General Rules

1. All members and visitors must sign-in to all club play events, indoor and outdoor, for insurance and future play planning purposes.
2. Adult visitors are allowed to play at club-organized events, in accordance with the SAPC Visitors Policy, except for events marked on the calendar as “Members Only” or "Reserved Play." 
3. Visitors must sign a waiver, or must have a previously signed waiver still accessible in the captain's venue binder.
4. Play times marked “Public” are not official club-organized events, and so are not subject to these rules, but may subject to certain rules specified by facility owners or their representatives, who may or may not be SAPC members. Public play times may be placed on the calendar for information and convenience of our members. 
5. Schools have priority use of public and school courts during school time, and will pre-empt SAPC organized play, even if little or no notice is provided. 
6. In the event of a tie (for example, at the end of timed play), the first team to reach the tied score is the winner.

Levels of Play

• “All” or “All Play” means a player of any rating may attend.
• “3.0”, “3.5”, "4.0" or any similar designation means that only players of that rating may attend.
• “3.0+”, “3.5+”, "4.0+" or any similar designation means that players with that rating or higher may attend.
• “2.0 – 2.5” means 2.5-level players and beginners who have at least taken a lesson or are familiar with play rules.

To play in a non-tournament event at level 3.0 or higher, players must be at least club-rated or tournament-rated at that level.  For play at the 2.0 or 2.5 level, players may be self-rated.

See our skill levels and ratings page for info on getting a rating.

Paddle Box Play (aka Paddle Play)

Most indoor and outdoor play is Paddle Box Play. This form of play is so prevalent it is not usually specified in the calendar's event description. It is SAPC's default form of play.

1. Upon a player’s arrival, the player will place their paddle in paddle box, on top of paddles previously placed. 
2. No paddle may be placed in the box for a player not yet present. 
3. The Captain or the Captain’s designate alternately pulls four paddles from the bottom of the gold or silver pile (left or right side of the box), and hands them to members playing on the next available court. 
4. Play may be timed or scored (e.g. “first to nine”) as specified by the Captain. 
5. At the end of each play, the two winning players must place their paddle ON TOP of those in the gold (left) box and losing players must place their paddles ON TOP of those in the silver (right) box. No exceptions unless the Captain chooses (rarely) to equitably rebalance paddles in the gold and silver boxes, by moving paddles from the TOP of one side to the TOP of the other. 
6. Absolutely no vertical (up and down) paddle shuffling in boxes, and no re-arranging of paddles in the boxes by the players.
7. Breaks and Withholding Paddles: a. Paddles should only be withheld (not placed in the box) if a member needs an extended break or is done playing. Paddles must never be withheld to play with a particular player. b. When returning from an extended break, your paddle must go on top of the others in the silver or gold box, as determined by your most recent loss or win. c. If a player is not present when their paddle is pulled, the Captain will place their paddle on the top of stack in the same box it was drawn from.
   
8. If there are three or seven paddles in a particular box when players come off the court, the two players required to place their paddles on top of these shall determine which paddle is placed first using a random technique such as playing rock, paper, scissors or flipping a coin. 
9. When players go on to the court to play, previous partners should split and play with a person from the other pair. a. If a two-some is practicing for a tournament, they may ask the other pair if they may play together. The other pair’s wishes will be respected. b. This “two-some for tournament” exception does NOT extend to four-somes. c. Rule 8 takes precedence over Rule 9a, and requires pairs practicing for tournaments to be split for at least the next round. 
10. Players who are uncomfortable playing with certain players should not attend a Paddle Box Play event.
    

Round Robin

1. Play is generally limited to the number of players the courts can accommodate. A limited number of spares may be registered, and may be asked to step into play for one game at a time, if and when another player needs a break. 
2. Play is either by pre-registration or by first come-first checked-in (FCFC). See the calendar event description for more details. If the event does not allow or mention registration, then it is FCFC.
3. All players must print their name on the sign-in sheet regardless of whether the play is by pre-registration or FCFC. 
4. No player may sign-in for another player not yet present. 
5. NO Late Arrivals
1. Players MUST be at the court AND checked in (name printed on sign up sheet) by 5 minutes BEFORE the scheduled play start time.
2. The captain may immediately post a round robin sheet based on the number of players checked in 5 minutes before the schedule play start time.
3. Once the Round Robin sheet is posted, the captain WILL NOT change that sheet. Late comers WILL NOT be accommodated. 
4. This rule responds to complaints regarding the number of late comers and the frequent changes to the Round Robin sheet  that were previously needed to accommodate such late comers.
6. Players are assigned a number at the beginning. 
7. Players play each game, on the court and with the partner designated by the captain, in accordance with a round-robin schedule and their assigned number. 
8. Each play session is timed. 
9. If time allows, play to 11, win-by-two, then start another game. (In a tournament, only the first partial game or game to 11 is counted.) 
10. When time is called, consult the captain or the round robin schedule to determine the court, partner and court-end you play in for the next timed interval.