Tennis Rules for The Branches Club (rev. 11/17))
The Branches Club, Inc. exists solely for the recreation of its members. The general membership’s welfare is the sole consideration and responsibility of the Board of Directors and Club committees. Activities such as ALTA & USTA are for the adult and youth members, and are considered forms of recreation only. The Board and the Chairman of the Tennis Committee administer the Tennis Rules. The Tennis Chairman’s responsibility is to monitor the observance of these rules and assist the captains in managing their teams. These rules can be reviewed annually and changed with the approval of the Tennis Chair and the Board.
GENERAL RULES 1. The courts are to be used for tennis only. Tennis shoes & shirts must be worn on the courts. Bathing suits are not allowed on the courts. 2. Spectators & pets are to remain outside the courts. Children are not allowed on courts unless they are playing tennis. 3. Courts are not to be used for rollerblading, skateboarding, bike riding, scooters, street hockey, etc. 4. Offensive language & disruptive behavior will not be tolerated on the courts or surrounding area. 5. Glass containers, gum and black-soled shoes are not permitted on courts. Red clay on the bottom of any type shoe will stain the tennis court surface. 6. Tournaments in the Branches are for club members in good standing only, unless otherwise specified. 7. Members & guests must use the parking lot instead of the streets near the courts. Violators who park on the street – particularly in no-parking areas (as indicated by “no parking” signs) – will be subject to all applicable City of Dunwoody ordinances and may be towed at the owner’s expense. 8. Committee-approved events such as league matches, scrimmages, tournaments and team/group lessons take precedence over regular play. The Tennis Chair must approve any regularly pre-scheduled event. The Tennis Scheduler will promptly post events on the online reservations page. 9. Single players must offer to play doubles when others are waiting. 10. Empty trash cans after play; remove your trash. 11. Anyone caught vandalizing the court area or any part of Branches Club property will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. 12. The Branches Club, Inc. is not responsible for accidents resulting from use of facilities. 13. The use of blowers to clean the courts is prohibited before 8 a.m., nor after 6:30 p.m.
RESERVING A COURT 1. The Branches’ courts may be reserved for private or group play. Courts 1 and 2 should be used for recreational or match play. 2. A maximum of two courts may be pre-reserved by submitting a request to the e-tennis scheduler in advance at tennis@thebranches.org for committee-approved events such as team scrimmages, team lessons, member children group clinics and personal league matches such as T2, KSwiss, Peach Tennis and other independent tennis leagues. 3. All recreational play should be reserved the day prior to and the day of the scheduled playing time using the online reservations page on the Branches Club website. 4. Recreational play is limited to one & one-half hours (1 ½) and should start on the hour or half hour. For personal league matches such as T2, KSwiss or other similar match play, a court may be reserved for two (2) hours. 5. A player forfeits his reservation if he/she does not occupy the court 10 minutes after scheduled start time. Non-members cannot hold the court. 6. Players cannot make back-to-back reservations. The only exception is a coach giving lessons. 7. Generally, a single group cannot use all four courts at one time. Two exceptions are: ALTA teams playing home matches/scrimmages simultaneously and approved Branches Club tennis events. 8. When league play is cancelled due to weather, check the online reservations page before scheduling a make-up. The sign-up sheet takes precedence over rain make-ups.
ALTA LESSONS / PRACTICE 1. Each ALTA team is now allowed one court for up to two hours of pre-scheduled lesson or practice time each week during the ALTA season. 2. The sessions must be on a set day and time each week for the duration of each season. 3. Pre-reservation times for these practice/lesson sessions are subject to availability rules. 4. If a team requires two separate practice/lesson times each week (due to scheduling issues), each practice/lesson can be no longer than one hour each (to reach the two hour per week total). 5. These pre-scheduled sessions must be arranged by ALTA team captains via email request at the beginning of each ALTA season with the tennis court scheduler tennis@thebranches.org. 6. Any additional team practice time desired by each ALTA team can be scheduled online by team captains using the 24-hour rule. 7. AS CLARIFICATION: Each team is still allowed to pre-reserve two courts one time during each season (again scheduled through the tennis court scheduler) for a practice, scrimmage or party.
