2023 Palatka Azalea Pickleball Tournament

The tournament proceeds will benefit communities through the programs of the Rotary Club of Palatka Sunrise.

Tournament Dates

  • Saturday *, March 4th 8:00 am to 7:00 pm – Men and Women's Doubles
  • Sunday *, March 5th 8:00 am to 7:00 pm – Mixed Doubles
* Players will be notified of their approximate bracket start time a week before the tournament.

Location

  • Palatka High School Tennis Courts, 302 Mellon Road, Palatka, Florida 32177
    (You may access from either St. Johns Avenue or Crill Avenue to Elmwood Avenue)
  • View Map & Directions

Registration

  • Registration Opens: December 1st, 2022
  • Normal Registration Ends: January 31, 2023
  • Late Registration Opens: February 1, 2023
  • Late Registration ends February 20, 2023
    Late Registration Fee: $10
  • T-shirt Deadline: January 31, 2023
  • Register Online at PickleballBrackets.com

Registration Notes

  • There are no refunds – all registrations are final sales. Proceeds go towards the youth programs and scholarships supported by the Rotary Club of Palatka Sunrise. Thank you for your donation!
  • In the event that there is a cancellation and/or major delay due to unforeseen weather events, we are planning to schedule Saturday, March 18th and/or Sunday, March 19th as make-up dates.
  • There are 14 outdoor lined pickleball courts and 2 warm-up courts. All courts will use portable nets.
  • Wicking T-shirt optional at $25 cost.

Tournament Format

We all have been to a tournament where we get there, play two matches (3 or 4 games) and then go home with our heads and paddles hung low.

Our goal in this tournament is to let everyone play in a round robin bracket (goodbye dreaded double elimination brackets with extended delays between matches). Unlike in our past tournaments with the more common static age divisions, we are introducing dynamic age divisions for 2022. This will require flexibility from everyone involved. We will still try to keep skill levels together (3.0 will play with 3.0, etc.). We will still allow teams to play up in skill level if you have a favorite partner (I love you even if you are a 3.5.). Where we need flexibility is in what ages might be in specific brackets. We will expand (30 to 55 as an example) or compress (62 to 65) to make sure a bracket has enough teams to play a round robin.

The placement of your team by age will be determined when we get closer to the tournament itself. It's likely that the age-breaks between divisions in women's doubles, men's doubles, and mixed doubles events will be slightly different. Our goal is to create brackets with 5 to 8 teams, so you'll play 4 to 7 one-game matches of 15 points, win by 2 points, and play every team in your bracket. If we have severe rain delays, the larger round robin brackets may be reduced to 11-point games (still win by 2 points) as permitted by the IFP/USAP tournament rules.

More pickling is better pickling. For those of you that have played in 3 and 4-team brackets, we hope you will enjoy playing in this new, flexible-age division format and play more teams.

Additional Information

  • Dry Camping (no water/electric/sewer connections) available in the parking lot starting Friday at 5PM, through end of play on Sunday. $20 per night. Come and enjoy the company of your friends!
  • Cowart's Holy Smoke BBQ will be available with breakfast and lunch items.
  • Expecting a maximum of 250 players (235 registered last year), so please register early.
  • Registration deadline will be January 31, 2023 or when we reach our limit.
  • $50 to register includes up to 2 events.
  • Balls will be provided.
  • Partner requests are posted on PickleballBrackets.com.
  • Preliminary brackets and start times will be announced on February 22, 2023.
  • Player and registration lists will be posted on PickleballBrackets.com.
  • Bring your chairs, sunscreen and pop-up canopies.
  • Water and snacks provided for players.
  • Restrooms and small covered pavilion available on Palatka High School grounds.

General Pickleball Information


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