What is Prime Time?

For the outdoor season, it is: 

• Mon-Sun 8am-12pm

• Mon-Fri 6pm-10pm

For the indoor season, all the playing times we have are considered prime time.

There's empty spots, can the admins change the schedule the night before to open up for more players?

I'm afraid not.  These events are on a recurring schedule and we would be constantly making changes and then putting it back.  Since we are volunteers running this, it's not viable to ask them to be glued to their computers to make changes on a regular basis.

Booking Restrictions / Quotas

How often can I play? / What are the booking restrictions?

You can now find the number of advanced bookings you are allowed in CourtReserve.

On a web browser, hover over your name and click My Membership.  Go to the FEATURES tab.

On mobile, tap the triple dot in the lower right corner, tap My Membership, tap FEATURES.

Starting 48 hours prior to a session, the restrictions are lifted and you can book unlimited sessions this way.

The week in CourtReserve is from Monday to Sunday; therefore, your advanced booking restrictions reset each Monday.

Example 1:

You have two remaining advanced Prime Time bookings available to you.

You book to play today (Monday) 8am which is Prime Time.  You now have one advanced Prime Time booking left.

You play the Monday 8am session and wish to stay for the 10am session which is also Prime Time.  If you book it, you are out of advanced Prime Time bookings.  You can still book more Prime Time sessions this week, however you can only do so within 48 hours of their start times.

Example 2:

You have two remaining advanced Prime Time bookings available to you.

You book Friday 6pm which is Prime Time.  You now have one Prime Time booking left.

You book to play today (Monday) 8am which is Prime Time.  You now have zero advanced Prime Time bookings left.

You play the Monday 8am session and wish to stay for the 10am session which is also Prime Time.  If there is room, you can book it even though you are out of advanced Prime Time bookings because it is within 48 hours of the start time.  Your Friday 6pm will be maintained since you booked it in advance.  You can still book more prime time sessions this week, however you can only do so within 48 hours of their start times.

Is there somewhere in CourtReserve that tells me how many Prime Time spots I've used?

While it doesn't directly tell you, you can easily find out on the app or web by going to Events -> My Events.  There are two tabs there "UPCOMING" and "PAST".  You can count it up. Also check under Events -> My Waitlisted Events.  Waitlisted events count toward your prime time spots as well.

What if I don't show up to a prime time event and I don't cancel?

It counts towards your weekly booking quota.  If you're not going to show up, make sure you cancel.

If I'm on the waitlist for a prime time event, does that count towards my quota?

Yes, CourtReserve sees that as a booking.  If the event passes and you were not added to the event playing list, it will be removed from counting against your quota.

Booking Playing Time

I don't see a session, I see RESERVE - Why do sessions drop out and change to RESERVE?

We want to try to fill the courts.  This effectively allows you to book a BYOG (Bring Your Own Group) by booking the court with you and 3+ others. 

When do sessions change to RESERVE?

We have set CourtReserve to drop certain sessions if they have less than 4 signups within 24 hours of the start time.  Once they drop, they will show as RESERVE.

We do not control when the session actually drops.  Sometimes it takes 30 to 45 minutes before it shows up as RESERVE.  This is an automated process based on the internal system time of court reserve, it's entirely out of our control. 

Can I get one of the CourtReserve Admins to book for me?

Sorry no, again - we are all volunteers, and aren't able to commit to handling bookings for members. 

When can I book?

Most events open for booking 7 days in advance beginning at 7:00am.

Most events allow you to sign up right until the end.  Once the event has passed, there is no way for you to retro-actively sign up.

Can I get the people on the level play waitlist to go to the BYOG side?

Yes you can certainly message the waitlisted players to book on the BYOG side.  You can either book as Open or BYOG.

NOTE: Once you have booked a playing spot on the Open/BYOG side, you need to remove yourself from the waitlist on the level play side.

Can I book BYOG while on the waitlist for level play?

No.  Once you have booked playing time for BYOG, you need to remove yourself from the level play waitlist at the same time.  This is the only equitable way to handle playing time.  This is because there is a chance that you make it from the waitlist to the playing list and now you are occupying 2 spots at the same time.

Can I book multiple events at the same time? 

If you are booked for multiple events at the same time and it is brought to the attention of the CourtReserve admin, the admin will typically do the following:

• Reach out to you to correct the error yourself.  

• If you don't respond quickly, the admin will make a choice for you

The following criteria will be used as it will typically be the case:

• You are registered for BYOG and level play at the same time.  The admin will see that you have a group to play with on BYOG and will likely remove you from level play, especially if there are members on the waitlist for level play.  This is the most fair way to do it as it allows the most members the opportunity to play

• If you don't like the admin's choice and wish to play level play, you need to remove your name from BYOG and add your name back to level play (whether it is waitlist or not)

Can I book for my friend who is a member?

Only if you have their CourtReserve login information

Waitlist

I have reached my maximum advanced bookings and am first in line on the waitlist for another.  The event I am waitlisted for is not within 48 hours of the start time.  If someone leaves this event, will I be registered?

The software seems to scan through and find the next person on the waitlist who has not reached their advanced booking limit.

Canceling or Withdrawing

What is the cancellation policy?

Currently, you can cancel up to one hour prior to an event but we ask that you cancel at least 2 hours in advance to give others the opportunity to take your spot and play

When can I cancel or withdraw?

