What is Open Play?
Learn how to join, rotate, score and organize sessions.
What is Open Play?
Open Play helps an organizer manage players, waiting turns and doubles games across courts. Use it for a group session where people rotate in and out.
Open Play or Balanced Match?
Both features organize games and consider player information. Open Play supports winner-stays rotation; Balanced Match rotates everyone out after each game and compares possible team combinations using session ratings.
For players
- Find an Open Play session through Community or a shared Join Link. Review its venue, schedule, entry fee and any skill requirement.
- Sign in and select Request to Join when registration is open. A request can be pending, approved, declined or waitlisted; it does not guarantee a place.
- Once the organizer adds you to the session, follow your assigned court and waiting turn. Ask the organizer before leaving or pausing.
For organizers: step by step
- Open Open Play and choose New Open Play. Set the sport, courts, schedule and session mode, then add players. Account limits can affect how many courts and players you can use.
- You need four players to start doubles play. Eligible organizers can create a session first, invite players and start once the roster is ready.
- Review join requests and add approved players to the session roster. Invitation acceptance and approval of a join request are separate ways players can enter.
- Use automatic court assignment or select players manually. Manage waiting players, court assignments, pauses and departures from the session controls.
- Enter both final scores, or generate a scorekeeper link for live scoring. Review and approve or reject a remotely submitted result. Public Link opens a read-only scoreboard; Join Link is for participation.
Session modes
- Fixed Games uses a target number of games per player. The session completes when its players reach the target.
- Timed has a duration. At the deadline, automatic scheduling stops creating new games; games already underway can finish. The organizer still ends the session.
- Continuous has no session-wide game target. The organizer decides when to end the session.
What happens after a game?
CourtPal records the result and updates session statistics. In automatic rotation, losers return to waiting and winners may stay until a rest or game limit applies. Manual selection and pending court assignments can make everyone rotate out. The next game needs enough eligible players.
Common question: do I score from the public board?
No. The public scoreboard is for watching. Scoring uses organizer controls or a scorekeeper link supplied by the organizer. Keep the organizer’s session open and check that it has synced before sharing live links.