Was playing a foursome with nice folks and wanted to resume with same players so I walked over to stack the four paddles. There was one paddle present. He had just come off the most preferred court and in fact had been hogging it for three games. I signaled to my players that we were taking the good court,. Three other courts were open, and my reasoning was that when he got three other players he could then pick his court. But he jumped into the court we were now on and assumed player position. I said politely that we already had a foursome and he said you can’t bump me because my paddle was down first. Very obnoxious fellow.
What say you picklers? In this situation does he get first pick of the courts with only one paddle down? Can he prevent others from playing on “his” court if there are three other open courts waiting to be used? How would you have handled this situation?
In pickleball etiquette, the player who has been waiting the longest or had their paddle down first typically gets priority for court selection. However, if there are multiple open courts available and a player insists on using a specific court without considering the preferences of others, it can create tension and conflict. In such situations, communication and compromise are key. It’s important to be respectful and considerate of everyone’s preferences while also finding a fair resolution. Diplomacy and discussing the options openly could have helped avoid the confrontation in this scenario.