Rules And Regulations
Club rules and regulations assist in ensuring a welcoming and safe environment for club members and their guests. The following are rules and regulations to which all club members and their guests must adhere.
Top Rules
1. Be polite and wear your shoe tag in a visible place
2. Wear non-marking tennis shoes and proper tennis attire (see Dress code)
3. Only three balls on court (see Court rules for more details)
4. Parents be aware of priority hours for juniors and adults
5. Member is responsible for guest during his/her visit
Membership Type
Adult members are over 18 years old as of January 1st; junior members are 18 or under as of January 1st.
Guests
A guest must be accompanied by a club member and pay the guest fee of $10. If there is no court monitor present, please use the "Guest Fee Envelopes" provided in the club house. An individual is eligible to play as a guest three times in total in a given season, even if invited by three different members. After three visits, the guest must pay the full membership fee to continue playing at GPTC. There is no credit for previously paid guest fees. Members are responsible for ensuring that guests adhere to all club rules, regulations, and code of conduct.
Shoe Tag Policy
Shoe tags must be visible (preferably worn on shoes) at all times to demonstrate membership to the club pro, club monitor, house captains, a member of the Executive, or other club members. The club pro, club monitor, house league captains, or members of the Executive are authorized to deny playing privileges to any member without a shoe tag even if the member can be visually identified. The member may choose to pay the prevailing guest fee in order to play. Please note the following:
1) No sharing of shoe tags.
2) Shoe tags not on shoes will be checked against club records.
3) You may be asked to provide proper I.D. to prove that you are the owner of the shoe tag.
4) Shoe tag will be confiscated if it does not belong to you.
5) Any individuals caught sharing shoe tags will be immediately suspended from the club for 7 days. The discipline committee will then convene to decide if the suspension should be increased or if the person's membership should be revoked.
Clubhouse and Club Property
Full-time maintenance staff is not provided by either the club or the Department of Parks and Recreation. Monitors are responsible for organizing court usage, essential housekeeping duties, e.g., sweeping the floors and cleaning the washrooms. Your cooperation in helping to keep the clubhouse, courts, and property clean and tidy is greatly appreciated. If you have any concerns regarding upkeep in these areas, please speak directly with the PROPERTY DIRECTOR or ASSISTANT PROPERTY DIRECTOR, not the club monitors. Your help in keeping our courts safe from vandalism and unauthorized use is also essential.
Please:
- Lock up when you leave
- Scramble the numbers after opening or closing the locks
- Do not give out the combination or unlock the gates for non-members
Courtesy
On the club's grounds, the highest level of sportsmanship, courtesy, and fair play is expected. On and off the courts, profanity, aggressive or intimidating behaviour toward other members, and abusive language are strictly prohibited. Members who participate in organized games, e.g., round robins, tournaments, etc., do so by choice and are therefore expected to play with and be respectful to all other players and their guests; if not, they may be subject to disciplinary action (see “Discipline”).
Dress Code
Only appropriate tennis clothing (flat-soled, non-marking tennis shoes and socks) is allowed on the court. Jeans, cut-off jeans, jogging shorts, casual shoes, and sandals are not permitted. Shirts must be worn at all times on the court, in the clubhouse, and on the club grounds.
Smoking
Smoking is not permitted in the clubhouse.
Smokers are asked to show consideration by smoking away from non-smokers and the entrances to the clubhouse.
Food, Drink, and Alcohol
Food is not permitted on the courts, but beverages in spill-proof, non-glass containers are. A City of Toronto bylaw concerning Parks and Recreation permit holders prohibits alcohol consumption at tennis facilities unless a permit has been issued by the City.
Non-Tennis Activities on the Courts
Non-tennis activities including but not limited to the following are not permitted on the courts - skateboards, scooters, roller blades, balls other than tennis balls.
Animals and Pets
Animals and pets are not permitted in the clubhouse or on the courts.
Hours
Gwendolen Park Tennis Club (GPTC) is a non-profit, community tennis club which operates every summer from May 1st to late fall under a paid permit issued by the City of Toronto, through the Department of Parks and Recreations. The club is responsible for the day-to-day maintenance and upkeep of the courts, clubhouse, and property.
The club is available for use for members and their guests between 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m.
Adult Priority Hours
During adult priority hours, junior members may not play if adult members are waiting for a court or wish to continue playing. An adult member may play with one or more juniors during adult priority hours providing other adults do not wish to use that court / are not waiting for a court. A junior and an adult member have priority over two juniors during adult priority hours.
- Weekdays: 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m
- Saturdays, Sundays & Holidays: 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
Junior Priority Hours
During Junior Priority Hours, Adult members may not play while Juniors are waiting for a court or wish to continue playing. A Junior member may play with one or more adults during Junior Priority Hours providing other Juniors do not wish to use that court or are not waiting for a court.
