Belvedere Tennis Club

TENNIS ETIQUETTE GUIDELINES

Court Etiquette

• Players shall wear proper tennis attire at all times, including shirts and non-marking tennis shoes.

• Members and guests must observe the rules of tennis etiquette whether on or off the court. Do not interfere with the progress of a game by conversation, noise, or any other activity that would distract players. Please silence your cell phone on or around the courts.

• No food or open container drinks on the courts.

• Only tennis may be played on the tennis courts, with the exception of basketball on the mini-

  court.

• The highest type of sportsmanship is expected from every player

• If you do not have an umpire, then you must call all balls as if you were a lineman, except that

  any doubt must be resolved in favor of your opponent.

• It is your obligation to help your opponent make a call when your help is requested.

• Do not enlist the aid of a spectator in making calls

• It is the server’s responsibility to call the score before the each point.

• Calls of “out” or “let” must be made immediately. A delay in making the call implies that the ball

  was not seen clearly, and it is therefore “good”.

• In doubles, if one partner calls the ball “out” and the other partner calls it “good” then the ball

  was not seen clearly and is therefore “good”.

• When the first serve is obviously out, it is discourteous to return it across the net.

• Never try to take advantage of your opponent by serving before he/she is ready. Your opponent

  may ask for a “let” if you quick-serve him/her. However, if he/she either hits the ball or tries to

  hit it, he/she cannot claim that he/she was not ready.

• You must volunteer honestly against yourself such violations such as double-bounce, ball

  touching your body or clothing, touching the net or reaching over the net.

• In doubles, there should be no conversation during the course of play other than brief

  instructions to your partner, such as “mine,” “out,” “run,” or “bounce it.”

• BTC specifically prohibits loud, abusive, or profane language, racket throwing or slamming of

  balls.

TEAM GUIDELINES

1) Player Guidelines:

First and foremost, league play should be fun for all who participate. Our primary objective in forming league teams is to give BTC members the opportunity to participate in a competitive experience, which provides a strong incentive to improve skill levels while fostering team spirit and camaraderie. The highest type of sportsmanship is expected from every player.

Players should align on the following team values and expectations:

• Communication and Flexibility – Let your Captains know early if you have specific preferences or priorities. Best efforts should be made to accommodate players’ requests and integrate feedback, but in the event that your request cannot be accommodated, please understand that making decisions as a team captain is a dynamic and fluid process based on many variables. Players entrust the captains to make these decisions with the resources and time constraints presented to them. As a result, players should be flexible when asked to play in situations that may not be their preferred choice.

• Participation and reliability – We encourage you to attend as many practices and coaching sessions as you can. When you are scheduled in a lineup, we expect you to show up in a timely manner, and if unexpected conflicts arise, to give as much notice as possible.

• Exemplary behavior at matches – We expect our team to uphold BTC’s Code of Conduct at matches and to win and lose gracefully under all circumstances.

• Positive attitude, mutual support, and a sense of humor - On the court, we expect every team member to contribute to a positive atmosphere for teammates. Each of you will have good and bad days, great wins and hard losses. Help keep others up when they are down and they will do the same for you. What is most important is how you play, not whether you win.

  Captains are responsible for providing the teams with lineups in advance of each match. The lineups are solely determined at the discretion of the Captain(s) and are based on a variety of factors, namely the team objective, availability, and experience. Please understand that the lineup is generally formed to reflect a strategy for team victory, but there are no USTA or club rules that mandate that players are positioned in order of strength. Players in line 1 singles and line 1 doubles are not necessarily stronger than players in lines 2 and 3. The lineup should be created in the best interests of the team and not cater to an individual’s rating.

  When complaints and concerns cannot be resolved through thoughtful and productive communication with the Captains, a Grievance Policy and Procedure will be set in motion. A player can file a grievance, which will be directed to the Tennis Director and Tennis Committee for review. Any person submitting a grievance will be required to attend a Tennis Committee meeting to discuss his/her complaints and concerns. Please remember that tennis is fun and fosters friendships both on and off the court. Players should look to support each other and the game of tennis! In short, be ready, be available, be easy/helpful and make the most of the opportunity when you get to play.

2) Non-Member Guidelines:

Non-members can be recruited to play for BTC USTA/League teams if a team is at risk of defaulting matches with its number of available BTC members.

• Non-members shall be subject to all BTC rules, policies and by-laws regarding, but not limited to, team regulations, competition, and appropriate level of play.

• Non-member Team Participation Fee is $50 to be paid to BTC at the beginning of the season. Captains have discretion, with the Tennis Committee’s approval, to waive this fee. Non- members will be subject to any coaching fees.

