Open Play Is a Place To Meet, Make New Friends

Hello from Bluffton, South Carolina. I’ve been “snowbirding” in the South for the past eight years, and this has been the most unseasonably cold winter in the past 32 years.

I’m sure by now all of you have seen the continued growth of pickleball nationally, with more and more former tennis players and younger athletes falling in love with this wonderful sport. Towns and cities are building and converting tennis courts into pickleball courts as fast as they can. Indoor facilities like SYS and Box Pickleball in Riverhead are popping up all over the country, giving players another venue where they can play when the weather doesn’t allow outside play.

So, what’s the deal with open play versus reserving court time at a private club?

If you’re interested in playing with a few of your friends for an hour or so and want the experience of consistent play, reserving court time is definitely the way to go. You know the exact time you’ll play and for how long.

Generally, public courts do not allow reservations, because the facility is open to everyone in the community. For instance, the Southampton Town courts in North Sea, Hampton West in Westhampton and Red Creek Park in Hampton Bays don’t allow this. Those facilities are all open play, with players meeting new players and rotating on and off the courts.

As an USA Pickleball Ambassador for the past seven years, I will say: Finding an easy system to use rotating players on and off when it’s crowded is the No. 1 issue nationally. The great thing about open play is that you get to meet and play with different players, often from other communities. It’s really the reason I was so attracted to pickleball in the first place. I’ve played pickleball from Miami to Vermont, and every public facility has its own unique etiquette system to handle this sticky issue. Once you understand how they do it, things move along nicely.

If you attend open play, you need to respect the established system used by that community — don’t try to change the way they do things.

During the summer in Southampton, we get a tremendous number of pickleball players. They may use a different system back home — but when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

Since there are so many different variations around the country, here are a few systems I’ve seen used along my journey.

Here in Sun City, South Carolina, we have 1,250 players for 18 courts. Some of the courts can be reserved online, or the community provides directed open play times every day for those who want to play that format. For instance, the community reserves Monday from noon to 2 p.m. for men’s 3.0 to 3.5. They have every level and every combination available, and all you need to do is show up at the designated time and court.

One issue, and something you would need to be aware of, is your approximate level, so you don’t join a group which you’re not suited to play in. That’s a universal issue. You can Google and find a website to help you determine your level.

Some facilities don’t have a designated level of open play. Southampton and SYS often do not. If you decide to play at one of those facilities, you need to be open to playing with some players who are better than you and some who may not be as talented as you. In any event, remember: You were a beginner at some point, and helping the newbies is a nice way to grow the sport.

One very common way to move things along is to cut the games to 9 points, or play a hard 11, which means you don’t need to win by 2 points. Some facilities are moving to rally scoring, which is used at the pro level in tournaments: A point is scored on every serve, not just when the serving team is serving. This moves the points much faster and makes the serve very important, because the receiving team can get a point even though they’re not actually serving. You cannot win, however, unless you score the winning point on your serve, and that gets a little confusing.

When the paddles stack up, as they often do at popular times on popular courts, there needs to be a way to get the player(s) waiting onto a court quickly and fairly. If it’s only two, usually winners stay on, split, and the new players join in. If it’s more than two then it becomes more complicated.

Some places just line the paddles up, and the next four play on the open court. Very easy to figure out. However, many times you are playing with the same four players over and over. It’s not a great way to meet new players and make new friends.

At SYS, we use a two-tiered system of winners and losers paddle lineups. This ensures that you only play with one player from the previous group. We alternate winners and losers as each court becomes available. It’s a popular system around the country but usually requires a manager to make sure everyone is playing by the rules.

Some courts designate a court or two for advanced play or beginners’ play. This works out great as long as players rate themselves properly. The advanced games are generally longer, and the wait time might be extended if they aren’t using rally scoring.

This is by no means the only system being used, but there is no perfect system. Remember, when you show up for open play, be flexible and enjoy the experience of playing with many different players and making new friends.