Wie Sie Open Play in Ihrem Pickleball-Club einführen

This guide walks you through everything you need to launch Open Play at your club: what the format is, why it works, how to promote it to your community, how to host it well on the day, and how to set it up in Playtomic Manager.

If you've never run Open Play before, start from the top. If you already know the format and just want the setup steps in Playtomic Manager, jump to How to create an Open Play session in Playtomic Manager. 

Why offer Open Play at your club

Open Play is one of the simplest ways to grow your pickleball community and fill your courts. In particular, it helps you:

• Bring new players in. Open Play is the easiest way for a beginner or a curious non-member to step into your club. No need to find a partner, no pressure to win.
• Fill off-peak hours. A two-hour Open Play session on a weekday morning fills courts that would otherwise sit empty.
• Strengthen your community. Regular Open Play sessions build the kind of social fabric that turns first-timers into members.
• Stay operationally light. No bracket, no scheduling per match, no scoring system to track. You set the slot, you host, they play.
• Generate recurring revenue. A small drop-in fee (or a member-free / non-member-paid model) adds up across the year.

What is Open Play?

Open Play is a casual, drop-in format that lets players enjoy the sport without the structure of a tournament or formal competition. Players sign up for a session that typically lasts one, two, three hours or more, show up, and play with whoever's there.

Open Play is native to pickleball. It's where the format was born, and it's still the way most players experience the sport socially. The energy lives both on and off the court: people play short games, rotate off, chat on the side, and jump back in.

Open Play allows your players to:

• Join games whenever it works for them
• Play with different partners and opponents
• Enjoy a relaxed, social atmosphere
• Improve their skills through regular practice

How it plays out on court (pickleball-specific)

The idea is to play with different people, socialize and enjoy different games. So normally it’s played in matches up to 11 points (5 to 15 minutes)

Rotations can be self-organized with a paddle stack or people can agree to a specific dynamic. Here are some of the most common examples:

Free format (paddle stack)

• Players arrive, place their paddle on a rack or in a line
• They play in the order their paddles are queued
• When a game ends, the players go back to the queue and the next four are up
• Simple, low-effort to organize
• Works well when the group is small, regular and self-managing

Variations:

• Winners stay for a maximum of 2 matches
• Winners stay but switch partners

Structured rotations

• Challenge court. The winning team stays on court until they are beaten. New challengers come in after each match.
• River up / river down: courts are ranked by level; winners move up a court each round, losers move down. Losing in the bottom court mean going back to the paddle rack and new players coming in.
• Time-based rotation: every X minutes, regardless of game result, players rotate. Better for sessions where you want to balance levels or manage timing tightly

Promoting Open Play to your community

Leverage your network and their contacts. Make sure your community knows what Open Play is, its benefits and characteristics, and give it enough visibility so they know when they can come and play. Invite them to come with friends, enjoy a good social time and good matches.

Add social touches like food, drinks or music to make sessions feel special

Benefits you can promote to your community:

• Highlight the social side: "play with new people", "no partner needed", "all levels welcome", “come alone or with friends”.
• If you want to ensure quality games, be explicit about level if the session is targeted (e.g. "Beginner-friendly Open Play", "Intermediate Open Play, level 3.0–4.0")
• Mention date, time, duration, capacity and price clearly so there are no surprises.
• Reassure first-timers: explain briefly how Open Play works so they don't feel they're walking into something they don't understand
• Flexibility perk: Players are welcome to drop in late or leave early. That also contributes to the rotation and socialization.

Tips:

• For recurring Open Play (e.g. every Sunday morning), promote it as a weekly fixture and use a consistent slot so players can plan around it
• Also consider keep one or more courts fixed for Open Play. In that way players will feel safe that they could drop in any time to your club and play.

On the day: being a great host

Open Play players come to have a good time in a social and sporty environment. They just need a good greeting, basic amenities and clear organization.

Depending on the type of Open Play you want, you might want to have a host that facilitates rotations, keeps the time and makes sure everyone is able to participate and enjoy.

