Central Ohio Pickleball League
THURSDAY,
Survey Results | Changes for 2023 Season
PickleballZone conducted a survey in January of its existing players. It was clear that players enjoy the travel league concept! The big winner in the survey was that players wanted another higher skill level. They also wanted more opportunities to play in women-only, men-only, and age specific leagues. Other big interests were more team-oriented activities such as practices and drill sessions.
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New Level 3 Group - Click to report |
In the interest of moving forward slowly and steadily, there will be a new Level 3 league this summer. Level 3 will consist of players in the 4.0 and above skill level. As this change is made, the other levels will also include changes. Level 1 will now be 2.5 to 3.3 and Level 2 will be 3.4 to 3.9. This should increase the competitiveness at each level, especially since there are also court levels that further promote competitiveness. As always, players at a lower level can "play up" when needed, but they cannot "play down". Not all clubs will have a Level 3 group because they do not have the players to support it.
It was also clear that players want to get better and they welcomed the concept of drills and team practices. One PBZ goal of the league was to not only promote learning but also help clubs and pros make more money from pickleball.
There is a price change that will impact some players. The price that PBZ charges will be $25/player. Previously it had been $25/player, but $20/couple. Clubs and PBZ were having trouble keeping everything straight since married names are sometimes different, and long-term partners are not always known. PBZ also had higher expenses to cover. Note that many clubs include the above fee in their cost to participate fee. This fee may also include a clinic, shirt / blouse, etc.
Please contact your club representative to see how these changes may affect you and to learn more about the clinics / services that may be offered.
The league begins on June 4 and the playoffs will take place on August 6. Since the Memorial Golf Tournament greatly impacts The Country Club at Muirfield Village, it will be necessary to move their first match to another (possibly earlier) date.
MONDAY,
Kinsale and New Albany Are League Champions | "By Court" Tournament Rained Out
Congratulations to Kinsale, the Level-2 champions, and New Albany, the Level-1 champs. Kinsale beat New Albany-GW in the semi's to advance in the Level-2 finals against Wedgewood. New Albany defeated Upper Arlington Parks & Rec before meeting and beating Jefferson in the Level-1 finals. The third place finishers were TCC at Muirfield Village in Level-2 and Elysium-MS in Level-1. Click on Results | Information for all of the detailed info.
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Kinsale - Level-2 Champs - Click to enlarge |
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New Albany - Level-1 Champs - Click to enlarge |
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"By Court" Tournament - Click to enlarge |
Playoff weather conditions started out well, but they did not end well. The Level-1 playoffs started outdoors at Elysium Tennis for the semi-finals but action moved indoors for the finals as rained moved into central Ohio. At the Level-2 finals at Wedgewood, the score was tied at 13-13 on the deciding court when the rain arrived. After a robust squeegeeing effort, it rained again. (This is not the first time that this has ever happened.) When play resumed at Elysium, Wedgewood could have finished the match by winning two more points, but it was not to be. Kinsale won that game and the next to secure the championship.
Special thanks to Wedgewood for hosting the Level-2 playoffs and Elysium for hosting the Level-1 (and a portion of Level-2) playoffs.
The "By Court" Tournament to be held on August 14 got rained out just as play was set to begin. There were eight teams in the Level-1 bracket. The way in which this tournament was setup was that the Court 1 players in Level-1 would play against other Court 1 teams, etc. There were no rain drops in the official photo [see photo on right], but that quickly changed. The rain intensified just as players took the courts. After one rain delay, the tournament was called at 11:40 when conditions looked too wet to continue.
For those involved with high school tennis for more than a few years, a few may recognize Alexia Meyer [see action photo and 2015 State Qualifiers] (and her family) who played on the Kinsale team. Meyer played tennis for Olentangy Liberty (2016 grad) while her brother, Gabe, played lacrosse. Alexia went on and played college tennis for Missouri State. Alexia and Gabe won the deciding match against Kinsale.
Click for a photo of Alexia and Gabe Meyer. More action photos from the Level-2 playoffs will be posted soon.
MONDAY, AUGUST 1,
It's Time for the Playoffs!
