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One of the best ways to improve your pickleball game is to play with better players. It forces you to play at the top of your ability, makes you pay for your mistakes, and puts you on the fast-track to a higher skill level.
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Ok, here are the actual answers to the questions: 1. You are never required to mark your ball on the green. If it’s near the hole or near another players line of putt, as a courtesy, you should mark and lift it. Featured Pipeline Play Ball Trivia & Quizzes MLB Photos Offbeat Glossary Rare Feats Baseball Cards All-Star Game Video In this section Film Room Watch Live Games Game Stories Condensed Games Game Recaps Daily FastCast MLB Network Podcasts Front Office Focus Business of Baseball Untouchable Pitches Rapid Plays. Explore hundreds of games by group size, available space and equipment, appropriate ages, and developmental skills. Our games are designed to keep all kids playing. You will see lots of games where everyone is “it”, ground-rules that keep games manageable for recess supervisors, skill-building variations on students’ favorite sports,. Movie Ball Game: Everyone stands in a circle and bounces a ball to somebody else, and has a five second limit to do so. But before bouncing the ball they must say a name of a movie. When somebody repeats a movie name, they are out of the game. It eventually ends up being a competition between two people, and then there's a winner. Called Ulama, it is a game played in a few communities in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. Ulama de Brazo is played in northern Sinaloa. Two teams of three face each other, and instead of their hips, players hit the ball with their forearms, which are protected by padding. Ulama de Cadera is found in the south of Sinaloa.
All of that is GREAT for you, but how about for those “better players” who are playing with you?
It does almost the OPPOSITE for them…
Playing with you keeps them from having to play at the top of their ability, keeps them from paying for their mistakes, and keeps them from improving their skill level as quickly.
The culture of pickleball has always been very welcoming and inclusive of new players, but as you become more intent on improving your game, you DON’T always want to play with less-experienced players.
But everyone’s gotta start from somewhere, and even the best players in the world were beginners at one point…
So the question is: as a newer player, how can you graciously get to play with better players so as to improve your game? And as a better player, how do you “remember your roots” and play with lower-level players, and when is it fair to ask them to step aside so you can get a higher-level play?
Here are some general pickleball etiquette guidelines, which address these questions and more.
- Ask Politely and Give Them an Out. For example, “Do you all mind if I get a game in with you, or would you rather play on your own?”
- Ask at the Beginning or End of the Day. Approach when they are warming up or cooling down. DON’T go when they are in the midst of a streak of higher-level play.
- Accommodate Their Flow. If you do approach them in the midst of higher-level play, accommodate their flow.Ask “Hey, do you mind if I get a game in with you all before you quit today?” so that they can continue playing, but will hopefully commit to playing with you later.
- Be Conscientious. If they do play a few games with you at the beginning of the day, make it easy for them to bow out and play with other higher-level players so that they will be more likely to want to play with you again in the future. You might say, “Hey, I see you can get a good game in against those guys, I’ll sit this one out and maybe we can play again later if you have a chance.”
- Hit to Them! No one likes to watch their partner hit all the balls during recreational play. The higher-level player is doing you a favor by playing with you, so hit the ball to them at least half the time. It will make you a better player, make it more fun for them, and make it more likely that they will play with you again next time.
- Don’t Be Obnoxious. We all play our best when we play with better players. When we play with weaker players, it can be challenging to stay focused, so remember that they may not be playing at the top of their game. Or, they may be focusing on improving their own shots, rather than on winning.
- Show Your Appreciation. If they give you feedback on your game, have an open mind and be appreciative of them taking the time to play and help you.
- Don’t Take It Personally. Some people just aren’t going to be very friendly about it. Don’t let them get to you. Remember, it’s only pickleball! ?
When you play with or against players who are WEAKER than you:
- Remember Where You Came From.Who took you under their wing when you first started playing? Chances are you’ve improved your game since then by getting to play with better players, so pay it forward and make a point to regularly play with players who are weaker than you. You could regularly play a warm-up game with them, or once a week decide to dedicate the last 30-45 minutes of your play to playing with them, it’s up to you. Just find a way to pay it forward.
