How We Operate
For new members of the club, and as a refresher for everyone else, here’s a brief rundown (as brief as can be; you might want to grab a coffee) on how the club operates during the outdoor season.
- We play Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat 8:30 am to 12:30 pm, and Tues/Thurs 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm.
- You must have a valid Bath Pickleball Club membership, or pay the $5 drop-in fee and, if you’re not already a member of Pickleball Canada, sign a waiver.
- First arrivals should unlock the equipment shed and follow the instruction sheet on the set-up process. It’s not hard, so please take your turn.
- The equipment shed also houses a first-aid kit plus a key with directions to the location of a defibrillator.
- There is some parking along the side of the road, some in the allocated spots (marked by the safety cones) across the road at St. John's Hall, and some on the grass behind the fire station just north of the courts (your vehicle MUST be completely on the grass).
- Once everything is set up, play begins. There is no set schedule — simply put your paddle in the right end of one of the paddle racks, and take to the courts when your paddle reaches the left end and court spots open.
- Courts without a sign indicating Competitive or Gentle Play are designated for Social play. Players of all skill levels are welcome to play on these courts, but we expect the best players to throttle their play as required to not overwhelm an opposing player of lesser skill or experience. If playing on a Competitive court, go at it!
- Beginning May 20 (our second week), one court will be signed Competitive from the start of play, with additional Competitive courts added to a maximum of three if demand warrants.
- For the first three weeks, one court will be signed Gentle Play and be supervised by a club volunteer from approximately 9 am - 10 am. The volunteer will offer friendly advice on rules and technique, and perhaps even join the play at times. A Gentle Play court can also be created by a member at any time during the rest of the season.
- And now for perhaps the most misunderstood procedure: player rotation. The first time a court is used at any time during a session, the winners of that game stay on and separate, and the losers leave and put their paddles in the paddle rack. This applies at any time of day. So, for example, whenever a temporary net is set up, the losers of that first game on that court leave.
- In every other case, as soon as you have played two games — win or lose — then you go off the court and put your paddle in the paddle rack.
- And now for another contentious rule: First team to 11 wins. No winning by two. We do this primarily because our courts are typically quite busy, and if a game has gone to 10-10, you’ve already played lots. We don’t want courts tied up with lengthy 17-15 games.When paddle racks are full with waiting players, please play to 9 instead of 11 to allow for faster rotation.
- The club likes to have photographs of our players for use on our website, for the end-of-season slide show, etc. To that end, you might see a club member taking a few snaps. If you would prefer not to have your picture taken, let us know by replying to this email.
- Finally, a reminder to wear your name tag to help newer members get to know everyone. If you don’t have a name tag, find Grant Lindsay. He’ll give you one for free.
Thanks for your patience. Hope your coffee didn’t get cold.