Hopefully everyone has had fun (or at least gotten exercise) in the league this summer. While all teams got to participate in "the journey", only four teams from each Division get to arrive at the Final Destination. And yes, we are in the Final Countdown now.. And yes, you need to click that link because that's how this web site works.
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The Meticulously-Crafted PBZ Medals - Click to report |
The four teams in Level 2 Playoffs semifinals are:
The four teams in Level 1 Playoffs semifinals are:
While Upper Arlington Parks & Rec Coed Level-1 team had the same Match Winning % as TCC at Muirfield Village-KL Coed Level-1, UAPR beat TCCMV 2-1 in their only head-to-head match-up this season.
In Level-1 East, Jefferson Coed Level-1, Lakes Coed Level-1, and Brookside Coed Level-1 all had the same Match Winning %, but Jefferson beat the other two teams.
The champions and finalists will receive beautiful PickleballZone.com medals (made from mostly real metal). The colors used will allow these medals to be great accessories with almost any outfit that you wear.. The champions will also receive a banner to indicate their wonderfulness over the other teams and to further promote pickleball at their club / site.
The logistics associated with the playoffs are still underway. Today's entry will be updated with this information as it becomes available. Matches will be played back-to-back this Sunday, August 7.
There are also discussions underway about having a "By-Court" tournament on August 14th. More about this soon.
WEDNESDAY,
PickleballZone.com Summer Season at Halfway Point
The league takes a break this Sunday to allow our league pickleball players to beat-up on other family members in friendly July 4th pickleball contests.. This week also marks the halfway point of the season. [Pro-tip: Never share all of the rules with more athletic children who are new to pickleball until after beating them.]
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League Standings - Click to report |
It is also becoming clearer who the best teams are in each division. In the Level-2 League, Kinsale Coed leads the West Division while Wedgewood Coed stands alone at the top in the East Division. In Level-1, the West Division leader is The Country Club at Muirfield Village-KL Coed, while New Albany Coed is number 1 in the East Division.
For the playoffs, the top two teams in each division will face off. The semifinals and finals will take place in back-to-back matches so start your cardio training three weeks ago to be ready.. Players must compete in two regular season matches to be eligible to compete in the playoffs.
Finding the league standings was a little too difficult so a new report was created last week. Click to view the PBZ League Standings.
Have a great 4th!
SUNDAY,
The PBZ Adult Summer Pickleball Season is Underway
A number of videos have been created for OhioTennisZone.com (OTZ) over the years but this is the first for PickleballZone.com. New videos will be created as the need arises. Normally, the primary "need" is that new camera gear is wanted, and a video helps justify it..
PBZ Video - Click for video |
For a better viewing experience, please click on the little gear thingy and select 1080p60 HD. The screen can also be enlarged by clicking on the partially completed "square".
The recently remodeled basement was used as the studio area versus the environment used for previous OTZ videos. That means that there are there are no car, lawn mower, or A/C compressor noises. As an added bonus, it is cooler in the basement so there is one to two gallons less of profuse sweating.
Please let me know if there are any inaccuracies. There always are and viewers always do.
Click to view some of the OTZ videos where high school tennis players are recognized. Click for the Boys 2022 Season; Girls 2021 Season; and Boys 2021 Season.
SUNDAY,
Second PickleballZone Summer Season Plans Underway
The 2021 inaugural season went well and plans are underway for the second season. Some of the comments shared from last year included: It was hot. The league names were confusing. It was really, really (really) hot.
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Wedgewood Adv. Beg. Champs (Lv. 1) - To team page |
Last year, the start times were largely restricted to 1pm on Sunday. To provide teams and sites with more flexibility and to potentially dodge the hottest part of the day, each club may set their own start time as long as it is between 11am to 2pm on Sunday's. Clubs are asked to use the same times each week for their teams. The hope is that players on the lower level teams might also be able to "play up" when needed if the times are not the same throughout the league.
