Open play guides for badminton and pickleball

Written for whoever runs the queue. Each guide answers one question in full, with the numbers worked out, and works whether or not you use the app.

• Running a fair badminton open playCourts-to-players maths, four rotation rules, formats and two fair fee splits.
• Open play sa badminton (Tagalog)Ang parehong gabay sa Tagalog: pila, rotation at hatian ng bayad.
• Pickleball open playWhere the paddle stack breaks, rotation formats, and wait times for pickleball.
• Paddle rack rulesHow paddle racks work at open play, when to use 4 on 4 off or 2 on 2 off with winners splitting, win caps, and a sign you can post at your courts.
• King of the courtWinners-stay rules for doubles, the up river / down river ladder across several courts, and how to set a win cap so the bench keeps moving.
• Splitting court feesFour fair ways to split badminton or pickleball court and shuttle costs (even, by games, per game, flat rate) plus late arrivals, guests and no-shows.
• Balancing skill levelsA five-level scale for badminton and pickleball, which levels can share a court, how to split four players into fair teams, and what to do with a wide spread.
• Club night formatsPeg board, groups of four, organiser-picked games, court ladder or a shared queue: how each badminton club night format works and which suits your numbers.
• Round robin vs open playRotating-partner mixers, popcorn, scramble and fixed teams compared with a live open play queue, and how to choose for badminton or pickleball socials.

Also see features and calculators.