[Pugchief]

Originally Posted by Pugchief

Correct. You are under no obligation to break up your group just because the line falls that way as long as you wait your turn in line and play only one game to 11 if others are waiting. Correct etiquette is exactly what the OP did: allow someone further down the queue to jump in front of their foursome so they can stay together. The guy who was griping was clueless.

Originally Posted by rustyp

If proper etiquette is playing one game to 11 and others are waiting wouldn't that mean the 4 players of that game should walk off and the whole court becomes available after each and every game ? If standard practice how often is this adhered to ? Are there published rules of etiquette posted on/near the courts ? Just curious I'm not a pickle-ball player.

Yes, that is correct. If there is a line of people waiting (as in the OP's story), when you finish your one game to 11, all 4 players would vacate the court and go to the end of the line. If there are fewer than 4 people waiting, one or more people finishing may be able to stay on the court to fill out the foursome. But if they are a group, while it would be nice to allow others OF EQUAL ABILITY to mix in, they are under no obligation to do so. You make think that is rude, but it is like that not only here, but everywhere I have ever played in locations across multiple states.

[Rwirish]

You were not in error. The guy needs to get a life.

[banjobob]

Originally Posted by Michael 61

I’m in a weekly 4-some of pickleball players who play each week during open play at the Rec Center. We’re on the courts at the crack of dawn and usually play until about 830 AM or so. Up until January, there has been no waiting to get onto a court. Now that we’re in snowbird season, a line starts forming around 745AM, which is understandable for this busy time of year. Our group is probably at an “advanced beginner” stage, but none of us are rated, as we are just out to have fun and get some exercise.

Question - while waiting our turn in line, a group of 3 in front of us who’s turn it was to go onto the court needed a 4th person, we allowed a single person behind us in line to go in front of our group of 4, so that we could wait and play together when a court became available for us. This infuriated a man further back in line who yelled out at us to split up and for one of us to join the group of 3 ahead of us. The man was pretty belligerent and wouldn’t let it drop, even after the fact. We just smiled at him and didn’t respond to his outburst. I noticed a group of 4 ladies playing together did the same thing, as they wanted to play as a group. If we were in error, we surely want to be corrected, and play by the rules, but I never remember in pickleball class this particular issue ever being brought up. Was hoping someone from the pickleball community could chime in whether what we did is permissible or not. Thank you for your replies.

Probably this guy was a New Yorker lol

[La lamy]

You did the right thing OP. The complainer was in the wrong.

[Laker14]

Originally Posted by rustyp

If proper etiquette is playing one game to 11 and others are waiting wouldn't that mean the 4 players of that game should walk off and the whole court becomes available after each and every game ? If standard practice how often is this adhered to ? Are there published rules of etiquette posted on/near the courts ? Just curious I'm not a pickle-ball player.

I have played open play at more than a dozen of the various rec center courts, and each facility seems to develop their own particular way of dealing with this. Often, if only a few are in line, say 4, or 6, they'll replace two at a time, let winners stay together, and as long as you keep winning, you keep playing. However, if the line grows to 8, or 10, or 12, they'll swap out 4 at a time so the wait times don't get too long. During the busy season this might work from sunrise to about 8:30, then the lines get too long and you have to go 4 at a time.

There is no rule that says you have to play with whoever is next to you. Most people do because most people don't show up with a group of 4. However, if you do have a group of four, you can stay together as long as you wait your turn for a court, exactly the way OP described. Sometimes there will be a pair of players who are preparing for a tournament and want to stay together. Some people don't like to see this, but , again, there is no written rule anywhere that states you can't do this during open play times.

For some reason this may draw the ire of someone who thinks this is wrong. There is no written rule anywhere that I've found that makes the practice out-of-bounds. Some people just insist upon trying to force their opinion of how things should be, upon others, with no authority to do so.

[midiwiz]

Originally Posted by ThirdOfFive

Ah yes. "Florida's friendliest hometown".

[fireman]

Originally Posted by Michael 61

I’m in a weekly 4-some of pickleball players who play each week during open play at the Rec Center. We’re on the courts at the crack of dawn and usually play until about 830 AM or so. Up until January, there has been no waiting to get onto a court. Now that we’re in snowbird season, a line starts forming around 745AM, which is understandable for this busy time of year. Our group is probably at an “advanced beginner” stage, but none of us are rated, as we are just out to have fun and get some exercise.

