TENNIS COURT RULES

• Who Can Play.
  • Only Club members, their children, and their guests are authorized to use the tennis courts.
  • Guests are permitted on the courts only when accompanied by a member.
    • From May pool opening to September pool closing, the member must use a guest pass for each guest.
  • Guest must remain with the member at all times.
  • Members must ensure that a guest signs in throught them checkin process  the pool facility. when the pool is open and at the tennis facility when the pool is closed (This includes guests brought by a member during the extended
    tennis season).
  • Members bringing children in the tennis court area will supervise their children to ensure that they do not disturb play.
  • Children are not permitted on the courts if they are not playing tennis. Children 7 years of age and under are permitted inside the court enclosure only when playing tennis with adult members.
  • Children 8 to 12 years of age are permitted to play without an adult member in attendance from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM Monday through Friday, except holidays. Such children may play only with an adult in attendance at all other times.
  • Children 13 years of age and older may play tennis without an adult in
    attendance. At least one playing child must be a member.
• Membership
  • Memberships will be used to verify the identity of persons using the tennis courts to verify that the persons using the courts are members of the Club.
  • Memberships can be verified at the pool desk.
• Locked Facilities.
  • In order to provide some security for the large investment in the equipment at the courts, a key lock will be used to secure the gate.
  • Keys will be provided to members for a non‐refundable fee.
  • Keys are available (Full/Bonded members) for purchase through the member shop and maybe picked up at the swim desk during regular pool hours.
  • Keys should be returned to the Club when a membership is terminated.
  • The gate must be kept closed at all times. Entry on the courts by any means other than the gate is prohibited.
  • The tennis key that members are issued opens only the side gate entrance from the walkway. It does NOT unlock the parking lot entrance. The parking lot entrance is locked to secure the tennis facilities in the off hours and during the winter season.
  • Upon pool closing, the Pool Manager or representative will:
  • Ask all tennis members to remove their cars from the parking lot so they can close and lock the parking lot gate. Members can continue playing tennis but must move their cars outside the parking lot gate; and
  • Lock the parking lot entrance.
  • Proper Footwear. Tennis shoes must be worn. No other footwear or bare feet are allowed.
• Restrictions.
  • Tennis courts will be used for no purpose other than tennis.
  • No equipment other than tennis equipment (e.g., field hockey, baseball, lacrosse, etc.) may be used on the courts.
• Etiquette.
  • Players are requested not to walk behind players when play is in progress and not to retrieve balls from the adjacent courts until conclusion of the point being played.
  • Loud, boisterous, obscene, or vulgar language is not permitted on the tennis courts. Good sportsmanship is expected at all times.
  • All waiting players must remain outside the enclosure.
  • Players are requested to keep the courts neat in appearance, free of leaves, trash, etc.
  • Players must relinquish their court without hesitation to the people with the next reservation at the end of the reservation period.
  • No food or beverage other than water is allowed inside the court area.
  • The Director for Tennis, tennis independent contractors of the Club, or any Officer of the Club, shall have final and conclusive authority to enforce all matters relating to health and safety at the tennis facilities.
    • They may eject any persons failing to observe health and safety rules or otherwise conducting themselves improperly.
• Rules of Play. The Rules of the U.S. Lawn and Tennis Association will govern play on the tennis courts unless otherwise indicated by the Director for Tennis. It is the responsibility of each player to inform himself of these rules as well as the rules of the Old Keene Mill Swim and Raquet Club.
• Play Time.
  • Normal hours for tennis court play are from 7:00 AM to 10:00PM.
  • Prime time is 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM on weekdays, and 7:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM on  Saturday, Sunday, and holidays.
  • Non‐prime time is Monday through Friday (except holidays) from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and Saturday, Sunday, and holidays from 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM.
  • Unreserved time is when the courts have not been reserved.
• Playing Season(s)
  • Regular Season: Memorial Day through Labor Day.
