had its day and there’s a reason courts across the world are falling into disrepair. In fact the problem is so big the USTA will give you consultants to keep your court alive: https://www.usta.com/en/home/c...

I help run a small HOA with a couple tennis courts in poor shape. It's $50k just to tear them up, likely another $150k each to rebuild them. Far too much for the value they offer.

[Bruce Woodruff]

Don't get rid of the tennis court in any way...simply mark it for a PB court inside the standard tennis court lines. Add a half court BBall, AND cornhole, and you have the best of all worlds.

Pickle ball is a huge fad lately, and is likely to stick around, but like other fads, it can also vanish in time. The short distance stops/starts can cause a lot of joint issues, esp with the old folks that play it....