Welcome to Fall! As the leaves start to turn and fall, and the sun sets earlier and earlier, please practice court safety and make sure the courts are free of debris and leaves before playing.
It looks as though it’s going to be another great week to play outdoors!
Open Play Rules
It was quite clear by the results of last week’s poll that most people believe that the various venues and/or clubs should provide some structure to help players behave in a consistent and uniform manner when playing. I don’t think it’s fair to throw it over the wall and expect the venues to figure out what those rules should be. Instead, I believe it’s up to the community (us) to come up with some suggestions on how to make the playing experience better for everyone.
For example, Fort Monmouth has segregated the groups between “beginner” and “Experienced” players. That definitely has some benefits but does make it more challenging for beginners to improve.
Another example that has been bantered about is “Progressive Courts” also called “Graduated Courts”, “Top Court” and many other names. This basically makes it so that courts go from easiest to hardest and everyone can find that right level on any given day. If you consistently win on the court you are on, then you move up to the next court. If you consistently lose, then you go down a court. This is a nice system when everyone is on the same page, but does have a learning curve and can be difficult for new players.
One last thought on the subject. Let’s not confuse rules with etiquette. Etiquette clearly falls on the players how we act and treat each other and is something that we can discuss as a separate issue.
What do you think? I would love to hear and share your thoughts with the various venues. Please provide feedback (below in the comments section) on how we can help the places where we play establish rules that can enhance everyone’s experience.
Tip of the week
This week we’re taking off from our typical tip of the week to have a little fun. This video was shared with me a while ago and I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to share with everyone! I hope you like it.
This week’s poll
This week’s poll is about objectives.
As a reminder: All polling data is anonymous and no personal information is collected or shared.
Last Week’s Results
The results from last week made it clear. 85% of the respondents believe that the venues and/or clubs should provide the rules, while 14% believe that it should be up to the players to establish the rules.
Please share your ideas (in the comments section below) on how the venues could implement rules that would improve the pickleball experience for everyone. (see story above)
Tournament News
No new tournament information.
If you receive information for a tournament that isn’t listed on the site, please let me know so I can post it!
Registration Deadlines
- Franklin Twp – Parks & Recreation Pickleball Tournament – 10/27/17