The Intermediate/Intermediate+ ("2") and Advanced Beginner ("1") division names have been retired and replaced with Level 2 and Level 1, respectively. Some referred to the divisions as "Intermediate" and "Advanced" and that was certainly confusing. There were also players who did not appreciate being called "beginners" because they were not "new" to pickleball. Skill-wise, these players were likely in the most appropriate group, but the name was not appreciated. Using Level 2 and Level 1 also makes it easier as more divisions are added as the league "fill outs" with new players and/or existing players improve their skill levels. The next most likely skill level to be added would be "3", which would be the most skilled players.
There will be some new sites joining in the fun this year. Jefferson, Scioto CC, Elysium, and Upper Arlington Parks and Recreation are likely to be in the league. Several clubs are also expected to add new teams, especially for those clubs which had just one team in a single skill level.
Inclement weather in Ohio? It happens, but please do not make other plans. The "default" course of action will be to go indoors at Olympic, Scarborough, and Elysium. This approach is being used because players have already agreed to play; it is difficult to find another time; and because it is hard to catch up during an already busy summer. Players will be responsible for paying the indoor fees.
There were concerns that players were not getting to play in as many matches as they would have liked. This issue is normally made more difficult with vacation schedules and when injuries occur. Teams are encouraged to offer "exhibition", Court 4 matches when courts are available and when players from both teams are willing to play. Club are also encouraged to have more team-related activities such as practices in which all players can participate.
There are going to be captains who emphasize "equal play" versus more of a "win mentality". This will especially be the case as the Levels increase. Players who are in the lower-end of the skill range for their team may be better off on a lower level team if they wish to play more. Lower level players can always "play up" when needed.
Any questions? Click Pickleball Feedback. Operators are standing by..
SUNDAY,
Wedgewood | Worthington Hills Clinch League Championships
It was another hot day for pickleball, but two teams prevailed to become the first pickleball champions of the PickleballZone Adult Coed Summer Pickleball League. Wedgewood beat the previously undefeated Lakes-KK team, 3-0, to win the Advanced Beginners League. In the Intermediate/+ League, Worthington Hills won in a tight match, 2-1, against New Albany. Click on Previous Day's Match Results to see the individual results and graphs.
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Worthington Hills Coed Intermediate/+ - Click to team page |
This wraps up the official season. Efforts are underway to identify the things that went particularly well and the things that could improve. Jot down a few ideas and share them via Pickleball Feedback. or via your captain or league representative.
PBZ is still in need of some team photos. It would be great if an enterprising player took high resolution photos of the Wedgewood and Kinsale-TJ teams to share online.
The nanosecond after the pickleball league ended, all PBZ efforts went immediately into OhioTennisZone.com. Click OhioTennisZone.com for coverage of Ohio High School Tennis on a statewide basis.
Interested in platform tennis this winter? Click on PlatformTennisZone.com to inquire about playing and/or participating in the Central Ohio Platform Tennis League. There will be three divisions this year - 3.5, 4.0, and Open.
WEDNESDAY,
Rain Out (Again) - Playoffs This Sunday
The surprise rain on Sunday was, well, a surprise as players got an additional workout by sprinting to shut their car windows.. Some teams rescheduled for later in the day on Sunday. Other teams played this week. Some of the courts also went unfinished since the team had already secured the team win.
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Kinsale-JH Advanced Beginners - Click to enlarge |
To view the results reported from Sunday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
The teams in the Advanced Beginners League playoffs are Lakes-KK and Wedgewood. New Albany and Worthington Hills are in the Intermediate/+ League playoffs. For players to be eligible, they must have played twice during the season. (A list was just sent to the captains on which players were eligible.)
Today's featured team is Kinsale-JH Coed Advanced Beginners. They are led by Julie Happel.
Didn't reach the top two positions in your league? All teams are encouraged to play teams above or below them in the rankings. Please work it out amongst yourselves on who will be hosting the match. Please keep in mind that both leagues may be participating so that may cause a traffic jam on your courts.
WEDNESDAY,
Vacations Making It Harder for Captains
The good news is that people can travel this summer (for now). The bad news is that couples like to go on vacations with each other.. With so many couples in the league, it has made it harder for captains to gather enough players for teams. That was especially the case last Sunday. As the season is reviewed, this is another item to keep in mind for future years.
