Pickleball Open Play Rules

Pickleball Open Play Rules (Updated 7/1/24. Updates/rule changes are highlighted below):

• Court and Paddle Racks:
  • Courts 1 – 4: For advanced players.
  • Courts 5 & 6: For beginner players.
  • When paddle racks are empty, designating that no one is in line/waiting to play, open courts may be used by anyone.
  • Paddle Racks: There are 2 paddle racks (Winners’ rack and Losers’ rack) for advanced courts and 2 racks for beginner courts.
    • Winners' rack: For the player(s) who just won a game.
    • Losers’ rack: For the player(s) who just lost a game.
  • Rotation Marker: A rotation marker alternates between the Winner’s and Loser’s racks indicating which set of 4 players (or 2 players if playing singles rather than doubles) are up next on the next open court.

• Player Rotation: ALL PLAYERS come off the court at the completion of each game.
  • To get back in line, the winning player(s) place their paddles in the next open spots on the Winners' rack and the losing player(s) place their paddles in the next open spots on the Losers' rack.
  • Next Players: When a game on a given court ends, the court becomes available to the next set of either 2 (singles play) or 4 (doubles play) players in the designated rack (either the Winners' or Losers' rack as indicated by the rotation maker).
    • The rotation marker should be moved to the alternate rack after the start of each new game.
    • On a given day, players entering the rotation should begin by placing their paddles in next open spots on the Losers’ rack.
    • Only 1 paddle per person in a rack at a time.

• Court Etiquette:
  • Treat all equipment, including paddle racks and nets, with care. Report any damages to the Recreation Department.
  • Limit warm up time to keep games moving.
  • No arguing or altercations are permitted. There is no trophy to be won.
  • Respect rules and other players.