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Court Rules - Updated Rules as of January 1st, 2024

Court Access

 

  • Courts are available on a first-come, first-served basis. There are no advance bookings or court reservations allowed. All bookings must be made directly at the club.

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  • Court hours will be updated on the markhamtennisclub.ca website. Court Reserve will be kept updated for programming and drop-in court usage.

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  • Court time is limited to 1 hour for singles and 1.5 hours for doubles. Members may continue play after their assigned time if courts are available but must vacate the court immediately if others are waiting to play.

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  • All spectators must remain in the patio area. An exception to this is parents of children taking private or semi-private lessons. In this case, parents may sit in the chairs to the side of the court.

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  • Guests may play by paying the guest fee ($10) and signing a guest waiver. The same guest is only permitted to play 4 times during the season.

 

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Ball Machine, Hopper Use, Balls

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  • Players may use a maximum of 6 tennis balls on the court. Baskets of balls are not permitted.

  • Exception applies to the club coaching staff running lessons, clinics, etc.

 

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General Expectations

 

  • Courts will not be assigned until a minimum of 2 players are present to play on that court. During busy hours (Monday to Friday, 7-11 pm), a single player will only be assigned a court if there is an empty court available but must vacate immediately if the court is needed for players with partners.

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  • The designated Adult Priority hours are from 7 to 11 pm, Monday to Friday. During this period, junior players under 16 (without an adult) are not permitted to reserve a court if adults are waiting. Juniors may play if there is a court available but must vacate immediately if required for Adult members waiting to play.

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  • To be assigned a court, members must register with the monitor on duty.

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  • Any member caught playing on court with a non-member without paying the guest fee or sharing the gate access code with non-members will have their membership revoked without a refund.

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  • Members are expected to comply with the Club’s Code of Conduct.

Code of Conduct

The following rules of etiquette are mostly common courtesy and should be followed whether you’re playing tennis at the country club or at public courts. Most of us know the right thing to do; we just need a gentle reminder now and then.

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Show respect and courtesy

To your opponent(s), your partner, and others on or near the courts. Keep your voice down and confined to your court as much as possible so as not to disrupt players on adjacent courts. If you get into a loud dispute with your opponent, take it off the court and away from other players.

 

Do not walk onto another court during a game

Wait for the players to finish the game, or minimally the point, before walking onto their court. It is very distracting to have someone disrupt a game in progress, so if you must cross another court, do so after the game is finished and go around the court, not through the middle.

 

Do not retrieve your ball from the other court

As with the above, it is common courtesy not to disrupt players on the court during a match. If your ball rolls onto an adjacent court, wait for them to finish the game and kindly ask for “ a little help” to get their attention. Under no circumstances should you run over onto their court in the middle of a game to retrieve the ball yourself.

 

Always wear proper tennis shoes

This isn’t because of the country club dress attire; it’s because black-soled shoes leave marks on the courts that are difficult to get off. Make sure you wear tennis shoes on the courts. The proper shoes also give your feet the needed lateral support when running down balls and making abrupt changes in direction.

 

Use the tennis courts for tennis

A great deal of money goes into maintaining tennis courts, and it is not for BMX racing with bicycles or roller hockey and rollerblading or dog walking. These other activities can damage the court surface, leaving it unplayable for tennis players, and can result in a large expenditure for repairs.

 

Close the gate behind you

Whether you’re coming onto the courts or leaving, it is common courtesy to close the gate behind you. This will keep the balls inside the confines of the gate,
  and they won’t roll outside. Please use the closest entrance to the court in use.
 

Pick up after yourself

Don’t leave empty soda cans or old tennis balls out on the court when you leave. Dispose of any garbage
you have in trash containers on or near the court – if there aren’t any, take it with you.

 

General Expectations

 

  • Courts will not be assigned until 2 players are present to play on that court. A single player will only be assigned a court if an empty court is available.

  • During busy hours (Monday to Friday, 7-11 pm), players must have another player to play with unless the courts are empty.

  • To be assigned a court, members must register with the monitor on duty.

  • Any member caught playing on the court with a nonmember or sharing the gate access code with non-members will have their membership revoked without a refund.

  • Members are expected to comply with the Club’s Code of Conduct.
     

 

Monitor children on the courts at all times

Everyone who plays tennis wants to encourage kids to play the game as well, but the kids must also follow these rules. Since kids can tend to get distracted, it’s up
 to the adults with them to assist. Stray balls, running around, and yelling are actions that need to be managed.
 

Have fun!

The entire objective of playing tennis, aside from being good aerobic exercise, is to have fun. You can follow these rules of etiquette and still have a good time on the courts - the players on adjacent courts will appreciate it.

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