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The Country Club at Muirfield Village - Click to team page |
To view all of the results recorded from Sunday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
Lakes-KK remains the leader in the Advanced Beginners league and Wedgewood is a solid second. In the Intermediate/+ league, New Albany leads the pack and Worthington Hills, Kinsale, and Scarborough are vying for second.
The playoffs take place on August 8th. The original thinking was that only the top two teams would compete but there is no reason why all teams cannot play another match. There could be matchups between the 3rd and 4th place teams, etc. If a team does not want to participate, that team could be skipped for the next team in the rankings. The decision to play will be the captains of both teams.
There were a few rule changes and additions made to reflect a few questions that arose. They include team rankings, rain out guidelines, and others. The changes are listed in a green font. Click for the rules. The rules are also included on the Results | Info page.
Today's featured team is The Country Club at Muirfield Village Coed Advanced Beginners. Their team captain is Ryan Straka and Jodi Rhodes.
To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
TUESDAY,
Perfect Day for Pickleball
Everything went well on Sunday. (Your version of "well" may vary.) All of the scores were submitted in a prompt and timely manner. Plus today is the first "action photo edition" of PickleballZone.com.
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Kinsale's Heather S. - Click to enlarge |
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Angie | Grant and Scott | Ronni - Click to enlarge |
First the scores.. Lakes-KK is the sole leader in the Advanced Beginners league and New Albany Coed is close to locking up the number one position in Intermediate/+. To view all of the results recorded from Sunday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
As mentioned in the last update, players need to compete twice in the regular season in order to play in the playoffs.
There are not many (maybe any?) Reuters, Getty, and the AP photographers who cover pickeball, but that's ok, because PickleballZone.com does. There are now 23 action photos online. These images were taken at various matches and practices. There were a lot from which to choose but these are the best. All of the photos may be "clicked on" to enlarge. All of them are low resolution images (so that they load on the page faster), but they still look good.
Note that there are a huge number of photos still in the archive. There may be a photo of you that did not make this group or there may have been no photo of you to include. More experimentation is necessary but the heights and angles are starting to become clearer. Again, there are no professional styles to emulate because the pros from professional tennis are not involved.
Some believe that any photo on the Internet can be used elsewhere, but that is not even remotely the case. (Getty is extremely aggressive about going after those who use their photos.) PBZ will be accommodating about allowing clubs to use photos to promote the pickleball league and the club's pickleball programs. Individuals who wish to use photos for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. need to contact PBZ directly. Never use a photo that includes a copyright.
Currently, just first names and last name initials are included with the photos. Full names are used on OhioTennisZone and PlatformTennisZone.com.
Contact Scott Gerber via Feedback with any questions. Click to go to Photos.
Some of the PBZ players also play in the Greater Columbus Tennis Association (GCTA) League. Click to view recent photos taken by Scott Gerber for the GCTA. These photos were taken at Worthington Hills and they include players from WHCC and The Lakes.
To view all of the matches scheduled, click List of Upcoming Matches.
FRIDAY,
Rainy Sunday
Several teams are still in make-up mode after last Sunday's rain. Click to view the match results that have been posted thus far.
Just one match moved indoors - New Albany Coed Intermediate/+ versus Worthington Hills Coed Intermediate/+. Their match was played at Olympic Indoor. Since people are so busy in the summer and since it is difficult to reschedule matches, it is encouraged that teams move indoors when there is inclement weather. Olympic Indoor and Scarborough had time spots available last Sunday and their rates are very reasonable. For more information, contact Olympic's Michelle Jarrett, Scarborough's Jacqueline Boggs, or Elysium's front desk.
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New Albany Coed Intermediate/+ - Click to team page |
Today's featured team is New Albany Coed Intermediate/+. They defeated WHCC to take a share of the lead in the Intermediate/+ League. They are led by Ronni Feibel and Rozanne Stern. Their head tennis professional, Kristin Reed, played a major role in getting this league started.
Lakes-KK holds the sole lead in the Advanced Beginners League.
