THE MOUNT PICKLEBALL CLASSIC: 18, 19 and 20 September 2026
The Mount Pickleball Club warmly welcomes you all to the 2026 Mount Pickleball Classic. Registrations are now open for what is sure to be a fun-filled weekend of pickling in the beautiful city of Tauranga.
The venue is the spacious Mercury Baypark Arena at 81 Truman Lane, Mount Maunganui.
The Men's & Women's 60+ under 3.99 divisions run on Friday 18 Sept 2026 from 12pm.
The Open and 60+ Open events run on Saturday 19 Sept 2026, with the doors opening at 8am.
The Mixed games are on Sunday 20 Sept 2026, with the doors open at 8am.
Pool games and knock out rounds will be one game to 15, with no time limit (win by two). Gold, silver and bronze medal matches will be best of three matches to 11 (win by two).
DIVSION AND GAME FORMAT
* There are two separate divisions in both the Open and Age 60+ divisions.
* Your first division is included in the registration fee.
* Each additional division costs $25.00 per event
* Please review all the details and note the different dates and expected start times for each division.
* All divisions are round robin for the pool play section then if you qualify for the next stage it will be single elimination knock out from then on.
* A minimum of three games is guaranteed.
* You ideally should have your partner sorted at time of registration
* If you select "partner required" you must have a partner confirmed by the close of registration or when the division reaches maximum teams, whichever one happens first, priority will be given to those teams where both players have entered and teams on the waiting list that have both players confirmed
* If you have registered for a division noting "partner required" and you are moved to the waiting list and you don't end up playing you will be refunded for the division that you don't end up playing in, refunds will be processed after the tournament is complete as there are always last minutes changes for most divisions
* For all divisions you can play up however you can't play down or outside your age category (i.e. a person of any age can play in the Open however if you are 52 you can't play in the 60+ divisions).
* DUPR will be used to confirm player's division eligibility at time of registration.
* Because DUPR updates dynamically, small changes don’t automatically move players between divisions. If your rating has increased significantly, more than 0.25 and you would prefer to play up, we are happy to accommodate.
* The Tournament Director may also move players up in cases where a player's rating has increased more than 0.25 to ensure fairness of the division.
* Events may be merged if less than four participating players/teams in a division subject to the Tournament Director's discretion.
PRACTICE TIMES
This year we will have 26 courts. Practice courts are available from around 11am on Friday for players competing that day. Other players can practice from 2pm to 6pm. On Friday night we also have a club playing session from 7.30pm to 9.30pm at Haumaru Sport and Recreation Centre, corner of Cameron Rd and 19th Avenue (13 courts).
TOURNAMENT OFFICIALS
The Tournament Director is Nick Brennan.
The Tournament Desk Controller is Ange Brady.
The official photographer is Gary Meynell.
CLUB WINNER TROPHY
The cup presented by Farmer Autovillage will again be at stake. The winning club is decided on medals won by club members over the three days - 3 points for a gold, 2 for a silver and 1 for a bronze. Please check your name and club on the list that will be available and advise your correct primary club as soon as possible. The defending club champions are Gisborne.
MERCURY BAYPARK CAFE - The Plentie cafe will be operating at the venue all day until 7pm, offering plenty of food and coffee. You can also buy alcoholic drinks there. Bringing in your own alcohol is not permitted.
PARKING - There is plenty of parking, go straight past the "pit lane" and turn right a little further on.
I look forward to seeing you all soon.
Best wishes,
Bob Smith
President - The Mount Pickleball Club Inc
