The easiest way to lay out a sand volleyball court is on the beach, but not everyone has this luxury. You can also truck in sand and create your own volleyball court. However you do it, size and orientation specifications should be followed. Situate your court from north to south, not east to west, to eliminate sun glare, especially in the morning and early evening hours.
Dimensions
Beach volleyball is an Olympic sport, and sand courts meet Olympic specifications for dimension, depth and net height. The court should be 59 feet, or 18 m, long. It should be 29 1/2 feet, or 9 m, wide, which is half the distance of its length.
Depth
If you're establishing a court on the beach, nature takes care of the sand depth for you. Otherwise, when you excavate your volleyball court, the depth possibilities depend on where you live. "Volleyball Magazine" recommends 2 to 3 feet if you live well above sea level, down to 6 to 8 inches if your area is at sea level or lower. If you dig too low at the lower elevations, you'll hit water.
Run-Off Space
Each volleyball court needs a "safe" area around it as a buffer zone to keep spectators back and clear of harm. This run-off space should be no less than 10 feet on all sides, for a total court area of 79 by 49 1/2 feet. Surround this area with border material such as railroad ties to keep the sand in and grass and weeds back. Cover borders that can be dangerous to the players with a protective surface, such as foam insulation, or use materials like old tires that have some give.
Net
Olympic volleyball net height is 7 feet 11 5/8 inches for men and 7 feet 4 1/8 inches for women. Coed play uses the men's net height. Measure at the center of the net, from the sand surface up, not from where a player's feet might sink into the sand. The ends of the net can be up to 3/4 inch higher than the center. To accommodate this, net supports should be about 14 feet in length, with 5 feet of that buried in the sand.
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