While the intent of the playoffs was to match up the top two teams in each league to determine the championship teams, there is no reason why all teams cannot play an extra match against the team immediately above or below them in the rankings. As per the rules, players need to compete twice in order to compete in the playoffs. If this presents a problem, please contact Kathy or Scott to discuss.
To view all of the matches scheduled for this Sunday, click List of Upcoming Matches.
MONDAY,
Hot But 1% Less Miserable
The best Mother Nature news from yesterday is that there were almost no cicadas zooming around while playing "chicken" with car windshields. The bad news is that players were once against toasted by 90+ degree temperatures. The wind helped buffer the high temperatures but it also blew out your shots -- never your opponents.. Click on Previous Match Results to see how all of the teams did.
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Worthington Hills Coed Intermediate/+ - Click to team page |
Leading the Coed Advanced Beginners League are Lakes-KK and Brookside (with Brookside still hoping to reschedule a match). Worthington Hills now leads the Intermediate/+ League after its 2-1 win yesterday against Scarborough.
Today's featured team is Worthington Hills Coed Intermediate/+. Their team captain is Patti Price.
The PBZ goal is to get out and take some exciting action photos. A few were taken at the WHCC versus Scarborough match and they will be posted in the coming days. Getting good pickleball photos may be more challenging than with tennis. The angles are different and the low ball bounce prevents many of the traditional, good photo opportunities. Because of the sun's positioning, the less frequent court changes will also make it more difficult to get good photos of both teams . For those of you who know a few high school tennis players, the top OhioTennisZone photos of the boys were just posted. Click for the OTZ girls photos from the fall.
Everyone gets a week off next Sunday for the July 4th weekend. Please stay safe and practice your dinks.
MONDAY,
Really Getting Tired of Saying "It Was a Hot, Miserable Day.."
It looks like there will be a break in the hot, humid weather this week. It is about time.. There were five matches played yesterday and one will be rescheduled. To view all of the results, click on Previous Match Results.
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Brookside Coed Intermediate/+ - Click to team page |
Leading the Coed Advanced Beginners League are Lakes-KK and Brookside. Scarborough and Worthington Hills lead the Intermediate/+ League.
Today's featured team is Brookside Coed Intermediate/+. Rob Postma, the club's head tennis professional, handles the captain duties. He received an assist from Susie Clark yesterday though, when she provided the names of the players who competed.
Brookside has five brand new pickleball courts and they look great. (See photo.) Two of the courts are positioned on a tennis court. Two are dedicated courts and the fifth court is a combination basketball / pickleball court. They are also lighted. Note that the best way to reach the courts is to drive all of the way to the back of the facility. (Note the satellite map where the two hard courts were.) They were built by Jim and Scott Lathrop's Total Tennis.
More team photos were added from yesterday. Please email your team photo to PBZ.
Here is a nice article about pickleball from Tennis Magazine titled, What tennis can learn from pickleball. While the article is good, it does not include how easy it is to find a match in almost any town or city. Nor does it talk about how players of different age groups and genders can effectively compete. It also does not mention how match scoring facilitates mixing groups to provide equal competition.
MONDAY,
Another Hot Day for Week 2
It was another hot day yesterday. Hopefully we get some relief with the temperatures for this coming Sunday.
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Scarborough Coed Intermediate/+ - Click to team page |
There were some issues and there will likely continue to be issues over the coming weeks as we progress through this inaugural season together. One team with two Advanced Beginner teams ended up playing the wrong teams on Sunday. This will cause another schedule change but not for this coming Sunday (June 20).
The problem is that it is really hard to create another schedule after three matches have already been locked in. We spent most of the day on this using all of the Excel knowledge we knew to visualize and count the match-ups. The new schedule will be posted tomorrow morning on PickeballZone. It is likely that at least one team will play the same team twice. The Intermediate/+ schedule will not be affected but the Home/Away matches may change.
Please always refer to the online schedule on your team report on PickleballZone. The reason for always using the online schedules is that people tend to refer to older printed schedules, rather than putting the newer schedules on their refrigerators..
There was a court default on Sunday but it was a "good" default. The club without enough players brought in a pro on Court 3 so everyone still got to play. That was the correct court to play the pro (so no courts below the default had to be defaulted) and the scores were reflected as 0-0, 0-0.