Set the rules of play and communicate them clearly (rotation frequency, whether games go to points or by time, how the rotation works).

Self-organization by skill level

If multiple courts are running at once, players tend to self-organize by skill level across courts (beginner, intermediate, advanced). This happens naturally most of the time, but you can help on the first session by:

• Labeling courts (e.g. "Court 1: 2.0–3.0", "Court 2: 3.5+")
• Suggesting groupings as players arrive
• Stepping in if a court has clearly mismatched levels and someone isn't having a good time

How to create an Open Play session in Playtomic Manager

Once you have the format and host setup clear, creating the session in Playtomic Manager takes a few minutes.

Step 1: Create a new program/series

In Playtomic Manager, click on Programs/Tournaments from your main menu, then click the Create Program/Series button to start setting up your Open Play session.

Step 2: Fill in general information

In the General Information section, fill in:

• Name. Give your session a clear name (e.g. "Sunday Morning Open Play")
• Sport. Select Pickleball from the dropdown.
• Program Type. Choose between Tournament (for competitive events) and Open Play (for casual, drop-in sessions). Select Open Play to continue.

⚠️ Important: To create Open Play program/series for pickleball, your club must have at least one court configured for pickleball in Playtomic Manager.

Step 3: Set up your Open Play session

Fill in the remaining details:

• Schedule. Set the days and times when Open Play will be available.
• Restrictions. Set player restrictions based on gender and skill level.
• Capacity. Set the minimum and maximum number of players who can participate.
• Pricing. Set your pricing.
• Courts. Choose which courts will be used.
• Additional information (optional). Add a poster image (max 3 MB, PNG / JPEG / JPG format), session description, welcome pack and prizes.

Step 4: Save and publish

Once you've filled in all the details, save your program/series. Your Open Play sessions will now appear in your schedule and players can find and join them through the app.

Alternative: creating Open Play directly from your schedule

You can also create Open Play directly from your calendar. When you click on a time slot in your schedule, select Tournament from the menu. Then choose Open Play from the program type screen and continue with the same steps above.

Managing your Open Play sessions

Finding your Open Play sessions

In the Programs/Tournaments section, you can sort your sessions by type. Use the Type filter to view only tournaments or only Open Play sessions. This makes it easier to organize and manage different types of sessions  side by side.

Where to see your Open Play sessions

Open Play sessions are clearly marked and separated from tournaments in your:

• Calendar view
• Sessions list
• Reports

Open Play in reports

Open Play data is automatically included in your club's reports, separated from tournament information for easy tracking. To view Open Play metrics, apply the Product filter and select Open Play in any report tab to access detailed analytics on participation, revenue and occupancy.

If something didn't work

The most common adjustments after a first Open Play session:

• Empty session? Promote earlier, change the time slot, or run a player-pulled promo (e.g. ask two regulars to each bring a friend)
• Levels too mixed? Use the restrictions feature when creating the session, or split courts by level once people arrive
• People left early? Check whether the rotation was clear from minute one. Most early drop-offs come from confusion, not from the game itself

FAQ for first-time hosts

What if not enough players show up? Combine courts, run with the players you have, or pivot to a casual round-robin. Better a small relaxed session than a cancelled one. Use the experience to learn what time slot and promo channel works for your club.

Do I need to charge a fee? Up to you. Some clubs offer Open Play free for members and charge non-members; others charge a small drop-in fee. You configure pricing when creating the session in Playtomic Manager.

Can players find Open Play sessions in the Playtomic app? Yes. Players can browse, filter and join Open Play sessions directly from the app. Make sure your session is published and your courts and pricing are set. See how to find them in the app

Do I need a coach to host? No. The host just needs to know the rules of play and be willing to coordinate the rotation. A regular member often works perfectly.

💡Note: Open Play is currently available at clubs in the United States and Canada. We’re rolling it out to more countries, so if you don’t see it yet, it should arrive soon.