Lakewood Ranch Pickleball Club DUPR League

 

MISSION STATEMENT

  • Lakewood Ranch Pickleball Club (LWRPC) mission aims to be the premier club in Lakewood Ranch (LWR) and Southwest Florida.
  • LWRPC’s goal is to foster fair, competitive, and social play within LWR communities and with local players.
  • LWRPC's DUPR Divisions will provide an organized and competitive offering that considers the needs of Captains and Players, adheres to rules, and maintains low costs.

LEAGUE FORMAT

  • There will be three seasons: Fall, Winter, and Spring.
  • Each division will consist of a seven-week regular season followed by a two-week playoff.
  • Captains are responsible for creating their own rosters with a minimum of 8 players for a team.
  • The Divisions will consist of: (Division Rating is based on a TEAM DUPR - aggregate of two players DUPR ratings – more detail in “DUPR Rating/Divisions” below)
    • Women’s Doubles (Scheduled play on Wednesdays at Noon)
    • Men’s Doubles (Scheduled play on Thursdays at Noon)

CAPTAIN/CO-CAPTAIN REQUIREMENTS

  • Community Team Captains/Co-Captains will have access to the Pickleballscores website (http://www.lwrpc.pickleballscores.com)
  • Create and pay for your Community Team: Login to Pickleballscores and click on Forms > DUPR > select season (i.e. DUPR Spring), enter your Last Name > Register and then complete form/pay.
  • Enter/update your full player roster prior to the beginning of each season: (Roster from previous season automatically loads) Login and select Admin (at the top) > Teams (left side) > Division (select yours in pull-down) > Edit beside your Team. Select Players to add/delete. (Note: Pull-down option for Player/Substitute are the same)
  • Teams are required to have a minimum of 8 players/substitutes who are not part of another team. Additional substitutes may be added from other community teams, provided they comply with DUPR rating Division regulations. The roster size must be sufficient to field a 6-person team each week.
  • Captains are required to create their own rosters, which will be finalized and locked once the season commences. Any subsequent modifications must be communicated to the League Managers at lwrpcdupr@gmail.com.
  • To view the play schedule, navigate to League > DUPR > select the appropriate Division > choose your Team, and find the Schedule in the bottom right corner.
  • The Home Team Captain must reserve 3 courts for warm-up and play. They should inform the Visiting Team Captain of all location details and confirm the match start time, preferably at least 5 days before the game.
  • Communicate with League Managers regarding any scheduling issues or other team/League questions/issues.
  • Each week, Captains will create a roster of 6 available players divided into 3 teams to participate in the upcoming games and confirm that all players are eligible according to the DUPR Rating/Divisions rules.
  • The Home Team Captain is responsible for bringing the League-provided balls for the games and recording all match scores on the League-designed score sheet. Retain score sheets for the rest of the season.
  • After the games have been completed, the Home Team Captain must enter all scores into the Pickleballscores If mutually agreed, Visiting Team Captain can enter scores. Choose Admin (top) > Team Leagues (middle left) > Scores (heading) > select Division > select correct match > Add > enter all match names/scores > Submit (button towards the bottom).
  • The Visiting Team Captain will verify the scores. Can do this in one of two ways: click to confirm scores from the Pickleballscores email, choose Match, click Edit, and then Submit scores. Or, log in to Pickleballscores, choose League > DUPR > select Division > select Team > select correct match, verify names/scores, and click Verify (at the bottom) scores.

PLAYER REQUIREMENTS

  • All DUPR League Players must be current members of the LWRPC. To join, sign up at lwrpickleballclub.com/membership (This is an automatic annual renewal unless you opt out.)
  • Players cannot play for another community’s team if one exists within their community.
  • Players are permitted to join or substitute for multiple community teams within the same community, provided that all League and DUPR rating regulations are adhered to.
  • Players must be at least 19 years old.
  • Players are responsible for verifying their paddle is on the Approved Paddle List.
  • Players that display unsportsmanlike conduct, using illicit substances, impersonate another player or engage in any direct/indirect mistreatment of any player, spectator or any other person may be banned from the League.
  • All DUPR League players must have a free DUPR ID which can be found at: mydupr.com
  • Players can also join the LWRPC DUPR Club at: https://bit.ly/3VAEep5

