Introduction

The Surrey Pickleball Club (SPC) is committed to providing social yet challenging play for its members, by matching members together that are at the approximately the same skill level. To promote this philosophy, the Club uses the following skill level categories, called Club Levels:  

Novice, Intermediate, Intermediate+, Advanced, Expert

When you join SPC you will be required to select one of the Club Levels for yourself (self-rate). Members can self-rate with Novice through to Intermediate+ and will be able to register for events in the Calendar within these three levels. For Advanced or Expert event registrations, you must meet the criteria for Advanced / Expert play. 

If you are just joining the Club for the first time and need help in selecting your Club Level, you can use the high-level descriptions below as a guide. You can also refer to other pickleball governing bodies such as the US Amateur Pickleball Association (USAPA) on the USAPA site here, or the International Federation of Pickleball (IFP). Or you can ask other players that you’ve played with to rate you.

SPC Ratings Principles

1. SPC provides opportunities for both social and competitive play. The Calendar consists of League Play Events (competitive) and Social Play Events. Members may register for either one or both in the weekly Play Schedule.
   
2.  Members can play in any event in the Calendar that includes Novice, Intermediate, or Intermediate+. 
   
3. Existing members have been adjusted from their previous Club rating to the new rating system.
4. New members self-rate for their Club Level up to Intermediate+.
5.  Members can request to change their Club Level by emailing programs@surreypickleball.com with their request.
   
6. Members will generally NOT be moved down a Club Level unless they request it.

2024 Ratings System

Novice

Give yourself a pickleball self-rating of NOVICE if 

Intermediate

Give yourself a pickleball self-rating of INTERMEDIATE if 

Intermediate+

Give yourself a pickleball self-rating of INTERMEDIATE+ if 

Advanced

Give yourself^* a pickleball rating of ADVANCED if

Expert 

Give yourself^* a pickleball rating of EXPERT if 

• you have mastered both forehand and backhand drives, serves, and returns with pace, as well as dinks, drop shots, and volleys of different speeds, and have consistency and control; and 
• you have mastered the strategy and rules of pickleball (including stacking), you rarely make unforced errors, and you attack your opponents’ weaknesses on the pickleball court. And/or
• you are consistently winning at the highest level, meaning that you are winning against the best pickleball players at the tournament level.
• Generally relates to a 4.5+ skill level

• ^*Advanced & Expert Ratings

  In the past, SPC has been challenged to create compelling game-play for higher-level players (4.0+). In order to protect the level of play in the Advanced and Expert categories (generally related to players who play at a 4.0 and higher level), players must be approved to participate in sessions designed for Advanced and/or Expert players.

  Some important considerations:

• While the Advanced category is generally considered 4.0 in traditional ratings, it is acknowledged that there is a difference between genders and ages in relation to the person’s ability to compete. The spirit and intent is that Advanced level players have a deeper understanding of the strategies of the game, make more consistent shots, leading to longer rallies against other Advanced players. Even if you have considered yourself “4.0” in the past, your game play may or may not be suitable to the Advanced level and players should be sensitive to the desire for other players to maintain a high-level of game play.

  • The approval process was designed to be fair, transparent and impartial. There will not be any internal reviews or approvals, all approvals will follow this process with no exceptions.
  • While many 3.5 level players wish to advance their game by playing with higher-level players, the higher-level players have experienced diluted game play and are forced to create private groups to play. We strive to offer competitive high-level game play for players who can legitimately play at this level, therefore we have developed an approval process for levels higher than Intermediate+.
  • Programming for the Club was based on Membership Distribution – meaning that we offer the most number of sessions for the largest demographic of player (based on level). If the number of Advanced level members increases, we can add more programming for them.
  • Tournament ratings are set lower because most often players will “play down” for tournaments – meaning the medalists for a 3.5 level tournament generally play at a 4.0 level in recreational play.