Question - while waiting our turn in line, a group of 3 in front of us who’s turn it was to go onto the court needed a 4th person, we allowed a single person behind us in line to go in front of our group of 4, so that we could wait and play together when a court became available for us. This infuriated a man further back in line who yelled out at us to split up and for one of us to join the group of 3 ahead of us. The man was pretty belligerent and wouldn’t let it drop, even after the fact. We just smiled at him and didn’t respond to his outburst. I noticed a group of 4 ladies playing together did the same thing, as they wanted to play as a group. If we were in error, we surely want to be corrected, and play by the rules, but I never remember in pickleball class this particular issue ever being brought up. Was hoping someone from the pickleball community could chime in whether what we did is permissible or not. Thank you for your replies.

You have every right to stick together and rotate play with everyone else. With over 100,000 people in the villages you will come across a few idiots that are never happy. Don’t let a few idiots tarnish the reputation of so many great friendly Villagers.

[mtomlinson]

Originally Posted by Michael 61

I’m in a weekly 4-some of pickleball players who play each week during open play at the Rec Center. We’re on the courts at the crack of dawn and usually play until about 830 AM or so. Up until January, there has been no waiting to get onto a court. Now that we’re in snowbird season, a line starts forming around 745AM, which is understandable for this busy time of year. Our group is probably at an “advanced beginner” stage, but none of us are rated, as we are just out to have fun and get some exercise.

Question - while waiting our turn in line, a group of 3 in front of us who’s turn it was to go onto the court needed a 4th person, we allowed a single person behind us in line to go in front of our group of 4, so that we could wait and play together when a court became available for us. This infuriated a man further back in line who yelled out at us to split up and for one of us to join the group of 3 ahead of us. The man was pretty belligerent and wouldn’t let it drop, even after the fact. We just smiled at him and didn’t respond to his outburst. I noticed a group of 4 ladies playing together did the same thing, as they wanted to play as a group. If we were in error, we surely want to be corrected, and play by the rules, but I never remember in pickleball class this particular issue ever being brought up. Was hoping someone from the pickleball community could chime in whether what we did is permissible or not. Thank you for your replies.

It begs the question that if the person complaining was in a group of 3 in front of you and you were all rank beginners and lousy players, would he still want one of you to join his three? Probably not!

[dewilson58]

Originally Posted by Michael 61

, the people I meet there are some of the nicest and kindest people here in The Villages. Retirement is the best!

TV is a great melting pot.

From all over the USA (maybe more), all backgrounds, all income levels, coming together.

[bowlingal]

In the future, go to the rec center manager and bring him/her out to speak with the person. You were waiting in line anyway, so you had the time to go.

[ThirdOfFive]

Originally Posted by banjobob

Probably this guy was a New Yorker lol

Heh. The common stereotype.

We play a lot of tennis. Primarily mixed doubles, tennis socials, things like that. Most of the social involves changing partners after every set (play to four, not six) or rotating players in and out after every game if there is an odd number of players, and we never really know who is going to show up. Quite a lot of Noo Yawkers do show up. They can be loud and brash, but also good-natured and fun. You're never a stranger with them. After 5 minutes playing with them (or against them) it is like you've known them for years.

Maybe the pickleball crowd is different.

[Justputt]

I've watched videos for everything from etiquette to technique, strategy, etc. for pickleball, but the things that stand out from posts here, etc. are it seems like too many Type A personalities, playing to 11 seems like it would be much quicker than the time in line waiting to play, etc. I understand there are Rec Centers that are unofficially for beginners, mid and advanced level players, but as someone thinking about starting out, it all seems a bit stressful to be fun.

[roob1]

Don't assume everyone from NY State is from the "city". ("Noo Yawker's"). Western NY is far different from NYC, as is NY state north of Albany.

Originally Posted by ThirdOfFive

Heh. The common stereotype.

We play a lot of tennis. Primarily mixed doubles, tennis socials, things like that. Most of the social involves changing partners after every set (play to four, not six) or rotating players in and out after every game if there is an odd number of players, and we never really know who is going to show up. Quite a lot of Noo Yawkers do show up. They can be loud and brash, but also good-natured and fun. You're never a stranger with them. After 5 minutes playing with them (or against them) it is like you've known them for years.

Maybe the pickleball crowd is different.

[ThirdOfFive]

Originally Posted by roob1

Don't assume everyone from NY State is from the "city". ("Noo Yawker's"). Western NY is far different from NYC, as is NY state north of Albany.

Yeah, noticed that.

My wife and I play a lot of golf with strangers. Prefer it actually as we get to meet a lot of non - fulltime TV'ers here for a couple of weeks, a month, or whatever. Conversation during the round often centers on where we come from. I noticed that New Yorkers NOT from NY City invariably say that they come from UPSTATE New York. Are they merely reacting to the stereotype (as in "if I say New Yorker without qualifying by saying "upstate" these strangers might assume the worst about me?), or do they really see themselves as that fundamentally different from the folks who actually hail from the Big Apple?

[LonnyP]

I think you were spot on, the guy yelling is just an entitled jerk.