  • Extended Season Spring: April 15 through Memorial Day.
  • Extended Season Fall: Labor Day through October 15.
• Maintenance.
  • The tennis courts will be maintained for play during the regular pool
    season.
  • During the extended season, the tennis courts will be maintained on a best‐effort basis by the OKM Board of Directors or their designee.
  • The courts may be closed at the discretion of the Director for Tennis due to unfavorable tennis weather.
  • Individual practice during prime time is not permitted. There are not
    enough courts to permit one person to occupy a court during prime
    time for the purpose of practicing serves or other individual practice.
• Reservation System.
  • As it is not practical to have an employee in attendance at the courts to regulate tennis court use, the reservation system is designed to be self‐run and self‐ implementing.
  • Reservations are required to play on Courts 1 and 3 except as provided
    elsewhere.
  • Courts may only be reserved for one continuous hour’s play for singles. Courts may be reserved for a maximum of two consecutive hours for doubles.
  • Members may make reservations by “signing up” on the reservation sheets posted at the tennis courts. Reservations cannot be made more than 24 hours in advance. A member’s name and membership number must be recorded on the reservation sheet to constitute a valid reservation.
  • Reservation periods and usage period for Court 2 run for 60 minutes starting at the beginning of the hour.
  • Reservations are forfeited if players do not arrive in time to commence play by 10 minutes after the hour. If two hours have been reserved, the second hour is forfeited when the doubles match is not started within 10 minutes after the hour. The first hour may be retained if singles play is started ontime.
  • Court 2 will be available on a first come basis. If Courts 1and 3 are not reserved, they are available for open play on a first‐come, first‐served basis. Such play must terminate at the beginning of the next reservation period. During the week once school is no longer in session, only members 18 years or older can reserve court 3 after 4 PM.
  • OKM Adult Tennis Teams recognized by the Board are authorized to reserve 2 hours of practice time during prime hours during the team seasononly.
    • Reservations for practice and matches must be made a minimum of 24 hours in advance; however, they may be made at any time prior to the 24‐hour period.
    • Team captains will make an effort to keep team schedules posted on the bulletin Board at the beginning of their season for tennis player reference.
    • Members are required to cancel reservations as soon as possible after it becomes apparent that the reservation will not be used.
    • Cancellation is accomplished by crossing out the name/membership number on the reservation sheet and initialing beside the deletion.
    • Additional reservations may only be made after the hour for which the first reservation was made is played.
    • Eligibility to make prime time reservations is restricted to adults (18 and above). As long as an adult member makes a reservation in his name and is playing, the other players may be children.
  • Rules Enforcement.
    • Tennis members are expected to generally supervise tennis court use.
    • All Club members are requested to take action when rule violations are observed. The action taken will depend on the nature of the problem. Members observing rule violations are asked to notify the Director for Tennis (or any Board of Director member).
    • Since the rules must be self‐enforcing, members have the right to “query” other members to ascertain that reservations or play is in accordance with Club rules. Members are urged to “query” in an appropriate, courteous manner and those being queried are requested to respond in the same way.
    • The OKM Board or its designee will, during the regular and extended season, be responsible to keep the tennis courts in good playing condition and under general surveillance to prevent damage to property or misuse.
    • Pool staff will not adjudicate disputes, make or delete reservations, or supervise the rules of play on the tennis courts.
  • Recommendations for Change. Written recommendations concerning these rules should be directed to the OKM Board or Tennis Director whose names are posted on the website: Contact Tennis.
  • Ladder Rules. Ladders and ladder rules will be posted by the appropriate Ladder Manager.
  • Lessons.
    • Because of insurance and liability issues, members are not authorized to provide lessons for a fee.
    • Tennis lessons are offered within the competitive tennis programs.
  • Violations. Violations of these rules may result in restrictions of an individual from court use at the discretion of the Club’s Board of Directors based on recommendations from the Tennis or Operations Director.