The Serve
Serve underhand, crosscourt, past the kitchen line. The kitchen is the 7 foot zone by the net where you cannot volley.
Learn
New Here? Good.
Plenty of players walk into their first session never having held a paddle. This page is everything you need before your first visit: the gear, the rules, the levels, and the unwritten ones.
Already play at 3.5 or above? Skip ahead to how divisions get set, and tell us your rating and formats on the founding form.
Your First Visit
What to Bring
Pickleball is a paddle sport on a court about a third the size of a tennis court, with a perforated plastic ball and a net. Games are usually doubles, rallies are quick, and you can learn the basics in one visit.
- Shoes: court shoes or clean athletic shoes with non-marking soles. Running shoes work for a first visit; court shoes grip better once you are hooked.
- Paddle: bring one if you own one. If you do not, do not buy one yet.
- Water bottle
- Comfortable clothes you can move in
- Nothing else. No membership card, no experience, no partner required for open play.
First visits, beginner sessions, and loaner gear details are announced with the opening schedule. Join the list and you will know first.
How It Works
Your First Rally
The Two Bounce Rule
The ball bounces once on each side before anyone can volley. After that, anything goes.
The Rally
Most points end up as soft shots at the net, called dinks, until someone pops one up. First side to 11, win by 2. That is genuinely most of it.
You will lose track of the score constantly at first. Everyone does. It is part of the game.
Skill Levels
What Level Am I?
Pickleball players rate themselves on a common scale from 2.0 up past 4.0. You do not need a number to start, but knowing roughly where you land gets you better games from day one. Open play and leagues are grouped by level, so be honest, it is more fun.
Brand New
Learning the rules and the serve. Rallies are short and that is fine.
Beginner
You can keep a short rally going and you mostly know the score.
Improver
Consistent serves and returns, starting to dink on purpose.
Intermediate
You place shots, you have a third shot drop some of the time, and you want real matches.
Advanced
Tournament regulars and league anchors. You know who you are.
Not sure? Say so on the founding form and we will point you at the right group when the schedule opens.
Playing 3.5 or above? The founding form also asks competitive players for a rating and the formats they want, including ladders, tournaments, and DUPR-rated play. Those answers shape the first divisions and skill-grouped sessions. Tell us on the founding form
Open Play
The Unwritten Rules
Open play is drop-in pickleball with rotating partners. It runs on a few habits everyone learns in the first week.
- Rotate in, rotate out. When a game ends, winners often split and new players come on.
- Call the score before every serve. It keeps games honest and helps you learn.
- Wait for a break in play before crossing behind a court.
- Return balls to the court they came from, with a friendly roll or toss.
- Play to your group's level. Hard shots at brand new players help no one.
- Welcome the new player. You were one recently, or will be soon.
Clinics and Coaching
Learn Faster, On Court
The club plans coached clinics and lessons for every level, from a true first session through advanced skills work. Small groups, real court time, and coaches who start where you are. The clinic calendar and the coaches are announced with the opening schedule.
- Beginner sessions for brand new players
- Skills clinics for improvers and intermediates
- Advanced and competitive sessions
- Members get first pick of clinic spots
Kids and Families
Bring the Whole Household
Pickleball is one of the few sports a ten year old and a seventy year old can genuinely play together, and families are welcome at the club. Junior programming is being planned now, and the founding form is where we are measuring interest. If you have kids who want to play, tell us, it directly shapes what we schedule.
Ready When We Are
Join the founding list and the opening date, the first clinics, and your invitation arrive in your inbox first.