Young-Calaway Alpine Bank Pickleball Courts


RFPA - Pickleball Schedule

Designated Court Access for RFPA allows RFPA to determine play protocol depending on who shows up and the level of play. RFPA will manage this and collect a $10 drop-in fee from non-members during the designated RFPA posted times.

The Town will provide designated access to these pickleball courts for RFPA members at the following times:

  • Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday - 8 am-12pm

  • Tuesday & Thursday (5 pm until closure due to darkness).


RFPA - Open Play Rules

During Open Play times, 8 courts will be utilized. 6 pickleball courts and 2 Darien Courts with the new heavy-duty nets, when available. The two Darien courts and the three Young Callaway courts on the East side will be 4-on, 4-off format. The 3 Westside courts will be challenge courts.  


4-on, 4-off Court Rules: 

  • All Games are to be played to 11 (TRADITIONAL SCORING), win by 2

  • Waiting Players: Players place their paddles in the paddle holder. The paddle holder is used to manage who is up next. (usually 4-on, 4-off unless there are less than 4 paddles).

  • If you wish to play with a specific partner, or play in a specific group, place your paddles in the next fully open color in the paddle holder. 

  • Please place your name on your paddle or make sure you are monitoring the stack of paddles. We don’t want to hunt for you when your court is available and the next paddle up will take your spot.

  • When you remove your paddles to play, please move the pickleball to the right to indicate the next group up to play. Once the ball is all the way right move back to far left and start over.

  • No “organized” (no monopolization of courts by a group of players) play will be allowed during RFPA Open Play.

  • If you find this is still occurring, please feel free to email the Club President stating the situation at rfpickleball@gmail.com



Challenge Court Rules: 

  • Players may challenge a team on the challenge courts.

  • Challenge Courts are designated by skill level. These are designed to have competitive play, so try your best to stick to your level. (Ex. A 4.5 player should not be down on the mild court and a 3.0 player should not be up on the spicy court)

  • If no paddles are up on the fence, teams may stay on and continue to play. 

  • Games on challenge courts are played to 11 points, win by 2 (traditional scoring).

  • At the end of each game, the players with the next two paddles in the fence will take the court as challengers. 3rd and or 4th paddle - wait.  

  • After 2 consecutive wins, the winning team will leave the court. The losing team will also leave if there are more than 2 paddles on the fence. If only 2 paddles are on the fence then the losing team can stay on, and the process starts over.

  • If there is a single paddle up, the players coming off can flip to see who stays on.

  • In general Court 4/Medium = 3.0 - 3.5, Court 5/Hot = 3.5 - 4.0, Court 6/Spicy = 4.0 and beyond.

  • Don’t just throw your paddle up on any fence! It’s meant to be competitive. Look around at the players in attendance, be aware, and have fun!



The Great Pickleball “Challenge”

Who’s showing up today? When? How long are they playing? What’s their skill level? Recreational or competitive…or both? This is a common challenge in the rapidly growing pickleball world where players outnumber court capacity…often by a lot!

RFPA is using a common, albeit imperfect, approach in an attempt to achieve fair court access and comparable skill-level matchups.

  • 2 Off/2 On…is simple. Winners stay on the court but for a maximum of 2 consecutive games regardless of who they partner with.

  • Challengers who have queued up by putting their paddles by the court entrance have the next game.

  • If winners have played 2 consecutive games, the “non-winners” can stay on the court for a 2nd game with the next challengers.

When the courts are crowded and lots of people are waiting to play, we go to 4 On/4 Off after each game. If an RFPA Board member is not present to make that call, we rely on common sense and good sportsmanship.

Where should you queue up/paddle up?
It is incumbent on each player to aim at a court where the skill level approximates their own. Nobody wants to play up or down a lot. So, take a good look and see where you fit best. It probably won’t be perfect, but give it your best shot.

The pickleball courts are under RFPA jurisdiction M, W, and S mornings and Tue/ThuT from 5pm until dark. All other times are “open courts” governed by Carbondale’s “good sportsmanship” rule. See link to Carbondale’s website.