top of page
Distressed blue wave

Emerald Coast Turf Wars FAQ

Players FAQ

What - Where - When

  1. What is the Emerald Coast Turf Wars

    • A series of “Battles” modeled after the Minor/Major League Pickleball (MLP) MLPlay™  game format taking place monthly. These events will unite teams from various backgrounds, each vying for coveted cash prizes and the ultimate bragging rights. Plus, to sweeten the deal, a super dope title belt awaits the victorious team at the end of the series. Beyond the competition, these tournaments offer a fantastic opportunity to connect with fellow players, fostering new friendships and sharing your passion for the game with like-minded enthusiasts. 

  2. When will the “Battles” be held?

    • They will be held the first Sunday of each month at 8am. In the event of inclement weather our rain day will be the second Sunday of that month. Schedule will be as followed:

      • Captains meeting at 7:30am

      • Players meeting at 7:45am

      • Matches will begin at 8am

  3. What are Turfs?

    • Turfs can be courts, neighborhoods, businesses or anything the teams decide to put up to say we are the best! 

  4. When and where is the first “Battle” 

    • June 2nd at Parker. 9am start time.

  5. When and where are the rest of the “Battles”  

    • July 7th, 2024 -  Court TBD

    • August 4th, 2024 -  Court TBD

    • September 1st, 2024 -  Court TBD

    • October 12th, 2024 -  Papa Joes Bayside

    • November 2nd, 2024 – Papa Joe's Bayside

    • December 7th, 2024 – Papa Joe's Bayside

    • January 4th, 2025 – Pickleball Turf Blowout (Location TBD)

  6. How does registration work?

    • Turf Wars uses a two part registration;

      • The first is the Player Registration Form that is designed to get all of the Players/Captains, Turf and Teams names solidified.

      • The second is the Team Registration form. The Captains will fill this form out to identify each player on their Jedi and Padawan team before each months battle. The Team Registration will happen two weeks prior to the battle. 

Teams

  1. What does the team structure look like for the Emerald Coast Turf Wars?

    • In each Turf, there can be a total maximum of 10 players with 8 players representing two teams, namely the Jedi Team and the Padawan Team, while 2 players will serve as substitutes for their Turf. Each team will comprise four players, consisting of two (2) women and two (2) men. The skill level of the teams will be capped, determined by the cumulative ratings of each individual player. These are Ideal numbers and if you don't meet those, that is ok. As long as the players you have at your disposal do not exceed the point cap for each team you are good to go!

    • EXAMPLE:

      • Team Jedi (A Team)

        • Capped at 17.5 skill level amongst the 2 female and 2 males

          • Player 1 - 4.5

          • Player 2 - 4.5

          • Player 3 - 4.0

          • Player 4 - 4.0

      • Team Padawan (B Team)

        • Capped at 15.5 point amongst the 2 female and 2 males

          • Player 1 - 4.0

          • Player 2 - 4.0

          • Player 3 - 3.5

          • Player 4 - 3.5

  2. Who organizes the teams?

    • ​Each Turf will have a Captain assigned to them who will organize the teams.

  3. How is a Tuff Captain selected?

    • By volunteering. If you are interested in being a captain make sure to select that when registering.

  4. What is a Turf Captain responsible for? 

  5. Are official ratings required to participate in the Emerald Coast Turf Wars?

    • YESish - A DUPR rating is required however getting rated by a certified specialist is also acceptable. This is to prevent players self rating themselves too low and “Sandbagging" to maximize points during Battles. Please submit your proof to your Team Captain. Please note as of 6/4/2024 DUPR has released a Reliability Score which measures how confident they are in a player’s rating based on their match history and connectivity to the broader DUPR population. It ranges from 0% to 100%, where 100% means they are very confident that the player’s rating is reliable, and lower percentages indicate less confidence. This score helps us ensure that a player’s rating is an accurate representation of their current skill level. A passing Reliability Score is 60%, which is the score we will use to utilize their DUPR. If they do not have this reliability score yet we will defer to the certified specialist.

  6. ​How do I get a DUPR rating?

    • Head on over to DUPR to find out how to get ranked and download the DUPR App.

  7. What if I don't have a DUPR rating and want to play in the Emerald Coast Turf Wars?

    • Please contact Tristan Eldridge via Facebook messenger at Tristan PB Coach - Facebook page. Tristan is a local IPTPA certified coach that is also a certified rating specialist.

