Pickleball Bar
in South Austin.
Ants Beer Cave is the pickleball bar in South Austin's The Yard, with indoor and outdoor pickleball courts steps from a 250+ bottle craft beer wall and sports bar TVs. Reserve a court by the hour or drop in for free pickleball every Thursday.
Basic pickleball
rules.
New to the game? Here's the short version, enough to keep you honest through your first match. Serve underhand, keep out of the kitchen, and win by two.
Serving
- Service area
- Serve diagonally from the right-hand service square into the opponent's right-hand service square. The serve cannot land in the kitchen. Only the serving side can score.
- Serving motion
- Serves are underhand, paddle contacts the ball below the waist, no bounce, both feet behind the baseline until contact.
- Server changes
- After each fault the server changes. Every team gets two faults before the serve moves to the other team.
- Starting service
- The first serving team of a game only gets one fault before handing over the ball. After that, both teams get the usual two.
Scoring
- Points
- Only the serving team can score. Games are played to 11 and must be won by 2.
- Calling the score
- Before every point, the server calls three numbers: your score, their score, and which server you are (1 or 2). Example: 7–8–1.
Gameplay
- Double-bounce rule
- The ball must bounce once on each side before either team can volley. That means the receiver lets the serve bounce, and the serving team lets the return bounce before playing it.
- Non-volley zone (kitchen)
- Players cannot volley while standing in the kitchen or on its line. You can step in to play a ball that has already bounced.
- Faults
- A fault occurs when the ball goes out of bounds, fails to clear the net, is volleyed from the kitchen, or is volleyed before the required bounce on each side.
Play smarter, not harder.
- Practice your serve. A consistent, accurate serve puts pressure on the returner from point one.
- Master the dink. A soft shot into the opponent's kitchen controls the pace of the rally.
- Stay out of the kitchen. Reset behind the line so you can volley without faulting.
- Talk in doubles. Call "mine," "yours," and "out", clean communication wins close games.
Where you'll be playing.
Frequently asked.
How do I reserve a pickleball court?
Book indoor or outdoor courts online through our OpenCourt schedule. Courts are available by the hour, day and night.
Is there free pickleball at Ants Beer Cave?
Yes, free open play every Thursday from 6pm to 10:30pm, first-come, first-served.
Do you have indoor courts?
We do, climate-controlled indoor courts, plus covered outdoor courts under the pergola. Play in any weather.
Can I bring my own paddle?
Absolutely. Loaner paddles are $5 for the entire party and duration.
Do you sell beer and food on site?
Yes. Ants Beer Cave is a bottleshop bar with a wide craft beer and wine selection, plus rotating food trucks on the patio.