DUPR RATING/DIVISIONS

  • A player's "Season DUPR Rating" is established on the Monday of the first scheduled week and remains consistent for the entire season.
  • All DUPR ratings will be truncated to the nearest tenth. For example, a rating of 3.494 will become 3.4, and a rating of 3.501 will become 3.5. Truncating instead of rounding will be implemented starting Fall 2025
  • Any player or team that is found to be cheating, tanking, game-fixing or any kind of data manipulation, including creating multiple DUPR accounts, will be banned from the League for one calendar year.
  • Players with an "NR" DUPR rating are permitted to compete in any division. Input from a pickleball professional or a Certified DUPR Coach is strongly suggested to help assign the player to the most suitable division. (For Team aggregate play calculations, players with this rating would initially have a “Season DUPR Rating” of the Divisions maximum individual rating minus .5. For example, a player that has an NR rating in DUPR 7 would use 3.3 (3.8(ind. max) - .5) as their rating for the team.) Will become active starting Fall 2025
  • The Season DUPR Ratings for all players will be distributed to all Captains within the Division prior to the commencement of the first game of the season.
  • Add both players’ Season DUPR Ratings to get your TEAM DUPR Rating. There are individual maximums for each Division, which will be strictly enforced. Each match must not exceed the DUPR Division top rating, also strictly enforced. Teams that do not adhere to these rules will automatically forfeit their games. These forfeited games will not be sent to DUPR, and will update the pickleballscores system and team standings accordingly.
  • A player whose individual rating exceeds the division maximum at the beginning of the season is strictly prohibited from participating in that division. If a Player rises above the maximum during the season, they may complete that season in that Division.
  • Players can compete in any Division higher than their DUPR rating.

GAME/LEAGUE RULES

  • USA Pickleball Rules apply to all matches (https://usapickleball.org/), including USA Pickleball-approved equipment. Games played with unauthorized paddles or equipment will be forfeited, not recorded, and not posted to DUPR if discovered by players/captains during or after play.
  • The game format is a round robin; 3 courts; each game to 15 (win by 1) with 2 time-outs per team.
  • Each doubles team competes against all three teams from the opposing community (6 players per community team).
  • Coaching is permitted only during timeouts or between games and off the court.
  • Individuals who are not participating in the game shall refrain from making calls or providing coaching during play.
  • Video recording is allowed only if all players give their approval before the game starts.
  • One point is awarded for each game won.
  • If a player cannot finish a game, it is forfeited. A substitute may play the remaining games if available; otherwise, those games are also forfeited.
  • If both coaches agree, games may be rescheduled to a different time on the same day or to another day within the same week. However, all game scores must be submitted by Friday of the same week by midnight. If this deadline cannot be met due to weather conditions or other unforeseen circumstances, the Home Captain must notify lwrpcdupr@gmail.com before Friday at midnight with the rescheduled date and time. Failure to do so may result in forfeiture of the games.
  • All makeup games must be played at least one week before the playoffs.
  • If a team is unable to reschedule or does not have enough players to field a full roster, they will forfeit the matches with a 7-0 loss.
  • All games affected by weather-related issues that are not rescheduled or games that both teams are unable to reschedule within the timeframe of the Rules will be scored 4-4.
  • End of Season Playoffs:
    • The end of each season will feature a playoff round with the top 4 teams in each division, determined by the Pickleballscores point system. Ties are broken by head-to-head results, then total fewest opponent points.
    • Playoffs will take place the week following the last regular season games, with all games played at one location.  Each team will set up its usual three lines for match play.
    • Instead of traditional matchups, a round-robin format will be used: Line 1 players will compete against all other Line 1 players, Line 2 vs. all Line 2 players, etc.
    • Each win will count as one point, and the totals of all 3 lines/teams at the end will determine the Gold, Silver, and Bronze team winners. Ties will be broken by head-to-head results, then total fewest opponent points.

LEAGUE FEES AND PROVISIONS

  • There is a cost per Team per Division per Season as communicated prior to the Season.
  • The League shall provide:
    • All balls for the regular season and playoffs (Franklin Outdoor X-40 Optic color)
    • All games are posted to players’ DUPR accounts, and rating updates
    • All scheduling, website, insurance (for individuals and Communities), and administrative costs
    • Free entry into the following season for Gold Medal/1st place teams in each Division
  • No refunds will be issued starting one week prior to the start of the season.
  • Waiver: As an LWRPC member, you acknowledge the risks of participation and release LWRPC, match sites, communities/clubs, and all officers/volunteers from any claims, liability, and costs.

ALL-STAR TOURNAMENT

  • The League will hold a mid-season All-Star Tournament between the Winter and Spring seasons.
  • Each Community Team will select 2 players for the All-Star Tournament.
  • All regular season eligibility standards apply and will be based on the Winter season.
  • A double-elimination tournament will determine the All-Star Champs.
  • The League will award medals to Gold/1st place winners in each Division.

DUPR LEAGUE MANAGERS

The DUPR League Managers will resolve any disputes/issues during the season.

For questions or concerns, please reach out to one of the following DUPR League Managers: