The
following tennis rules were presented to and approved by the Board of
Directors on May 3rd, 2005, as a compilation of all previous rules (with
additions and amendments). This set of rules is intended to serve as
the single and only set of rules and will supersede all previous sets of
rules and amendments, effective June 1st, 2005.
Section I. Tennis facilities may be used only by
Racquet Club members and their immediate families along with qualified
out-of-town guests (living more than 25 miles from Hattiesburg) can play
on the 12 courts.
A. The definition of
“immediate family” is as follows: The lawful spouse and all unmarried
children under the age of 21. Full-time college students under the age
of 25 are also included.
B. A single member may bring
a date at any time as long as the date is playing on the same court
and is signed in at the Clubhouse. A single member's date may not
participate in USTA League Tennis without paying the applicable
non-member fees.
C. Out-of-town guests and in town
guests are limited to once a week unless prior arrangements have been
made with Club Management. Each out-of-town guest and in town guest is
limited to 6 visits in a calendar year.
D. Employees under
salary for a period of at least 2 months may, at the discretion of the
Club Professional, be allowed to play or practice on the tennis courts
when the courts are not otherwise being used. If courts become full,
employees must accede to the right of a member who wishes to displace or
“bump” the employee from a court. These privileges extend only to
employees when asked by another club member to play or practice, and
employees may not themselves reserve tennis courts. Employees shall be
subject to all rules and regulations affecting conduct and etiquette
while on court. An employee may not at any time play tennis while
working.
E. The above rules apply to “open” play. (Separate
rules for USTA Team Tennis are set forth in Section V.) The only
exceptions to these rules are:
1. Non-members/guests can
play on Racquet Club courts when taking lessons given by the club
pro(s). There is a $5 charge per lesson assessed at the time of the
lesson and payable to the club general account.
2.
Non-members/guests can play on Racquet Club courts when participating in
club-approved events or on courts made available by the Board to the
Hattiesburg Country Club for their tournament use.
3. Member/Guest leagues and events sponsored by the Club and/or Club Pro.
4. Club-sponsored events.
5. Guest day: In-town
guests are permitted on Friday only. A court fee of $10 will be
charged to the member who is hosting the guest. Guests must play with a
member and must be signed in at the Clubhouse. Failure to register a
guest or a violation of the designated guest day will result in a $25
fine for each member on the court. USM and William Carey students are
considered in-town guests. Non-members on a USTA Team roster may not
play on guest day.
Section II. Reservations and Court Times
A. Reservations
for play can be made on-line, in person at the Pro Shop, or by phone on
a first-come, first-serve basis. Only one court may be reserved per
caller. If a request is made by leaving a message, the reservation must be confirmed by Pro Shop personnel.
B. A court can be reserved no earlier than Pro Shop opening time on the previous day.
C. Courts may be reserved in 1½ hour intervals with start times being available every 30 minutes
D.
If all courts are reserved at a particular time during the day, members
may place their names on a Waiting List for a court. This will be
handled by the Pro Shop personnel.
E. Tennis play after 11:00 pm is prohibited. Exception: Club authorized tournaments or events.
F. If
a player has reserved a court, the reserved match must begin on time
(6/07/05). If not, the player’s reservation is cancelled. (This is a
“No-Show” Cancellation). The court is then open for anyone’s use for
reservation or assigned according to the Waiting List if more than one
person is waiting.
1. After a first
“No-Show” Cancellation, the member making the reservation will be fined
$25.00. This applies to scheduled team matches and practices, the team
captain will be fined in this scenario.
2. Members
will not be allowed to make further reservations (not including team
matches and practices) until their “No Show” fines are paid.
3. If courts are unplayable due to inclement weather no fines will be enforced.
G. Members who make a court reservation and then find that the reserved match will not occur are requested to cancel the reservation no later than two hours
before the reserved playing time, if at all possible. Once a
reservation is cancelled the formerly reserved court is available for
use for reservation or from the Waiting List.
H. All reservations and court use will be subject to Board-approved tournament play or other approved Club functions.
I.
Courts 1 & 2 are reserved for the Club Pro(s) for teaching
lessons. These courts can only be reserved and used when not needed by
the Pro(s).
J. In the interest of fair play, because court
time is valuable, “goofing off” on courts is not permitted. When one is
on court, he/she is expected to use that time playing tennis. Players
involved in “goofing off” will be asked to leave the court area.
K.
During time when courts are in demand (when there are more persons
desiring to play than there are courts to accommodate them), it is required that each individual limit his/her play to 1½ hours consecutively. (This
is not intended to prevent a last minute single-player substitution to
make a foursome, and time taking a lesson does not apply.) Court time
while taking a lesson does not count toward this rule.
L. Procedures for Reserving Courts
1.
The reservation holder must sign in at the Pro Shop prior to play and
additionally must list players participating. This rule serves two
purposes:
a. to alert our management of any “no shows,” and
b. to deter players from monopolizing courts
2.
The member recorded as the reservation holder shall be responsible for
carrying out proper court reservation procedures and tennis rules.
3. In the event that all courts are reserved for a requested time slot, a waiting list service is available.
a. The waiting list will have four different time slots available: 1pm, 2:30pm, 4pm, 6pm, and 7:30pm
b.
If a court becomes available during the time slot for which a person
has his/her name listed on the waiting list, Club Management will make
one phone call in attempting to reach each person on the waiting list in
the order their names appear.
M. No person, without prior
approval from the Board, can use Racquet Club courts to engage in
organized tennis play. Organized tennis play within the meaning of this
rule includes school-sponsored matches, school-sponsored play and
school-sponsored practice, together with tournament play in matches
sponsored by any organization other then the Racquet Club of
Hattiesburg. Any grant of court use to such an organization by the
Board will at all times be subject to revision or withdrawal by the
Board.
N. Junior players have equal court-reserving privileges as long as it is in accordance with the above rules.
Section III. All persons, at all times, must wear proper tennis attire when playing on Racquet Club courts. In this connection:
A.
Tennis shoes are the only type footwear permitted. Any types of shoe
other than tennis shoes (street shoes, jogging shoes, beach shoes, etc.)
are prohibited, as is playing barefoot.
B. Proper tennis
apparel is the only type of clothing permitted. Play in street clothes
or swimwear is prohibited. Shirts must be worn at all times.
Section IV. Court Conduct and Etiquette
A.
Players must place litter (cans, cups, containers, balls, etc.) in
trash cans. Players also must remove their personal belongings (towels,
etc.) from the courts. Perpetual abusers of this rule will be brought
to the attention of the Board for determination of disciplinary action.
It is the duty of all club members to assist in keeping the courts and
rest areas clean and free of trash.
B. Clay courts must be swept after each use.
C.
Each person using Racquet Club courts is expected to conduct
himself/herself as a gentleman or lady and to display sportsmanship.
D.
Each such person is under an obligation to avoid acts which may be
considered detrimental to the game of tennis, which would include, but
would not be limited to, using obscene language, racquet throwing,
displays of temper, loud talking during play, etc.
E. Players are encouraged to avoid entering an adjoining court for any reason while play is in progress.
F. Participants should, at all times, conduct themselves in a manner so as to avoid disturbing players on other courts.
G.
If play must be interrupted on your court to answer questions or
resolve disagreements, walk to the net to do so. Do not disturb play on
other courts.
H. When play is in progress on another court,
loud talking and laughing should be kept to a minimum. Everyone is
encouraged to have a good time playing tennis, but courtesy to those on
other courts is expected.
I. No bicycles, skates,
skateboards or other such items which may result in damage to the court
surface are allowed on the courts.
J. Members are to turn off the lights when play is complete if no one else is waiting for the court.
K. Courts cannot be used for tennis lessons unless approved by the Board of Directors.
L. No smoking is allowed on the courts.
Section V. Special Rules Governing USTA Adult League Tennis
A. Court Priorities
1. Racquet Club sponsored tournaments always have priority for court assignments.
2.
During the USTA League Tennis seasons, scheduled matches have priority
over individual court reservations. The Club manager and the
Hattiesburg coordinators will pre-reserve the necessary courts for each
league match.
B. Regarding match scheduling
1. During spring league season
a. Monday through Friday nights:
a. Courts 1-3 (hard) may be reserved from 6-9:30pm
b. Courts 5-7 (hard) may be reserved from 7:30-11pm
c. Courts 10-12 (clay) may be used for a second 6pm match
b. Weekends:
a. Courts 1-3 (hard) may be reserved from 11am-2:30pm
b. Courts 1-3 (hard) may be reserved from 2:30pm-6pm
c. Courts 1-3 (hard) may be reserved from 6-9:30pm
d. Courts 5-7 (hard) may be reserved from 7:30-11pm
e. Courts 10-12 (clay) may be reserved for a 11am or 6pm
match
2. During summer and fall league season
a. Monday through Friday nights:
a. Courts 5-7 (hard) may be reserved from 6-8pm
b. Courts 5-7 (hard) may be reserved from 8-9:30pm
c. Courts 10-12 (clay) may be used for a second 6pm match
b. Weekends:
a. Courts 5-7 (hard) may be reserved from 11am-1pm
b. Courts 5-7 (hard) may be reserved from 2:30-4:30pm
c. Courts 5-7 (hard) may be reserved from 6-8pm
d. Courts 5-7 (hard) may be reserved from 8-9:30pm
e. Courts 10-12 (clay) may be used for a second 11am or 6pm
match
3. At no time during any league season should there be more than one match scheduled on the 8 hard courts to start at the same time.
4.
When open courts are available prior to the start of a team’s match,
team members may warm up for up to 30 minutes on these open courts
without making a reservation. However, these players must leave the
court when a member with a reservation for that court arrives.
C. Regarding Court Availability
1. Team Captains are strongly encouraged to enforce on-time starts and a maximum 10 minute warm-up. While
Team Tennis matches do have priority for court time and will be allowed
to continue until completion on their assigned courts, matches are
expected to start at the assigned time and proceed at an expected pace
under USTA regulations such that they will be completed in the allotted
time shift(s).
2. If there are empty
courts besides those assigned for a team match and there are no club
members wanting to use the open court(s), a captain may sign up for a
fourth and fifth court.
a. These “extra”
courts may only be reserved once 10 minutes has elapsed after the start
of the shift in order to give club members full opportunity to use them.
(For instance, if a team match is scheduled at 6pm on courts 5-7,
and court 3 has not been reserved, the team captain may use court 3 from
6:10pm until 7:30pm)
b. Team matches that take place on these “extra” courts must leave the court at the end of the shift (1 hour and 20 minutes) if their court has been reserved for the following time slot, even if it reserved only for social play.
c. No one can ever be “bumped” from a court in order for a captain to use an extra fourth or fifth court for a team tennis match.
D. Practice Matches for Racquet Club teams
1.
A team practice session will be treated as a scheduled League match,
with the exception that they will not be allowed to go over the allotted
court reservation time if other members are waiting on a court.
2. Each
team will be guaranteed one court for a single time slot once a week
for the purpose of team practice. A second court may be reserved if
available.
a. Monday through Friday nights
i. Court 4 will be available at 6pm
ii. Court 5 will be available at 6pm for a second team
iii. Court 4 will be available at 7:30pm
b. Saturdays
i. Court 4 will be available at 10am, 11:30am, 1pm, 2:30pm,
4pm
c. Sundays
i. Court 4 will be available at 2:30pm, 4pm, and 5:30pm
3. Practice times for teams will be determined at the beginning of each season by a random drawing.
4. Spring season practices may begin January 1st and last through the end of the team’s season.
5.
Summer practices may begin after the conclusion of the State
Championships for Spring season, and Fall practices may being after the
State Championships for summer season.
E. Regarding non-Racquet Club members on Rosters
1. Team captains must be members of the Racquet Club
2. More than 50% of a team’s roster must be members of the Racquet Club
3.
Non-members who are new to League Tennis at the Racquet Club must pay a
non-member fee of $100 per league season, up to their one year
anniversary of playing on Racquet Club teams. The non-member fee will
be $300 per league thereafter. Non-members who have played league on a
Racquet Club team for more than one year as of May 2005 must pay $300
per league (effective for Mixed Season 2005)
4. Non-member
fees must be paid prior to the start of team practice. The fee will be
billed to the captain’s membership, and if it is not paid prior to the
start of team practice for the season, the team will not be able to use
Racquet Club facilities for team practices or matches.
Section VI. Enforcement of rules
A. All members are asked to report rules infractions to the club manager to be handled.
B. The club manager shall have the responsibility to insure that all rules are followed and enforced.
C. The club manager will report continued problems with rules to the Board.
D.
If the club manager finds that a particular member or team is
perpetually abusing any of the above rules, he/she is to report such
events to the Board.
E. All selling and transferring of club
stock shall be done through the club manager. No posting or advertising
stock at or around the club.
Sectioin VII. Pool Rules
A. Children under 11 years of age must be accompanied by a competent adult.
B. Absolutely no running on pool deck or walkways.
C.
One at a time on the diving board – when one person’s feet are on the
board, the person behind them must have their feet on the concrete!
D. Absolutely no diving in shallow water, diving only in deep end.
E. No floatation devices on the diving board.
F. No horseplay, pushing or shoving.
G. No glass containers allowed at the pool.
H. No electrical equipment allowed in the pool area.
I. No swimming after eating, drinking alcohol or taking medications.
J. No sitting or standing on the wall.
K. No profanity allowed at the pool by children or adults.
L. All children not potty trained MUST wear a swim diaper.
M. ALL MEMBERS must sign in and MUST sign in their guest.
N. There is a $3 charge per guest, per visit. Out of town guests are included. This will be added to monthly statements.
O.
Member may request having a pool party for a child but, member must pay
an additional lifeguard to be on duty during the party.
