Pickleball Court Etiquette in The Villages

Play Fair, Play Safe, Have Fun

We have more than 200 Courts & thousands of players. Many took our instructional lessons here, others elsewhere. Our goal is safety first for all participants.
Warm up, dress appropriately, proper footwear, Hat, Safety Glasses, sunscreen, PLENTY of fluids. All courts provide water. Stay hydrated.
Always open gate outwards, WHEN there is break in play. Enter quickly & close gate. DO NOT walk behind when a point is in progress.

When and Where to Play

It is important to find the court and time that fits your play. We have players at every level and play at every level. Open Play is on most courts from 7am to noon. Starting at 10a.m. some courts are reserved for Lessons, Leagues & Clinic OR are designated for specific levels of open play including Beg/Adv Beginner Play.
From 12:00pm on, Social Groups can reserve courts. Please respect their permits Consult the Rec News for available courts. It is published every Thursday.

Basic Play

4 players on court. Play to 11 points (win by margin of 2). Call the score BEFORE you serve. Our website provides a set of Complete Rules.

The Villages Court Etiquette

Whenever a ball leaves the court you are playing on, Always shout “BALL ON COURT” to the players involved. Never chase your ball. Whenever the shout “BALL ON COURT” is heard, play stops immediately. Look around for a ball from an adjacent court, retrieve the ball and return it to the adjacent court. Replay your point — if your play was interrupted.

When your game is completed, take your ball with you (return it to the ball hopper if it was a Rec. Dept. provided ball), don’t let it run away. Leave the court, and when there is a line, the next 4 players will take the empty court.

The use of Recreation facilities is subject to a Code of Conduct & Court Etiquette. Exhibit good sportsmanship when on Court. On site Rec Staff will deal with any disputes that may occur. When using any Villages facility you are required to carry your Villages ID with you.

PCVG Facebook: If you have questions or information you would like to share with our Community please post to get answers or give helpful information.

UNACCEPTABLE Behavior at PCVG Activities

Though the “Unacceptable Behavior” policy statement which follows should not be needed, an incident during a tournament revealed that unacceptable behavior needs to be spelled out regarding pickleball activities conducted by PCVG; e.g., our classes, clinics, leagues, tournaments, etc.

A player may never, under any circumstances, verbally harass, demean, insult, belittle, physically threaten, speak in profanities of or to any other player, referee — or any PCVG representative during any PCVG activity.

Depending on the egregiousness of any behavior “deemed unacceptable by a PCVG representative during a PCVG activity”, the following actions will be taken by said representative.

First offense, if considered “minor” by the PCVG representative, a verbal warning will be given to the player concerned. The warning will be that any repetition of the behavior will result in the player not being allowed to continue participating in the PCVG activity.

If the warning is not received in the spirit in which it was given, and the PCVG representative does not receive acknowledgment by the player that the behavior was unacceptable, the player will immediately be removed from the activity.

First offense, if considered “major” by the PCVG representative; the player will be told that they are no longer allowed to participate in the activity. The PCVG representative will immediately assist in completion of an incident report.

If a second incident of unacceptable behavior occurs within a year from the first offense, said player will not be allowed to participate in any PCVG activity for a year (from the date of the second offense).

Steve Richter
PCVG Chairperson