GUEST POLICY 1. Club members may have guests on the courts. 2. Non-members who are eligible for Branches Club membership CANNOT be guests. Please support your fellow members by respecting this rule. 3. During league matches, the club member ratio must be 50%. Guests should not occupy a court until the club member has arrived. 4. Direct guests to use the parking lot.
LESSONS 1. Courts 3 and 4 should be used for team lessons, group clinics and/or private lessons. 2. If you choose to play on courts 3 or 4, be aware that coaches may teach next to you. 3. A maximum of 2 group lessons can be given at any one time. Team and board-approved group lessons may be pre-scheduled by contacting the Tennis Scheduler. 4. Following the completion of a series of group lessons, a club member must contact the Tennis Scheduler before resuming another series of lessons. All group lessons and clinics must have a start and end date provided to the Tennis Scheduler. 5. Only 1 court per group or team can be reserved for group/team lessons. 6. The Branches Club, Inc. does not retain or endorse any one particular coach. 7. Lessons are not to be scheduled at peak times when ALTA/USTA matches or approved Branches tennis events are being played. Please do not schedule any lessons at the same time that a league match is being played. 8. An individual private lesson may be reserved 24 hours in advance and may occupy court 1 or 2 in the event that courts 3 and 4 are booked at the time of sign-up.
LEAGUE PLAY 1. Any member in good standing can play on any team in the Branches. 2. A captain of a Branches team has the responsibility to determine the eligibility of his/her players. 3. Captains are required to contact opposing teams (via phone or email) prior to home matches and direct them to use the Branches Club parking lot (versus parking along the street). On the day of match play at the Branches Club, Captains are encouraged to select a home team member to monitor the parking situation and direct visiting players to the club parking lot in the event attempts are made to park on the street. 4. Immediately upon receipt each season, a roster and schedule must be submitted to the Tennis Chairman, in order to be eligible to play on Branches Courts. A schedule also must be given to the Tennis Scheduler. 5. Married couples who wish to play Mixed Doubles reserve the right to play on the same team and the couple must play on the level of the higher player. 6. To form a new adult or junior ALTA or USTA team, a member must contact the Tennis Chairman for approval and assistance.
NON-MEMBER PLAYERS 1. Branches members have priority in forming a team and no team can have more than 4 outside members. 2. A non-club member may be added to a team only if (1) an adult team has fewer than 18 members, or a junior team has fewer than 8 members, (2) no other Branches team exists within 1 flight, (3) the non-member player does not change the level of the existing team.
ADDING A NON-MEMBER PLAYER The following actions must be taken before adding a non-club member to the roster: 1. The Tennis Chairman must be contacted. 2. An item must be placed on the website soliciting club members at the appropriate playing level. 3. The non-member must pay $50 per adult prior to the start of the season. 4. The team’s matches will not be scheduled by the Tennis Scheduler until all non-members have submitted full payment. In addition to the above requirements and actions, the following rules also apply to non-members: 1. Non-members may not be added after the roster deadline. 2. Non-members eligible for Branches Membership cannot play on Branches teams. 3. Non-members may only use the Branches courts for coaching and scheduled ALTA/USTA matches. 4. Non-members receive no other club privileges. 5. Non-members must be reinstated using the above procedures and pay $50 every season. 6. Rule violations will result in a fine of $150 to the team captain. See Article XI, Section 4 of the bylaws for enforcement.
TENNIS COURT LIGHTS/HOURS OF OPERATION
1. The courts are officially open for play during the following hours: 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. Tuesday after Labor Day through Thursday before Memorial Day 8 a.m. – 10 p.m. Friday before Memorial Day – Labor Day Monday 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. Every Sunday 2. Tennis court lights will turn on when engaged manually by a member at such time as additional light is required and will automatically turn off at the “closing” times indicated above. 3. If players depart the courts before the automatic cut-off times, the last groups to leave are encouraged to manually turn off the lights on the court(s) on which they played. 4. All players are asked to depart the courts at the closing times posted above.