- Weekdays: 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
- Saturdays, Sundays & Holidays: 12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m.
Junior Tennis Program (under Club Pro)
- Spring Session – 6 weeks, beginning May 4th, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
- Summer Session – 6 weeks, beginning in June; Monday to Friday 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. for 2 weeks; Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. for 4 weeks.
- Fall Session – 6 weeks, beginning mid-September, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Family Priority Hours
During family priority hours, an adult member playing with one or more junior family members have priority over other members
- Saturdays, Sundays & Holidays: 3:00 pm to 4:00 p.m.
Public Hours
During public hours, the public has equal status with members and must adhere to club rules and regulations.
- Friday 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
- Friday 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
- Sunday 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Prime Time Hours - Doubles/Singles Play
During prime time hours, doubles play have priority over singles play.
- Weekdays: 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
- Saturdays, Sundays & Holidays: 9:00 am to 12:00 noon
Courts
Court Rules
- For safety and insurance reasons, only three balls are permitted on a court.
- Do not walk behind players while a game is in progress. You can be hit by a ball or racquet. Moreover, this distracts the players. Wait for a break in play.
- To retrieve a ball from another court, wait until the players have completed the point and ask them to return your ball.
- To return a ball to another court, wait for a break in play or roll the ball to the back of their court, along the fence.
- NEVER roll a ball on to a court while play is in progress. This can cause a player to be very seriously injured.
- The ringing of cell phones during play is annoying and distracting. Cell phones on the court should be turned off
- Direct questions or complaints to any Executive member or Head Pro
Reserving Courts
- The Reservation Board must be used at all times.
- Members must be present to have their names on the board and book the court.
- When the Club Monitors are on duty, they are responsible for ensuring that Members abide by court booking and reservation rules.
- Rotation is every half hour at all times, except for scheduled games such as House League games, Inter-County matches, and Tournaments.
- Only one (1) half-hour can booked at a time.
- The clock in the clubhouse will be used to determine rotation times.
Court Rotation Times during Open Play
- Half-hour rotations
- Courts 1 and 2: on the hour and half-hour, e.g., 1:00, 1:30, 2:00, etc.
- Courts 3 and 4: on the quarter-hour, e.g., 1:15, 1:45, 2:15, etc.
Lessons
Private, semi-private, or group lessons are available to club members. For insurance reasons, only members of the club are entitled to receive lessons. Only the club pro, his/her assistant, or other tennis instructors approved by the Executive are authorized to conduct tennis lessons during club hours.
Serve Practice
A single member may practice serves under the following conditions:
Priority - A single member has the lowest priority and must release the court if there are two or more members waiting.
(Two or more members practicing serves follow the regular rotation and priority rules.)
Court 1
- Must serve in the opposite direction of court 2
- Maximum 3 balls allowed (for the safety of members walking through court 1)
Court 2
- No serve practice permitted.
Court 3
- Must serve in the opposite direction of court 2
- May use unlimited number of balls if no one is playing on court 2
- Maximum 3 balls allowed if members are playing on court 2
Court 4
- May use unlimited number of balls
Devices
Permission must be obtained first before attaching any training devices to the fence or net.
House league
All adult members in good standing may participate in house league.
Members who choose to sign up for house league are expected to play as assigned by team captains. Failure to do so constitutes a breach of courtesy and can result in house league privileges being revoked. Requests for special pairings will not be honoured.
Only members in good standing can play house league matches.
Inter-County Matches
All adult members in good standing may try out for a spot on the intercounty team by contacting the intercounty captains.
Only members in good standing can play inter-county matches.
Tournaments
All members in good standing are eligible to enter.
Communication
With permission, the club publishes a directory of members and their phone numbers to facilitate member-to-member communication. Use of the club directory for commercial purposes (or non-tennis communication without permission) is strictly prohibited. The same prohibition applies to use of members’ email addresses.
Complaint Resolution Process
All complaints to be put in writing and sent to the Director of Discipline. The Director of Discipline is to respond to each complaint within 21 days by initially contacting the complainant.- If the discussion with the complainant resolves the matter, the file is to be closed but the record is kept. If the discussion leads to discussing the matter with the subject party and then the matter is resolved, then the file is closed but the record is kept.
- At this juncture, if warranted, up to a written warning can be given to the subject party in the discretion of the Director of Discipline. The file would then be closed.
- If the matter warrants more than either closing the file or a written warning or a playing privilege suspension of up to one week, the Director of Discipline is to call a hearing.
- The hearing panel will comprise 3 members of the executive including the Director of Discipline. The other members to be appointed by the President. One member should be either the Vice President or the Treasurer.
- The subject party will be able to present evidence in answer to the complaint.
- The Board will make its decision within 7 days of the hearing.
- The range of discipline includes written reprimands, suspension privileges beyond one week, and termination.
- The decision will be in writing. The decision is final. There is no appeal.