Run a pickleball tournamentwith a format for every hour you have
Pickleball is growing faster than the halls are, so the question at every tournament is how many matches fit in your block. The rulebook holds eight match formats for exactly that, from three games to 21 down to a single game to 7. All eight are in PlayTour, and you pick per category.
What makes a pickleball tournament different
The world federation rulebooks and the USA Pickleball rules are built into PlayTour. Three things stand out.
A format that fits your hall hours
Best of three to 11 is the ordinary form. For a pool of six or more the rulebook keeps it to a single game, which is exactly the format for a busy club day. If things run late there is the game to 7 the rulebook names as the fallback. All of them by two points, with no ceiling: 14-12 is a normal game.
- Best of three or best of five to 11
- A single game to 11, 15 or 21 for a full pool
- Long games to 15 or 21 under rally scoring
- A game to 7 when things really run late
Singles, doubles and mixed without three lists
Singles, doubles and mixed doubles side by side, each with their own pools and their own match format. Doubles pairs confirm each other through a link of their own, so you keep no list of who plays with whom.
- Singles, doubles and mixed doubles
- Partners confirm each other, with a link of their own
- Grades, so beginners are not drawn against the top
- Withdrawals are handled before the draw rather than after it
Your courts decide what fits
You enter how many courts there are and how long you expect a match to take. Only then do you pick a format, because only then do you know which one fits. The schedule spreads the pools across the courts and shows when the final starts.
- Pools first, knockout after, in one tournament
- Courts and times per round
- A consolation draw with its own, longer format
- The table is right while matches are still being played
Setting up a pickleball tournament
Four decisions, after which entries run without you.
- 1
Create your categories
Singles, doubles or mixed doubles, and within that the grades you want.
- 2
Pick a format per category
Work back from your hall hours: courts times blocks is the number of matches that fit. Only then decide whether a pool plays one game or best of three.
- 3
Open entries
You share a link. Players enter themselves, doubles pairs confirm each other. You can see how full each category is.
- 4
Enter games at the court
Scores go in game by game, on a phone. The pool table works itself out.
Questions about pickleball tournaments
Do you play side-out or rally scoring?+
Both, but PlayTour cannot tell the difference. A game score looks identical under either, so the choice is something you state in your tournament information rather than a setting in the system. What does matter is the length: under rally scoring a game to 15 runs faster than the number suggests.
Which format do I pick for a pool of eight?+
The rulebook keeps a pool of six or more to a single game, and that is also the practical answer: eight players in a pool means twenty-eight matches. Best of three would turn that into a whole day.
What if the hall closes at five and we are running late?+
Then there is the game to 7 that the rulebook names as the fallback, still by two points. You change the format per category, so you do not have to rebuild the whole tournament.
What does this cost?+
Publishing and taking entries are in the free plan, up to three tournaments a year and fifty entrants each. The draw, the schedule and live scoring are on a paid plan, billed per club per year rather than per tournament.
Set up your pickleball tournament and fill the courts
A free account, three categories side by side, and a format that fits the hours you have.