Running open play on several courts at once
One shared list, the next group already planned, and games of a predictable length. How to keep four or more courts full without shouting.
By Albert Antioquia · Updated
One court runs itself. With three or more, courts finish at different times, players lose track of where they’re meant to be, and the host spends the night shouting names. The fix is one rule and three habits: send the next group to whichever court frees up first, from one shared list; name the courts; plan the next group before a court is free; and cap game length so courts turn over at a steady pace.
Rounds or a rolling queue?
There are two ways to run several courts, and mixing them is what causes the chaos.
| Rounds (everyone changes together) | Rolling queue (each court on its own) | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | All courts start together; next round waits for the last game | A court that finishes takes the next group at once |
| Courts sit idle? | Yes, waiting for the slowest game | No |
| Needs a clock? | Yes, timed games work best | No |
| Good for | Round robins, ladders, mixers | Open play, drop-in, club nights |
| Breaks when | One long game holds up every court | Nobody knows who is next |
For tournaments and ladder nights, use rounds and a timer. For open play, use a rolling queue. The rest of this guide is about making a rolling queue work.
Rule 1: one list, not one line per court
A separate line per court looks tidy but isn’t fair: one court has a long game, its line waits, and the court next door keeps cycling. Keep one shared list for the whole venue. The next group goes to whichever court frees up first, whatever its number.
The exception is a deliberate split. Some venues keep one or two courts for a higher level or for beginners. Then you have two lists, one per group of courts, and each still follows rule 1.
Rule 2: plan the next group before the court is free
Most of the dead time on a busy night is the minute after a game ends, while someone works out who should go on. Have the next one or two groups already decided and visible. When a court frees up, the group at the top walks on.
Make the groups from whoever has played the fewest games, then balance the two teams. The skill level guide shows how to split four players fairly.
Rule 3: name the courts
“Court 3” must mean the same court to everyone. Number them in the order people see them from the entrance, put a sign on each, and use those names in every call. In halls where the numbers painted on the floor don’t match the booking system, pick one and stick to it.
Rule 4: keep games the same length
A rolling queue copes with uneven finishes, but very long games still slow the night down. Two common fixes:
- Shorter games: badminton to 15 instead of 21, pickleball to 11 rather than 15.
- A time cap: when the cap is reached, finish the current point and come off.
To see how many courts your numbers need and how long people will wait, use the open play wait calculator. As a rule of thumb, waits stay at one game or less with up to eight players per court in doubles.
A worked example: 4 courts, 26 players
Sixteen are on court and ten are waiting. With 15-minute games, about one court frees up every four minutes on average, and each player sits out roughly 9 to 10 minutes between games. The host keeps the next two groups of four planned. When Court 2 finishes, group one walks on; the host plans another group from the two players not yet planned plus the four who just came off. The players who just finished go to the end of the order, so they only play again after everyone waiting has had a turn.
Running it in PaQueueKa
- Courts: a session can have 1 to 12 courts. With three or more you swipe between them in the live session.
- Next Up: one list of planned sets for the whole venue. The app plans them from games played, level and recent partners, or you build them by hand, and you send a set to whichever court is free in one tap. How Next Up works.
- Everyone sees it: players see who is next on their own phones, so nobody crowds the host.
- Court names: Pro Hosts can name courts to match the venue.
Try it at your next session
PaQueueKa runs the queue, the rotation and the fee split for badminton and pickleball. Hosting and joining are free on iPhone and Android.