Pickleball

You may play with 2 or 4 people per court. Everyone is welcome, though you must have an account to play.


Please bring clean court shoes and your own paddle and balls (facility has some balls and paddles available to use).

READY TO GET STARTED?

Difficulty

All Levels

Refer to the CourtReserve schedule to see the level of play for sign-up groups.


Various drop in/sign up sessions are geared towards certain skill levels to make it most enjoyable for people. If you are uncertain of your skill level, a club representative could assist with an assessment based on USA Pickleball's guidelines and an understanding of our club's sessions typical level of play. Relatedly, a club assessment may be required to attend higher level sessions.

Price
Location

Harvest Pickleball & Tennis

320 S 17th St. Ames, IA

Pickleball game in indoor court. Players hitting ball over net, blue court with multiple playing areas.

Nature's Symphony

Breathtaking colors of our planet
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Three people with pickleball paddles and balls, talking inside a building.

Faces of Humanity

Portraits of people from around the globe
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Woman in orange shorts playing pickleball; indoors on a blue court; others in background.

Sands of Time

Stark beauty of desolate dunes
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Two pickleball paddles, a yellow ball, blue surface. Green/black and blue/orange paddles.

Beyond Boundaries

Visual odyssey across continents
Two men stand on a pickleball court, holding paddles. They are smiling; the background is a net.
Pickleball paddles and ball on a blue court with a net in the background.
People in a room, some holding pickleball paddles. Woman in blue shirt talks to man. Others stand nearby.
Two men playing pickleball on a blue court; one in white shirt and red shorts, the other in blue shirt and black shorts.
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LEARN PICKLEBALL

New to pickleball? You're in the right place.  Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the country because it's easy to learn, fun to play, and a great way to meet people of all ages..

"How to play pickleball in under two minutes"

  • The layout of the pickleball court (lines, zones)
  • How to serve (and basic serve rules)
  • Faults you should avoid
  • The "two bounce rule" (each side must let the ball bounce once before volleys"
  • The non-volley zone, aka "the kitchen"
  • A bit of clean-up rules/extra notes

 

CREATE PICKLEBALL ACCOUNT

PICKLEBALL RULES

  • SCORING

    1. Games are played to 11 points, win by 2, with one point scored on each rally.
    2.  Points are scored only by the serving team.
    3. When the serving team’s score is even (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10), the player who was the first server in the game for that team will be in the right/even court when serving or receiving; when the score is odd (1, 3, 5, 7, 9) that first server will be in the left/odd court when serving or receiving.
    4. Unique rule for first server: the team who serves first gets only one server; after that, both teams have both players get a turn of service.

  • SERVING SEQUENCE

    1. A team’s first server is always the player on the right side.
    2.  The serve is executed diagonally crosscourt, and the served ball must land within the confines of the opposite team’s quadrant.
    3.  When the serve is struck, the server’s arm must be moving in an upward arc.
    4.  At contact, the server’s paddle head must not be above the highest part of the wrist, and the paddle must not be above the server’s waist.
    5.   A “drop-bounce serve” is also permitted, in which case items 3-4 above don’t apply.
    6. Also, at the time the serve is struck, the server’s feet may not touch the baseline.
    7. If a point is scored by the server, the server switches sides with his/her partner and initiates the next serve from the left side of the court.
    8. As subsequent points are scored, the server continues switching back and forth (L-R-L-R, etc.) until a fault is committed, and the first server loses the serve.
    9. When the first server loses the serve, the partner then serves from their current position/side of the court.
    10. The second server continues serving until his/her team commits a fault and loses the serve to the opposing team.
    11. Once the service goes to the opposition (at side out), the first serve is always from the right court, and both players on the serving team have the opportunity to serve and score points until the second server loses the serve.

  • TWO-BOUNCE RULE

    1. When the ball is served, the receiving team must let the serve bounce once before returning it, and then the serving team must also let the returned serve bounce once before returning it; thus, two bounces–one on each side.
    2. After the ball has bounced once in each team’s court, both teams may either volley the ball (hit the ball before it bounces) or play it off a single bounce (which is a ground stroke).
    3. The two-bounce rule eliminates any advantage on the serve and the first volley.

  • LINE CALLS

    1. On a serve, a ball contacting any part of any line is considered “in” (except for a served ball that contacts the kitchen/non-volley zone line is a fault).
    2. On any non-serve, the lines are in.

  • NON-VOLLEY ZONE

    1. The non-volley zone is commonly referred to as “the kitchen.”
    2. The non-volley zone (kitchen) is the court area within 7 feet of the net.
    3. Volleying is prohibited when a player is standing in the non-volley zone. This rule prevents players from executing smashes from within this zone.
    4. It is a fault if, when volleying a ball, the player steps on the non-volley zone line, or when the player’s momentum causes them to touch the non-volley zone lines.
    5. It is a fault if, after volleying, a player is carried by momentum into or touches the non-volley zone, even if the volleyed ball is declared dead before this happens.
    6. A player may legally be in the non-volley zone any time other than when volleying a ball.

  • FAULTS

    1. A fault is any action that stops play because of a rule violation.
    2. A fault by the receiving team results in a point for the serving team.
    3. A fault by the serving team results in the server’s loss of serve or a side out.

CREATE PICKLEBALL ACCOUNT