Typically, you can withdraw from an event up to 1 hour before the event starts.  Be courteous and withdraw as soon as you know you can't make it to give others a chance to use the spot.  We may change this to 2 hours or more if we find people are not giving enough notice to allow others to play.

What happens if an event is cancelled due to weather?

The court reserve admins will try to cancel the event from the admin side, which will ensure that you receive an email about it and it doesn't use one of your prime time bookings - however, this cannot be guaranteed and it would be in your best interest to withdraw yourself if possible. 

Facilitators

What is a facilitator and why do I need one?

A facilitator is responsible for opening and closing the courts and making sure that play is fair and equitable. Some other clubs call the facilitator the "Court Host".  Sometimes they come with a playing plan to mix things up such as round robin, challenge courts, rally scoring.

What if I've signed up but there's no facilitator?

Since a facilitator is required to run a session, PLEASE reach out on the Session Coordination Whatsapp chat (fastest method) or email info@pickleballhamilton.com (slowest method) to ask for one!  We have a great group of volunteers that will step up if they can. You can also volunteer to be a facilitator to ensure that the session will run!

What happens if we can't get a facilitator?

The courts will not be open without a facilitator.  In this case, you might consider becoming one.

How do I become a facilitator?

Please read the duties of the facilitator, in the event page add a comment saying that you will be facilitating the event. 

BYOG (Bring Your Own Group)

What are the rules for BYOG?

For sessions with "Owners" and "Players"

The Owner must have a minimum of 3 other players ready to sign up BEFORE signing up for an Owner spot.

Within 24 hours of the Owner signing up, the 3 other players must sign up in the Players spots and reference you as the owner.

Failure to do so may result in your entire BYOG being canceled.

For RESERVE spots

When you try to reserve the court, the restrictions will be applied based on the time and day.

For PrimeTime,  you are required to have 4 players.  For Non-PrimeTime, you may book the court for yourself or yourself and others.

I get an error message "BYOG Group Members is required"

You need to tap the empty space below BYOG Group Members to bring up your keyboard. 

CourtReserve says I need to be a part of a BYOG Group

For BYOG sessions, you are expected to type in your 3 other playing partners.  The field is mandatory and needs to be filled in before you can reserve your playing spot.

My CourtReserve App isn't working

Please make sure your mobile app is up to date and log in using the same email address you used to sign up with Pickleball Hamilton

I forgot my username or password

Your username is the email address you used to sign up for Pickleball Hamilton.

To reset your password, you will need to use your computer's web browser.  

Go to CourtReserve and enter your email address and click Submit.  

Check your email and use the link provided to change your password.

I get a blank screen when I open the CourtReserve app

Please update the app on your phone and it should fix the issue.

It was caused by an update in settings by Google in the Android OS which affected CourtReserve and many other software packages.

Can I filter the events to see level play for me?

Yes.  Click Events -> List, then type in your level in the filter box.  To see how, click here.

I just joined Pickleball Hamilton. Now what?

Now it's time to play! You will also receive an email from CourtReserve shortly to set up your profile to be able to book your sessions. Sign up for a session and come on out!  Check out our Booking Play page to see how.

I don't have balls or a paddle. Do I need to get any?

Yes, you should get your own since we do not supply paddles or balls. We have a few spare paddles available for guests during the summer season. Please make sure they are put back after use.  

Playing Format

When can we play at Hill Park?

For our courts at Hill Park, our licensing agreement states we are only allowed to play between 8:00am and 10:00pm.

Please respect these times.

What does a typical session look like?

We require a facilitator in order to run a session. For summer, they'll unlock the gate to let members in. Members can play for the full 1 hr 50 mins of the session. Summer is usually a cap of 16 for 3 courts. Sessions end at 10 to the hour to allow transition time before the next session.

For Level and Open Play :   The designated facilitator for the session will run the session usually using an application that mixes members. 

What ball do I use?

The Club currently generally uses Onix fuse for indoor play and the Franklin X40 for Outdoor play.

You may of course purchase whatever ball you are comfortable with.  Just choose the Indoor or Outdoor type depending on your playing location.

Anything else I need to know about sessions?

For Hill Park, the six new courts (7-12) only has a few chairs, so please bring a chair if you want make sure you have a place to sit. 

We have bins at Hill Park in the court 7-12 area that contains our AED and First-Aid Kits. It also contains extra water, paddles.  Our lost and found bin can be found on the old court side.

We have rented portable toilets which are located outside of our courts.

Please bring plenty of water as the Recreational Centre may not be open for you to refill.

Other Member FAQ's

What is the best way to stay informed of club news and upcoming events?

We will send out email blasts to our members as well as post on our WhatsApp group. We'll also do our best to update upcoming events on our website. And of course, word of mouth at the courts spreads the message the best!

How else can I be involved?

In terms of more play, we have interclub events, special pickleball/social events and more! We will send communications out to keep our members informed of upcoming events!

I'd like to volunteer. What is there to do?

We'd love your help! We have committees that you can join, you can volunteer to help out by being a facilitator, the list goes on...There are countless tasks and I'm sure that we can find a perfect fit for your skills and preferences! Please approach a board member or fill out the form on the Volunteers page. We are a volunteer-run organization so the club cannot run without volunteers like you!