The Goal:

To provide a competitive doubles league for women in Palm Beach County - Jupiter to Wellington.

Seasons:

There are four seasons offered each year.  Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer

Each season lasts 8 - 10 weeks.

Levels and Days of Play:

There will be 3 levels of play for ladies:

Queen I : 4.0 - 4.5

Queen II : 3.5 - 4.0

Queen III : 3.0 -3.5

Palm Tennis reserves the right to move teams into competitive Divisions based on past performance.

All matches are played on Fridays.

 

 Summer Days and Levels of Play:

• Queen I: 4.0- 4.5 plays on Wednesdays.
• Queen II: 3.5 plays on Wednesdays
• Queen III:  3.0 plays on Tuesdays

 

The Format:

Matches will be played in the mornings.  Palm Tennis offers flexible start times of 9:30, 10, 10:30 or 11 a.m. depending on the club requirements.  The start times will be noted on the schedule.  The latest start time a club may have is 11 a.m.  A club that requires a later start time of 11am is welcome to join the league but will be required to play at their opponents' club, if the opponents can provide courts at an earlier start time.

Matches should start promptly.  If a player is more than 15 minutes late, the team must forfeit that position. When teams are lacking players and must default positions, they must begin by defaulting the lowest positions and moving remaining players up.

Each team will field 3 partnerships on match day.

Home team will provide 3 courts and 3 cans of balls.  Each player is asked to provide her own beverage/water.

All matches will be 2 out of 3 sets with a 7 point tiebreaker (first to 7 points by 2) in any set at 6-6.  A third set may be played in lieu of a match tie-breaker (first to 10 points by 2) if all 4 players agree. 

 

Warm-up is limited to 10 minutes, including practice serves.  A 10-minute break may be taken after the second set.  Otherwise, play must be continuous throughout the match as specified in USTA Rules.

 

Teams:

Team rosters should have a minimum of 6 players.  Rosters are unlimited.

 Final determination of level placement will be made by the League Directors and in consultation with the Tennis Professional and Captain.

Team movement from one division to another will be based on the most recent team history as well as on the addition of new players and the loss of other players.  The goal is to match teams with comparable abilities within the same divisions. 

Players listed on A1, County Open, Palm One or Division 1 teams may participate at the Queen I level.  If a player is over 70 years of age and listed on any of the aforementioned Divisions, she may play in Queen II.

Players that are on the roster of a team that drops out of the league after the schedule has been published will not be permitted to play on any other team for the remainder of the season.   Extenuating circumstances will be considered.

A division consists of a minimum of four teams.

• Participation in any Palm Tennis activities is governed by our Liability Waiver

 

 

Substitutes:

A player may sub up to a higher division but not down. A player subbing down will not be awarded any points for games/ matches won.

All players and substitutes must be added to the roster prior to participating in a match.  When an ineligible player is found to have participated in a match, the offending team will be penalized by forfeiting all points from the point of the infraction down.

Scoring:

One point will be awarded for every line/court won for a total of 3 points per match. All teams should play according to strength from top down i.e., Position 1 = strongest, etc.

Home Captains are required to enter the scores online at www.palmtennis.com. Results and standings are published at www.palmtennis.com.

 Spectators:

• Spectators are welcome and may sit and view matches in the wells between the courts. All spectators must be seated. Seats must be provided for all players. Players may ask for a spectator/s to be removed if they are interfering with match play. No clapping or cheering please.

Defaults:

• If a team has excessive defaults, the team may be suspended for the next season. Excessive defaults are when a team defaults all positions for a given match or averaging more than one default per match.

 

Final Match and Play-offs:

 

A player who is added to the roster for the final match must have the league director's approval.

Play-offs may be held at the end of the season depending on the number of teams participating and the length of the season.  No new players may be added to a roster during the play-off period.

Coaching:

Coaching is permitted during the breaks between sets.

Rescheduled Matches and Inclement Weather:

In the event of rain, the captains and players should make arrangements to complete the match within two weeks.  If the match has not begun, the lineups and/or players may be changed.  Once play has begun, then all four players on a court must continue THAT match in THAT position. Rained out matches will be continued at the point of interruption by the same four players.  All players should keep a complete record of the score, server, sequence of serve, side, etc. at the time of interruption. Each foursome will choose a day convenient to all four as long as it is within two weeks.  In the event that a foursome has given the other team at least 2 days to choose from in the specified time frame and the date still cannot be decided, both teams will be defaulted.  During the Summer and Fall, Mondays should be set aside as rain make-up days. 

If the temperature is above 95 degrees or below 45 degrees at the court at match time and both Captains agree, the match may be played.  Once a match has begun it must be completed except in the event of rain. If the match is not played due to the temperature, the captains and players should make arrangements to complete the match.

A match can only be rescheduled if it rains or there are extreme weather conditions (heat/cold/potential hurricane).

Rescheduled matches are to be made up within two weeks. Once a day for rescheduling has been set, it cannot be changed (unless it rains). The party that is unable to play on that day will retire that line.

If the Final match is rained out, it must be completed within one week.

 

Inclement Summer Weather:

• For the Summer season, a match will be removed only if every single team was rained out.. It is recommended that teams wait for an hour to see if the match can be played.
• If the temperature is above 95 degrees at the court at match time and both Captains agree, the match may be played.  Once a match has begun it must be completed except in the event of rain. If the match is not played due to the temperature, the captains and players should make arrangements to complete the match within two weeks.

Additional Information:

Palm Tennis rules govern play.  In cases not specifically covered by these rules, USTA Rules govern play.  Friend At Court and The Code.

Palm Tennis reserves the right to make any rule modifications and/or other changes during the course of the league whenever it deems such action necessary and proper.

Palm Tennis reserves the right to ban any player, coach, spectator, or participant from further participation for an indefinite time period due to any misconduct and/or unsportsmanlike conduct.

Pros/Captains are responsible for assuring that players are placed on teams appropriate for their level.

Players must be at least 18 years of age.  Current tennis teaching professionals and ranked players may not participate unless approved by the League Directors.

All grievances and protests are to be submitted in writing via email within 2 days of the contested match to:orly@palmtennis.com.

 

Awards:

 Awards will be given to the two teams in each division with the most team wins at the end of the season.

Palm Tennis Management Group LLC reserves the right to exclude any player from participating in any associated team or league.