• Non-members are invited to play for one season. Following the season, the non-member must be active on the Club’s membership waitlist or have become a BTC member. Non-members may play on a team for an additional season(s) with the approval of the Tennis Committee.

• Non-members invited to play on the team will be treated in the same manner as any other team member. Frequency of play will be determined by the Captain’s team objectives.

  3) The USTA NORCAL RULES FAQ FOR CAPTAINS AND PLAYERS and the 2019 USTA LEAGUE REGULATIONS (click on links)

  Please review the Norcal FAQ for Captains and Players and the general 2019 USTA league regulations.

  4) 2019 BTC USTA Adult Season Captain Guidelines

  Thank you to all our Captain volunteers. We realize that serving as Captain does take a considerable amount of time and energy and can be an underappreciated job. We are grateful for your commitment.

  The three most important player concerns are:

• Effective and timely Communication from the Captain

  This means notifying your players well in advance of team practices/round robins and also of the lineups for upcoming matches. Most people have busy lives with work and family obligations and need to know whether or not they are playing so they can arrange their schedules.

  We realize that sometimes this can be the fault of the player for not communicating their availability. However, if they have communicated their availability, players should be given at least five days notice. So, for a weekend match, players should be notified by Monday prior to that weekend they are playing. Some captains even put out two line-ups in advance.

  Always confirm with the opposing team's captain a minimum of three days before the scheduled match. Every year, there seems to be a problem where dates and times are confused between the home team and the away team.

• Team Practices, Round Robins and Clinics

  Team members want practices and round robins so they can feel included as a team member and meet other players. Captains are encouraged to hold some practices and/or round robins. We will do everything possible to arrange for courts at a time that will work.

• Playing Time

This is always the most difficult and sensitive situation. Your first priority as a captain is to establish what the goals are for the team. Do you want to go to playoffs and beyond? Do you want to be competitive but ensure a minimum amount of match opportunities for players? Or do you want to be a social team and have everyone play as much as possible?

For competitive teams, it becomes very difficult to play everyone an equal number of times. This is where “Honesty is the Best Policy” comes in, particularly if your team agrees to finish as strong as possible. It is your duty as a Captain to inform players if you do not think they will play that much. We do encourage you to play all players at least twice, but it is not required. We realize that situations do occur that force your hand.

One of the most effective ways to deal with this situation is to study the teams in your division to know which teams are the strongest and weakest. Once you have more information, you can plan ahead and play your stronger players in the more competitive matches and allow your developing players to play in the easier matches.

5) Teaching Pros Captaining Teams

In the case that BTC has enough members and non-members to field a team, but NO player will captain the team, a teaching pro can be designated as Captain at a fee to be determined by the Tennis Director and Tennis Committee.

NON-MEMBER AND TENNIS GUEST POLICY

Non-member Policy in USTA/League Teams

Non-members can be recruited to play for BTC USTA/League teams if a team is at risk of defaulting matches with its number of available BTC members.

• Non-members shall be subject to all BTC rules, policies and by-laws regarding, but not limited to, team regulations, competition, and appropriate level of play.

• Non-member Team Participation Fee is $50 to be paid to BTC at the beginning of the season. Captains have discretion, with the Tennis Committee’s approval, to waive this fee. Non- members will be subject to any coaching fees.

• Non-members are invited to play for one season. Following the season, the non-member must be active on the Club’s membership waitlist or have become a BTC member. Non-members may play on a team for an additional season(s) with the approval of the Tennis Committee.

• Non-members invited to play on the team will be treated in the same manner as any other team member. Frequency of play will be determined by the Captain’s team objectives.

  Non-member Participation in Clinics/Lessons

  Members have priority sign-up in lessons and clinics by a date determined by the Tennis Director prior to the start of a Session. Private lesson scheduling follows the same time period as group lessons and clinics. Prior to the end of each Session, members will be asked if they intend to continue with their private or group lesson or clinic for the next session.

• Members have priority to schedule a standing private lesson and clinic.

• Members, including Junior Members, have priority over non-members.

• Once a non-member has booked a private lesson or clinic, a member cannot take the non-

  member’s spot. A member can be placed on a wait list to replace the non-member once the session is completed.

  Tennis Guest Policy

  A Member may invite up to three guests to play at a time. Members are responsible for registering their guests and are subject to paying the current guest fee. The same guest may not be brought to the Club more than two times per month.

  A tennis guest who is a participant in a social or flex league such as Play Tennis Marin (PTM) is not subject to guest fee as long as match play is between the hours of 11:00am – 3:00pm.