- If Now’s Not Good, Say When. If someone asks to play with you and you opt to play a higher-level game instead, let them know when you WOULD be willing to play, perhaps later in the day, or later in the week.
- Give Them a Head’s Up On How Long You’ll Stay.When you do play, let them know in advance how long you’re planning to play, you might say, “I’d love to play with you all for a game or two, but then I’d like to get in with those other players.”
- Don’t Be Patronizing — Or, Overly Aggressive. Instead of focusing on who wins or loses, find a way to make it challenging for yourself. Pick a shot you want to improve upon and focus on hitting that shot. Or, try to reduce your number of unforced errors. Focus on consistency and keeping the ball in play rather than slamming every put-away shot you get.
- Limit Your Feedback.If you notice something they could be doing better, limit your feedback to one aspect of their game during play. Giving them too many pointers can overwhelm them. Plus, they’re probably already a little nervous about being on the court with you, so don’t be too critical. Afterwards, if you want to give them more background info on your pointer, or give them one additional pointer, go ahead, but start out by asking permission first, “Would you like to hear more about what I noticed about your game?”
Print These Tips to Post At Your Courts
Like these tips? Want to share them with your group or club? You can thank my wife, Wendy, for creating these easy-to-print 8.5′ x 11″ mini-posters to post at your pickleball venue. Just click here to open and print the PDF.
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There are a variety of formats used for golf tournaments and outings. A popular one is best ball. This shouldn't be confused with the scramble format, which is sometimes mistakenly referred to as best ball.
Both of these formats allow beginning and experienced golfers to compete with each other in a tournament. According to the United States Golf Association, the official Rules of Golf apply to best ball formats as long as they are not at variance with specific rules.
Overview
Best ball is enjoyed by golfers of all skill levels in a tournament style of play.
There are a variety of formats used for golf tournaments and outings. A popular one is best ball. This shouldn't be confused with the scramble format, which is sometimes mistakenly referred to as best ball.
Both of these formats allow beginning and experienced golfers to compete with each other in a tournament. According to the United States Golf Association, the official Rules of Golf apply to best ball formats as long as they are not at variance with specific rules.
Best Ball vs. Scramble
In scramble format, all players tee off, choose which shot is best and all play their next shots from the location of the best shot. Play continues in this fashion for all of the 18 holes. For the best ball format, each player hits his own ball throughout the round.
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However, at the end of each hole, the lowest score or “best ball” is used as the team score. For example, if player A makes a 5, player B gets a 6, player C gets a 4 and player D gets a 6, the score recorded as the team score is 4, the lowest score. Best ball can be played with teams of two, three or four players.
Best Ball Strategies
Take handicaps into consideration so that weaker players receive strokes on some holes. Some tournaments require teams to record gross scores with adjustments for handicaps made after cards are turned in. Teams should be aware of which members are receiving a stroke or “pop” on the hole. This may be indicated as a dot on the scorecard.
The player receiving a stroke may be asked by the team to play conservatively, giving the more experienced player the opportunity to take an aggressive swing.
Or, the team may decide to allow the player with the stroke advantage to play aggressively in hopes of achieving a lower score for the hole. The players with the highest scores for the hole may putt first, to “show the line” to the team player with the lowest score.
Speed and Order of Play
For tournaments involving golfers with a wide range of abilities, it is important to design rules that speed up play.
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If it becomes clear that a player will not have the best ball for the hole, that player should be allowed to pick up his ball to move the game along more quickly.
Players should play “ready golf” and not be penalized for playing out of turn. If convenient, however, the player with the lowest score on the previous hole might be given 'honors' and play first.
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Sudden Death
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In the case of a tie for first place, a “sudden death” playoff can settle the score. If players are unavailable to play a “sudden death” round, the first and second prizes can be split between both teams.