Whether you’re just getting into darts or it’s time to upgrade from the basic garage setup, creating yourself a proper home darts area makes practice more enjoyable, can help to improve your consistency, and help to protect your walls and floors from damage.
If it is sweet and simple you’re going for, you will be needing these three things at the minimum: a dartboard, a dartboard surround, and a dart mat or throwline.
Here’s a step-by-step guide and what gear you should invest in to get it right.
1. Start with a decent quality dartboard
A decent quality dartboard won’t just last longer - it’ll also make scoring easier and your practice more rewarding.
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Choose a bristle dartboard with sisal fibres for durability and self-healing properties that reduce bounce-outs. Invest in a solid board that might set you back $100-$200 and will set your darts journey off on the right board (ahem).
- Spend a little time choosing the right spot to hang your board. You’re going to want to consider foot traffic, lighting and the kind of vibe you want to create around your dart space. I.e. a table, bar leaner or couch nearby for guests and rests.
- Choosing the right space goes for the wall too, you’re best to find a stud or solid place to fix it, so it won’t move when darts land on the board.
Now all that being said, you’ll also want to adhere to the regulation height for your board, which is 1.73m from the floor to the centre of the bullseye.
2. Protect your walls with a dartboard surround
It happens to the best of us, those stray darts have a way of missing the board at times, particularly when you are starting out and practicing hitting those doubles. That’s what your new dartboard surround is for, and luckily, they’re relatively inexpensive and well worth it.
One-piece dartboard surrounds are better for holding their shape and staying put (compared to a four-piece surround). They also nicely complete the look of your set up and you can shop for one that suits the space you are trying to create. It could be a patterned/printed surround you are after or a solid colour for simplicity or perhaps for stickers if that’s your thing.
3. Mark the oche and protect your floor with a mat
A dart mat serves two purposes; protecting your floor and any bounce-out darts from damage and helps to mark the throwline for consistency. You can opt for rubber, non-slip mats or a carpet mat alternative.
As an alternative, but without the floor protection, you could opt for a sticker throwline. Cheaper and could be the best option if your board is hung in a throughfare. If you’re going with a sticker throwline, you’ll want to measure 2.37m from the wall of the board to the throwing line, taking into account the width of the dartboard too.
Nice-to-have enhancements
Once the essentials (board, surround and mat or throwline) are in place, there are a few optional accessories that seriously improve playability and enjoyment. Maybe these could jump onto your wishlist for adding at a later stage.
Better Lighting
Good lighting eliminates shadows, brightens the board and improves visibility - especially if you play or practice in the evening.
Score keeping and auto-scoring
Go traditional with a chalk or whiteboard scoreboard. It’s a valuable skill to learn how to chalk and score a game of darts.
Alternatively, automatic scoring takes away a lot of the hassle as it can track your throws and score digitally. There are a few options to consider here - a tablet holder and a tablet connected to a dart scoring app, or ultimately, a fully automated scoring system like the Target Omni.