Douglas Lawn Tennis Club Rules
Effective 27th of April 2019
The following rules shall govern the use of Douglas Lawn Tennis Club (hereinafter “the Club”) unless altered by the Club’s duly elected committee members (hereinafter “the Committee”).
The objective of the Club rules (hereinafter “the Rules”) is to promote an ethos of respect and high standards of etiquette from all members of the Club. Where any conflict arises between the Club’s constitution (hereinafter “the Constitution”) and the Rules, the Constitution shall take precedence.
Rule 1 – General Club Etiquette
1.1 Club facilities are reserved for the use of paid up members and their guests (provided such guests are invited in accordance with the rules for guest players).
1.2 The Committee is responsible for the management and upkeep of the clubhouse. However, after a match or tournament it is the responsibility of the organizing person(s) to ensure that the Club facilities are left in a clean and proper state.
1.3 It shall be the responsibility of all members to take all reasonable care to use the Club facilities in such a manner as to avoid causing any damage.
1.4 All Members should enter and leave the Club premises at a low speed of 25km/h and use caution while driving through the neighborhood in Douglas Hall Lawn.
1.5 Cars should be parked in the car park only in the marked spaces and in such a manner as to avoid causing any nuisance or obstruction to other users of the car park.
1.6 Litter shall be put in the bins provided.
1.7 No dogs shall be allowed on any part of the Clubgrounds, except on a lead, or under strict control. Pets are not allowed in the court area or in the clubhouse.
1.8 Club property may not be taken from the premises without the prior permission of the Committee.
1.9 Members are required to obey any Club notices which may be posted from time to time in and around the clubhouse governing the use of same.
Rule 2 – Court Booking Policy
2.1 Courts may be booked on the court booking management system “Clubmanager.ie” from 22:10 (10:10 pm) one week in advance of the date the court is required.
2.2 Each court booking is for a period of 60 minutes. The court must be vacated strictly on the hour unless there is no other member waiting to go on court.
2.3 A member shall not be permitted to make more than one court booking per day.
2.4 Members are asked to take into consideration the number of members in the Club and to use their discretion when booking courts.
2.5 The club asks Senior Members not to play singles or coaching during peak hours Monday to Thursday from 7pm to 9pm.
2.6 A member shall cancel a game at the earliest opportunity possible. Court cancellations shall be reviewed by the Committee. Frequent late cancellations by any member shall be reviewed and the Committee may at its discretion impose a sanction on such member.
2.7 Preference shall be given to members who have pre-booked a court online. Un-booked courts shall be occupied on a “first come first served” basis.
2.8 In the event that a booked court remains vacant for more than 15 minutes from the booked timeslot, the court will be deemed to be free for the remainder of the booking time and may be used by another member on a first come first served basis.
2.9 No pairing or foursome may book a court for more than 2 consecutive hours.
2.10 Courts may be booked for particular events such as matches, tournaments, coaching sessions, and Club nights by pre-booking by prior arrangement with the Committee.
2.11 Matches should be played on Saturday or Sunday unless in exceptional circumstances and then at the discretion of the Club Captain.
Rule 3 – Court & Tennis Etiquette
3.1 The rules of play shall be governed by Tennis Ireland and the rules of Fair Play shall always be adhered to.
3.2 Courts can only be used during designated hours 8.30 am to 10.00 pm Monday to Sunday. Floodlighting must not be used after 10.00 p.m.
3.3 For Health & Safety reasons, appropriate tennis attire shall be worn on court. Acceptable attire shall include tennis shorts, T-shirts, tennis skirts, tracksuits, non-marking tennis shoes.
3.4 There is a strict no-smoking policy on court, in the alleyway between the courts, and inside the clubhouse.
3.5 No chewing gum shall be consumed on court areas, as it damages the court surface. All drink containers shall be removed from the court area after playing.
3.6 Entrance gates to courts shall be closed when the courts are vacated. Members have the responsibility to close the main gate from the alleyway if they are last to leave the courts (regardless of time of day).
3.7 No persons other than the players and, where necessary, an umpire shall be allowed on court while games are in progress.
3.8 Members shall not walk onto another member’s court for the purposes of ball retrieval or any other purpose during play. Members must wait for the point to finish before retrieving a ball.
3.9 Each member using the courts shall take care not to cause any damage to the court surface, the nets or perimeter fencing by misusing them.
3.10 Courts should not be used if there is excessive rain, snow, or ice present on the courts. Court closure due to adverse weather will be communicated to members via e-mail. Players should not use the courts when it is unsafe to do so.
Rule 4 – Access to the Club
4.1 The Club provides access to the clubhouse and courts using an electronic fob system.
4.2 Fobs will be issued to paid up Senior and Student members only. Junior fobs will be provided on request with a deposit of 20 euros.
4.3 Family membership will receive 2 Senior fobs.
4.4 Lost fobs will be replaced on payment of a fee, which covers the cost of a new fob.
4.5 It is recommended that members keep their fob on them at all times to make sure that they will be able to access and exit the clubhouse and courts at all times.
Rule 5 – Junior Members (Under 18 years)
5.1 Any junior member of the club may use the tennis courts at any time between 8.30am and 6pm, except on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank holidays when juniors may play from 8.30am to 10pm. (This includes junior one-on-one coaching).
5.2 A Senior member may play with a junior from 6-7pm Monday to Friday.
5.3 No one-on-one Junior Coaching from Monday to Friday between 6pm-10pm.
5.4 Junior group coaching may be permitted on Monday-Friday between 6-7pm on a limited basis. The days of the week and the courts to be used shall be specified by the Committee.
5.5 Junior members are the responsibility of their parents while they are on the Club premises. An exception to this rule is a junior or child attending for the purpose of junior coaching or match play in which case the junior member shall remain under the supervision of the Club coach or coaches.
Rule 6 – Guests/Visitors
6.1 Any Club member may bring a guest to play tennis on the Club courts. Each member is allowed to bring the same guest to the Club on a maximum of 5 occasions in any one year.
6.2 Each member and their guest shall be required to sign the guest register located in the hallway and pay the five euro guest fee on arrival, into the box on the office door.
6.3 The Guest Fees shall be as determined by the Committee from time to time and displayed on the Club notice board.
6.4 Each guest shall be required to comply with the Rules of the Club while on the Club premises. It shall be the responsibility of the host member to ensure that their guest is fully aware of and complies with these Rules.
Breach of Rules
Any breach of club rules will be dealt with by the committee. Persistent breaches will result in sanctions against the member/s involved.
Code of Conduct for Junior Members
1. Play fairly, do their best and have fun.
2. Behave in a manner that avoids bringing the sport into disrepute.
3. Respect coaches and other club members.
4. Respect opponents and always shake hands at the end of a match.
5. Refrain from the use of bad language and inappropriate gestures.
6. Refrain from damaging sport equipment.
7. Respect officials and accept their decisions.
8. Never use bullying tactics to isolate another player.
9. Win with grace and lose with dignity.
10. Talk to the children’s officer if you have concerns – names of CPO’s on the noticeboard in the hallway.
11. Poor Behaviour – a zero tolerance policy for poor behaviour on court and with 3 warnings will lead to the junior being removed from the coaching program.
12. Juniors under the age of 16 years must be supervised by an adult outside of coaching times whilst on club grounds and must be dropped off and more importantly collected on time from coaching.
13. Hours for Juniors – Monday to Friday 8.30am-6pm & 6pm -7pm accompanied on court by an adult member, Saturdays, Sundays & Bank holiday Mondays 8.30am-10pm