Southern Comfort
The pounding on Rick Thoennes ’ knees , hips and back was making every morning a chore . The 54-yearold Greenville , South Carolina , resident plays a lot of pickleball , recreationally and in tournaments . His profession also requires physical work — he ’ s a custom home builder . In Rick ’ s case , having a cushioned court made sense .
“ I had seen cushioned courts online , but had never played on one ,” he says . “ I was skeptical about the bounce of the ball compared to a hard court , but really don ’ t notice any bounce difference compared to the public courts .
“ The cushion is a 4mm pad that Acrytech makes , called CushionX . It goes down on top of the concrete surface and is like a mat . After the mat is down , they finish the surface just as if it were a concrete surface . I literally can play so many more games in a session without my knees hurting . It really spoils you from playing on hard surfaces .”
He can now practice every night with his wife , Carol , 55 , a registered nurse . “ Drilling definitely makes you better and this is what I love most about the court ,” Rick says . “ Well , I also love the drive time , not having to find parking spots , being able to
Rick and Carol Thoennes ’ scenic backyard court in Greenville , South Carolina . run inside and grab a drink or dry shirt . It ’ s also nice to be able to jump in the pool when you get too hot !”
The Thoennes ’ 35 ’ by 65 ’ court cost $ 60,000 , including landscaping , lighting and artificial turf . Rick did all the grading , concrete work and turf installation .
“ It took approximately two-plus months from start to finish ,” he says . “ This was removing the existing grass , grading , pouring concrete , letting it cure for five weeks , putting down the cushion surface and painting with Acrytech acrylic , installing lights and putting down artificial turf .”
The court was finished in June , complete with the non-volley zone being painted a color called “ Passion Pink .” Now Rick and Carol are more passionate than ever about the sport they love .
Lakeside Lobbing
Some of Steve and Wendy Silverman ’ s friends could conceivably take a boat to play on the pickleball court at the Silvermans ’ lake home .
The court is 75 feet from Canandaigua Lake in upstate New York .
Steve and Wendy Silverman ’ s friends can boat over to play on the pickleball court at their home on Canandaigua Lake in upstate New York .
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