  8. What if my DUPR score changes during the Turf Wars season?

    • The DUPR rating you have when you register and play in Turf Wars will be your DUPR rating throughout the remaining season. At the beginning of the following season, everyone's DUPR will be updated.

  9. Can we name our Jedi and Padawan Teams?

    • ABSOLUTELY!! We encourage edgy, funny team names within Turfs.

  10. How are the Team names determined within the Turfs?

    • Via democracy. Get together with your turfmates and throw some ideas around and come out with a dope ass team name.

  11. Will there be substitutes available if I cannot make a battle?

    • Yes. When registering for the Turf Wars you can register as a substitute. More on that can be found in the Registering Section.

 

Individual Matches & Scoring

  1. What will be the match format utilized for the MLP Emerald Coast Turf Wars?

    • We'll be emulating the MLPlay™ format, which entails each match comprising four games, played to 25 points with rally scoring and a requirement to win by 2 points. Teams will change ends of the court when one team reaches the score of 13. Games must now be won on serve. All Games must be won by 2 points. The sequence of games will be as follows: women’s doubles, men’s doubles, followed by four mixed doubles games. In the event of a tie in overall points for the Battle, a singles tiebreaker known as DreamBreaker™ will be played to 21 to determine the tournament winner. This will only be conducted for the top 3 places.

  2. What is Rally Scoring?

    • Rally scoring is a system where points are earned by either team in every rally, regardless of who served. Under this method, the serving team receives a point if they win the rally, while the receiving team earns a point if they emerge victorious. Essentially, points can be scored by both the serving and receiving teams throughout the match.

  3. How does serving work in Rally Scoring?

    • Both partners choose their initial position on either the left or right side of the court and maintain those positions throughout the entire game.

    • When the serving team wins a rally, they earn a point and retain the serve. Subsequently, the player positioned on the left-hand side of the court initiates the serve, while all players maintain their designated sides. The serve rotates between the left and right sides of the court, without players switching positions, until the serving team loses a rally.

    • When the serving team loses a rally, the receiving team earns a point and gains the serve. It's important to emphasize that there is no second server; thus, the score consists of only two numbers representing the serving team's score and the receiving team's score, without an additional number for the server.

    • The serving player on a team is determined by the score of that team. When the score is even, the player positioned on the right-hand side of the court serves. Conversely, when the score is odd, the player on the left-hand side of the court serves. For instance, if the score is 0-0 and the receiving team wins the rally, they earn a point and the right to serve. The score becomes 1-0, and the next serve is executed by the player on the left side of the receiving team.

  4. What is a DreamBreaker™ (Singles Tiebreaker)?

    • A Game to 21 (win by 2) with rally scoring, where each team must rotate its 4 players for 4 singles rallies in a set order until the DreamBreaker™ is completed. Immediately following the completion of the second and final mixed doubles Game, the Home Team will have 1 minute to designate the first player selected in the order of rotation of its 4 singles players for the DreamBreaker™. The Home Team’s #1 player will be disclosed to the Away Team. The Away Team will then have 1 minute to designate its opposing Player 1 to the other team. This process will repeat until all 4 players on each team are declared to the referee and/or other team. The DreamBreaker™ will use the same rally scoring used in Games as described above. All team members will rotate in 4-rally rotations until the DreamBreaker™ is concluded (Player 1 plays 4 rallies, then Player 2 plays 4 rallies, then Player 3 plays 4 rallies, then Player 4 plays 4 rallies, and then the rotation repeats in the same order). In terms of sides, singles players will serve from the side (left/right) of the court, based on their team score, as is typical in singles. The player will serve on the right side when that player’s team score is even, and when the team score is odd, the player on that team will serve from the left side of the court. Teams will change ends when one team reaches the score of 11.​

Overall Scoring

  1. How does the scoring work for Emerald Coast Turf Wars?

    • The scores for your Turfs will accumulate over the games played at each battle. The top 3 scoring Turfs will get paid.  As a bonus, the turf that shows dedication and resolve and participates in as many monthly events as they can, will be rewarded at the end with that super sweet championship belt, based upon the total point accumulation of all the event's they participated in. So, in addition to your chance to win money, there is an additional incentive to participate every month.

