Our singles ladder is an excellent opportunity to improve your game and expand your social network within the club. Players will be matched with other players of similar skill levels. Ladder participants must be Tyandaga Tennis Club members. The ladder program is gender neutral…both men and women are encouraged to join and you will be ranked according to skill level.
Joining The Ladder
You can join the Ladder at any time, but new entrants will only begin play at the beginning of the following month, so be sure to sign up before the end of the previous month to ensure that you will be included. If you join after the new Ladder Boxes are published (on the 1st of June, July, August, and September), you will have to wait until the next month to begin play. When you do begin play, you will be placed on the Ladder in a box with other players of similar skill level. You will not be placed at the bottom of the Ladder. The point of a Tennis Ladder is to give everyone competitive matches and placing new players according to playing level will ensure this.
Note: If you join the Ladder after June 1st and do not begin Ladder play until July 1st, you will be unable to win the Ladder (either Most Points or Top of the Ladder), regardless of your standing at the end of the season.
Ladder Season Duration: May through September
New Ladder “Boxes” Published Monthly
New ladders are published on the first day of each month (early to mid May, June 1, July 1, August 1, September 1). Be sure to sign up before the end of the month to be included in next month’s ladder. For example, to be included in the June ladder, you must sign up no later than May 30th.
Booking A Match
After registering, you will be placed in a box with other players of similar skill. To arrange a match, you can call anyone in your current box. A list of all box participants will be sent out via email. All boxes will also appear in the clubhouse bulletin board. Be sure to arrange a time to play when there are no conflicting club programs (i.e. league play, junior programs).
Anyone can call anyone else that is in your current Box, to arrange a match. A list of all Boxes will be made available to all participants via e-mail. All boxes will also appear on the board, in the clubhouse. You will use the information contained in the boxes to contact each player to arrange matches. Once you have arranged a match be sure to book a court.
Playing Matches
All Ladder matches are to be played at the Tyandaga Tennis Club, during Club hours. If a match has been set up and a player does not show up or cancels within 24 hours before the match was to have taken place, the offending player loses by Default. The player who defaults is awarded ZERO points. The “Winner” of the match is awarded 8 points.
The players are responsible for bringing at least three tennis balls to the match. Additionally, both players must supply their own tennis equipment (racquet, tennis shoes, water, etc.). If inclement weather does not permit a match to be played, you need to play the rescheduled and re-book the match at your convenience.
Record Your Score: The winner of each match is responsible for recording the final score of games on the board at the clubhouse.
Rules
- Anyone can call anyone else that is in your current Box, to arrange a match.
- Once you have arranged a match with someone, make sure to book a court in a period where there are no club events (e.g. drop-ins, men’s doubles league, etc.
- If a match has been set up and a player does not show up or cancels within 24 hours before the match was to have taken place, the offending player loses by Default. The player who defaults is awarded ZERO points. The “Winner” of the match is awarded 8 points.
- You can warm up for 5-8 minutes per match before starting the game.
- Players will spin a racquet or flip a coin to determine the initial serve or side of the court.
- You are only to play each person in your box once.
Scoring
- BEST TWO OUT OF THREE SETS –All challenge matches must be played in the best two out of three sets format with a seven-point tiebreaker played if any set is tied at 6-6.
- The third set will always be a seven-point tiebreaker.
- After the match, the winner is responsible for recording the final game score at the board in the clubhouse. Bonus points are calculated by the Singles Ladder Director, at the end of the month. The match score gets recorded directly onto the scoresheet posted on the Ladder board in the clubhouse.
Movement on the Ladder
At the end of each month, the Ladder will be adjusted by the Singles Ladder Director. The 2 top point getters in each level will go UP to the next highest level. The 2 low point getters in each box will go DOWN to the next lowest level. The players who finish in the middle 3 will stay in their level. The exceptions will be the top 2 players in the highest level. They will stay in that highest level. Also, the bottom 2 players in the lowest level will stay in that lowest level.
Remember that the point of the Tennis Ladder is to play competitively against people are of your own playing level. It is not about winning trophies (and in this case there are none). It is about fun, competition & meeting new people of similar playing level.
Point totals, as of the end of the previous month, will be posted on the Ladder whiteboard so you can keep an eye on where your competitors are ranked!
Year End Winners
There are 2 ways to win the Ladder:
1. Be the player who is at the top of the Ladder at the end of the season.
2. Be the player who has accumulated the most total points on the Ladder, at the end of the season.
Tennis Etiquette
All players are expected to maintain a courteous and respectful behavior before, during, and after the matches. That includes good sense in calling the shots (in or out) and keeping score of the game.
Try to play with the mindset of “improving my game” instead of only “wining the match”. Remember that all players are equal members of the Tyandaga Tennis Club, and as such, share the same spaces and events as you. Therefore, keeping a positive attitude is essential to keep our club an excellent place to make friends and practice tennis.