Today's featured team is Scarborough Coed Intermediate/+. Their team captains are Murali Venkataraman and Gregg Nigl. Scarborough started league match play with a really close win against New Albany Coed Intermediate/+. Two of the matches needed "best two out of three" games.
To view all of the results recorded from yesterday, click on Previous Day's Match Results.
Scarborough provided their own team photo to PBZ. Please email a photo of your own team as soon as you can so your team can be recognized.
To view all of the matches scheduled for next Sunday, click List of Upcoming Matches.
Always direct your players to PickleballZone for scores and schedule information.
On to week three!
JUNE 6, 2021
And Away We Go..
Congratulations to everyone who played yesterday. You played during the first weekend of the Central Ohio Adult Summer Pickleball League. This is something that you can tell your grandchildren about some day. In fact, why wait? Many of you can just text them now..
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Kinsale Intermediate/+ - Click to team page |
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While there are many tasks left to do, the creation of this league was a sprint and it was done in just four short months. The long list of tasks done included: domain purchase, logo creation, software development, legal work, rule creation, web hosting setup, schedule creation, and the interactions with club directors and team captains. All of this was done as the platform tennis season wrapped up in March (see PlatformTennisZone.com) and during the Ohio boys high school tennis season that just finished last weekend (see OhioTennisZone.com).
Special thanks to New Albany's Kristin Reed, Brookside's Rob Postma, and Scarborough's Bob Hilborn for their assistance in the advisory group as issues were initially discussed in early February.
Special thanks also go to the club representatives who rounded up players and arranged for courts. They include: Kristin Reed, Rob Postma, Wedgewood's Wendy Gibbons, Kinsale's Jason Homorody, The Lakes' Michelle Jarrett, Scarborough's Jacqueline Boggs, and Worthington Hill's and The Country Club at Muirfield Village's Abby Hand. The above was made even more challenging since the construction of many courts were delayed due to weather and other reasons. Since many clubs just opened for the season, it was difficult to identify players.
It was an extremely hot day yesterday and hopefully everyone stayed hydrated. While the plan was for everyone to play for at least one and a half hours, the steamy conditions may have affected those plans.
Today's featured team is Kinsale Intermediate/+. The captains are Michael Drew and Craig Richardson. More player photos will be added soon.
Click for all of yesterday's results. Note that the schedules for each team are included in the various team reports.
Contact PickleballZone.com for more information by clicking on Feedback.
Scott, Kathy, and Lauren Gerber of PickleballZone.com
MAY 2021
New Summer Pickleball League
It is time for something new.. Central Ohio pickleballers are a very active group of people and a common question that many clubs and facilities are hearing is "Why isn't there a skill-based league that is similar to what is offered for summer tennis and platform tennis?". Well, there is now.
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Getting ready for the season - Click to enlarge |
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During the inaugural season, the league will consist of coed teams who compete on Sunday afternoons. The league will be skill-based with teams in the Advanced Beginners and Intermediate / Intermediate + categories.
Any adult group may participate just as they do in summer tennis, but the roll-out will be measured this year. The teams expected to compete this summer include: New Albany Country Club, Worthington Hills Country Club, The Country Club at Muirfield Village, Brookside Golf & Country Club, Scarborough East, Kinsale Golf and Fitness, Lakes Golf & Country Club, and Wedgewood Golf & Country Club.
The season runs from June 6 to August 1 (with playoffs for the top teams on August 8). The cost per player is $25, but just $20 when signing up as a couple. (This is even the case when couples are not playing on the same team.)
Test data is always required when launching web sites and "blank" faces were used along with monotonist last names for many of the clubs. The ZZZ Test Club was created for demonstration purposes and it will also be used to enable captains to practice entering match results.
Those who are parents or grandparents of high school tennis players may notice the resemblance of PickleballZone with OhioTennisZone. That is because the two are offered by the same company. Now pickleball players can enjoy the same software as the kids! Make sure that your kids / grandchildren follow your progress on PBZ just as you do with the high school players.
Contact PickleballZone.com for more information by clicking on Feedback.
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