    • EXAMPLE: 

  • Battle 1

    • Margaritaville 

      • Team Buffet- 126

      • Team Living the good life- 114 

    • Lynn Haven

      • Team Big Dill- 108

      • Team Little Dill -126

    • TOTAL

      • Margaritaville - 240

      • Lynn Haven - 234

Costs

  1. What is the cost to play in the first Emerald Coast Turf Wars?

    • The entry fee for the each battle is $60 per person or $480 per team and includes a moisture wicking performance tee. (You will receive a shirt for the first event only) If a substitutes is used they will pay and share in the winnings. Out of the initial entry fee, $40 goes towards the Immediate Payout Pot, while the rest is allocated to a reserved pot for expenses such as tees, purchasing balls, covering court fees (if applicable), acquiring trophies, paying any help (if applicable) and any other fees that may arise from running a tournament.

  2. How do I pay my entry fee?

  3. When is payment due?

    • For the Captain, it is due at the time of Team Registration, which is done two weeks prior to the scheduled battle. For the Players that back alley deal is up to you and the Captain. You do need your knees to play pickleball so........

    • For players looking for a team you payment is required before registering​​

Payouts

  1. What are the payouts of the Emerald Coast Turf Wars?

    • The payouts will follow a 60/30/10 split of the total Immediate Payout Pot for that month, with the first, second  and third place teams receiving their respective shares. Payouts are conducted at the end of each "Battle"

    • EXAMPLE: 

  • We have 8 Turfs show up on June 2nd which would put $2,560 in the Immediate Payout Pot. 

    • The first place Turf Team would receive $1536 or $192 per person.

    • The second place Turf Team would receive $768 or $96 per person.

    • The third place Turf Team would receive $256 or $32 per person.

Registering​​​

  1. How do I register for the Emerald Coast Turf Wars?

  2. Who can I register as?

    • Captain - The tip of the spear - Will be responsible for all captain duties. Check out the CAPTAIN FAQ for those.​

    • Lieutenant - The handle of the spear. Backup for the Captain.

    • Player - This will be a more permanent role within the turf. A player will only represent 1 turf throughout the Turf Wars and is a prime player on a team.

    • Substitute - This is for players who want to play for multiple Turfs through out the Turf Wars but may miss some battles and have issues with commitment... :)

  3. Do I need a Turf, Team or Captain to register?

    • Absolutely not! We will get you a Captain and a Turf. This is one of the best things about Turf Wars. Creating new friendships! 

  4. I am a Captain and need to register my Teams for the tournament. What should I do?

  5. My team has already registered for the upcoming tournament, can I change the players on my A & B teams after?

    • Yes. Contact the Tournament Director with your changes.

  6. Do I need to live, work, own, etc in the “Turf” to play on that team?

    • Absolutely not. You represent who you want to represent boo boo.

  7. When does registration close?

    • Registration closes 1 week prior to the battle.

Turf Tournament Stuff

  1. How many Matches will I play on the day of the battle?

    • You will be guaranteed to play 6 games.

  2. How are Matches assigned?

    • This will all be randomized. 

  3. When will the Matches be posted?

    • Matches will be posted 6 days prior to the start of the tournament.

  4. Where do I see the Matches?

  5. What will the Match format be? Remember Jedi is your A team and Padawan is your B team.

    • Jedi - Women's (Female1/F2)

    • Padawan - Women's (F3/F4)

    • Jedi  - Men's (Male1/M2)

    • Padawan - Men's (M3/M4)

    • Jedi - Mix 1 (M1/F1)

    • Padawan - Mix 1 (M3/F3)

    • Jedi - Mix 2 (M2/F2)

    • Padawan - Mix 2 (M4/F4)

    • Jedi - Mix 3 (M1/F2)

    • Padawan - Mix 3 (M3/F4)

    • Jedi - Mix 4 (M2/F1)

    • Padawan - Mix 4 (M4/F3)

      • Basically we will be rotating through A and B teams of each Turf and you will play two turfs.

  6. How long will each match last?

    • Each match will last until there is a winner or 16 mins lapses. Whichever comes first. A timer will be started once all teams are on their courts. and a buzzer will sound when the time is up.

  7. What happens if we are still playing when the buzzer goes off?

    • If you are TIED when the timer goes off you will play one remaining sudden death point and that team will be declared the winner.

    • If the score is not tied then there will be a winner declared.

  8. What happens if we didn't score all 25 points when the buzzer goes off?

    • The team with the highest score will be rewarded 25 points with the trailing team being awarded the spread between the scores. EXAMPLE: At the end of the buzzer Team X has 20 points and Team Z has 15. The spread between them is 5 points so Team X will be marked down for having 25 points and Team Z will be marked down for receiving 20.

  9. What happens if my team goes into overtime and scores more than 25 points?

    • Due to the uniqueness of the way we track scoring throughout the season the most points one team can get is 25. EXAMPLE: Team X has 27 points and Team Z has 25. The spread between them is 2 points so Team X will be marked down for having 25 points and Team Z will be marked down for receiving 23.

  10. How may Turfs will I face the day of the battle?

    • You will face two other Turfs.

  11. How long will I be playing pickleball the day of the tournament?

    • This is based on a turf with 4 courts. We estimate 3-5hrs total time so pack accordingly.   

  12. What time should I show up?

    • Matches will begin at 8am

    • Captains meeting at 7:30am

    • Players meeting at 7:45am

  13. Will there be an official opportunity to warm up?

    • Yesish. During round 1, before your match each team will have 3 minutes to warm up before opening up their can of whoop ass. During round 2 warm ups will be eliminated and games will start immediately. 

    • You are more than welcome to show up hella early and warm up prior to 7:30am if you like as well.

  14. How will we reserve these courts?

    • Through certain channels we might be able to reserve certain courts but outside of that we are learning as you are. Think of this as a Pickleball fight club. Also, Power in numbers baby! 

  15. Who do I report the score of my match to?

    • After you match has concluded please report to the tournament directors table to give them the scores.

  16. As a player do I need to show up at every battle for the whole season?

    • No. There will be substitutes to fill in for you and/or the Turfs Captain can utilize players from either A or B teams to fill in as long as they do not exceed the cap of whatever team is short.

  17. How do I get the score of my matches

    • The final score sheet after each battle will be emailed to all players who participated. We encourage you to use this to enter your matches in DUPR so that a more accurate rating can be established. 

  18. How do substitutes work?

    • Subs can play for Turf A one month and then for Turf B another month.

    • Subs can play for both the A and B teams on a Turf during the tournament as long as it does not cause them to be in two matchups at the same time.

    • Subs can replace Players between matches, not during. For example, BB-8 could play the Jedi Men's match and Jedi Mix 1, but then R2-D2 could play Jedi Mix 2.

    • If utilizing substitute players a list of the names of players who will be substituting on your team along with who they will be substituting for must be provided to the tournament director no later then the Thursday before the scheduled Turf Wars Battle. 

      • If we do not receive a list of substitutes from you by the specified date, we will assume that your team is not utilizing substitutes. Consequently, only the players you identified during registration will be considered as your team members, and substitutes will not be permitted.

      • This policy is in place to ensure fairness across all teams and to maintain alignment with DUPR ratings. Your cooperation is essential in creating a balanced and competitive environment for everyone involved.

    • This policy is in place to ensure fairness across all teams and to maintain alignment with DUPR ratings. Your cooperation is essential in creating a balanced and competitive environment for everyone involved.

    • Subs share of the winnings will  be determined by the Turf Captain the sub is playing for. We pay out for a team of 8. How that is split up is up to the Captain/Turf.

Captains FAQ

STOP: If you have not read the entire player FAQ please do so now PLAYER FAQ

  1. What is a Turf Captain responsible for? 

    • Organizing your team of up to 12 people

    • Sending the PLAYER REGISTRATION FORM link to all members that are part of your two teams and making sure they register

    • Collecting all players DUPR or USPA rating or making sure they get rated by a certified rating specialist.

    • Registering your Teams no later than 2 weeks before the Battle. Click here ---> TEAM REGISTRATION FORM. If you miss the deadline your team will not be able to compete that month.

    • Collecting all battles fees from your players as you will be paying the entire Turf Battle fee.

    • Disseminating information to your team of any changes that may occur.

    • Making sure your players report their game scores to the tournament Director at the end of each match/battle.

  2. Can I appoint one of my team members as a Lieutenant to handle my duties if I can't make a battle?

    • Yes. You will just need to instruct this person to register as a Lieutenant vs a player.

  3. What if my LT and I both can't make a battle. Who will take over my duties. 

    • In this rare circumstance you can tag in another member of your team to handle your duties. ​

  4. As a captain do I need to show up at every battle for the whole season?

    • No. There will be substitutes to fill in for you and/or you can utilize players from either A or B teams to fill in as long as they do not exceed the cap of whatever team is short.

  5. Do I need to register my team each time before the Battles?

    • Yes. As you might want to move around a player of you Jedi and Padawan Teams each battle.

  6. What do I need to be a captain?

    • Smartphone.

    • Badass attitude ready to unleash hell on unsuspecting victims.

Captain FAQ
Players FAQ
bottom of page