Welcome to JDS and MTA. We hope you have decided, or will decide, to join a team and play with us! USTA League Tennis offers opportunities for meeting friends, the camaraderie of being part of a team, the sense of accomplishment as you gain competence, and physical activity to maintain fitness, health, and well-being. Last year approximately 800 people played on 188 teams through our programs.
How do I start and what does it cost?
The first step is joining the USTA. This entitles you to play is all leagues, plus you get a great magazine, TENNIS. Joining is easy on the internet: Go to www.macontennis.com, click on the link on the left to www.usta.com, then click on “Membership,” and follow the directions. You will be asked for your NTRP rating. ( More about this later.) You will be given a USTA number, which you will use each time you sign up for a team. Cost for USTA membership is $40 per year. Each time you sign up for a team, the cost is $20. Later, there is a charge assessed for court fees, which varies according to facility and number of matches. Click here for more about USTA Leagues in Middle Georgia
What’s the level system?
The NTRP rating system is designed to ensure that players play with and against players of similar skill levels, as much as possible. When you first join a team, you give yourself a rating. After you have played a year in the league, the computer may change your rating up or down, determined by a complicated mathematical analysis of all matches played in the country. (Don’t even TRY to figure it out!) You must play at or above this rating. The beginning level is 2.5. Click here for USTA League Tennis NTRP Local Rules
How do I get on a team?
If you have already decided on a team, the captain will give you the team number. With this and your USTA number, you sign up online at www.macontennis.com. On the left side, click on “tennis link.” Then on the right side, click on “register for a team” and follow the instructions.
If you want to create a new team, after clicking on “tennis link,” go to “Create a team online,” on the right. You will be guided to choose a “Section,” which is “Southern,” then a “District,” which is “GA,” then a “sub-area,” which is “Macon.” Next you will choose a league, either 18 & Over or 40 & Over, then you will choose your league level.
What does the captain do?
The captain gives the people who are to be on the team the team number so they can register online. The captain does the line-ups for each match and records the scores. At the beginning of the season, the captain also attends the captains’ meeting (AND GETS A PRESENT!) Often a co-captain is enlisted to help with these tasks and with communication with players on the team.
How does league play go?
After all teams have been registered, a schedule of matches is created. In the 2.5 league, a team match consists of three individual matches, one of singles and two of doubles. All other leagues play two levels of singles and three levels of doubles.
For 18 & Over leagues, 2.5 men will play Monday nights. 2.5 women play Tuesday night; 3.0 men play Thursday night; 3.0 women play Friday morning and Monday night (yes, you can plan on a morning team and a night team); 3.5 men play Wednesday night, 3.5 women play Wednesday morning and Tuesday night; 4.0 men play Thursday night, and 4.0 women play Monday morning and Saturday morning; 4.0 Low men play Saturday morning; 4.0 Low women play Wednesday night; 4.5 men play Sunday afternoon; and 4.5 women play Saturday afternoon.
For 40 & Over leagues, 3.0 men play Saturday morning, 3.0 women play Thursday morning and Thursday night; 3.5 men play Monday night; 3.5 women play Thursday morning and Wednesday night; 4.0 men play Tuesday night; 4.0 women play Friday morning and Monday night; 4.5 men play Saturday afternoon; and 4.5 women play Sunday afternoon
What if my team wins the season?
Local winners at all NTRP levels advance to the District League Championship Tournament, where they will compete against teams all over the state.
Macon Tennis Local Play-Off Rules for all Leagues Play-Off Dates are only if needed to have a winner advance to the State Championships or a second place team, if needed. Play-offs are scheduled when there is a different winner from each season – such as fall vs. spring or winter vs. summer – at a particular level, day or night. Play-offs cannot be played at any level until all regular season matches have been played and the scores entered into TennisLink.
Women: Two teams will advance, one from the weekday and one from the business league. If a team wins both seasons, it will advance to the state championships without a play-off and will choose whether to take the fall or spring team. If different teams win each season, they will play in a play-off against each other. If there is not a weekday league or not a business league, the rules of the men’s league will be followed.
Men: Two teams will advance to state championships. The winner from each season – fall, spring, winter, and summer. If the same team wins both seasons, the second place teams will play in a play-off to determine which will advance. If the same team came in second both times, they can choose which roster to take.
If a team declines the play-off, the next in standing order will have a chance to play in the play-offs (second place, third place teams etc.).
HELP!
The MTA staff members are ready, eager, and able to help you with all aspects of league play. Donna Bailey is the Executive Director of MTA and League Coordinator. She and her assistants may be reached at 478-477-1957.
Other helpful people are the staff of JDS: Carl Hodge, our Director/Head Pro, Sarah Witherspoon, his assistant, and Robin Bateman, the Center Manager.
How do I start and what does it cost?
The first step is joining the USTA. This entitles you to play is all leagues, plus you get a great magazine, TENNIS. Joining is easy on the internet: Go to www.macontennis.com, click on the link on the left to www.usta.com, then click on “Membership,” and follow the directions. You will be asked for your NTRP rating. ( More about this later.) You will be given a USTA number, which you will use each time you sign up for a team. Cost for USTA membership is $40 per year. Each time you sign up for a team, the cost is $20. Later, there is a charge assessed for court fees, which varies according to facility and number of matches. Click here for more about USTA Leagues in Middle Georgia
What’s the level system?
The NTRP rating system is designed to ensure that players play with and against players of similar skill levels, as much as possible. When you first join a team, you give yourself a rating. After you have played a year in the league, the computer may change your rating up or down, determined by a complicated mathematical analysis of all matches played in the country. (Don’t even TRY to figure it out!) You must play at or above this rating. The beginning level is 2.5. Click here for USTA League Tennis NTRP Local Rules
How do I get on a team?
If you have already decided on a team, the captain will give you the team number. With this and your USTA number, you sign up online at www.macontennis.com. On the left side, click on “tennis link.” Then on the right side, click on “register for a team” and follow the instructions.
If you want to create a new team, after clicking on “tennis link,” go to “Create a team online,” on the right. You will be guided to choose a “Section,” which is “Southern,” then a “District,” which is “GA,” then a “sub-area,” which is “Macon.” Next you will choose a league, either 18 & Over or 40 & Over, then you will choose your league level.
What does the captain do?
The captain gives the people who are to be on the team the team number so they can register online. The captain does the line-ups for each match and records the scores. At the beginning of the season, the captain also attends the captains’ meeting (AND GETS A PRESENT!) Often a co-captain is enlisted to help with these tasks and with communication with players on the team.
How does league play go?
After all teams have been registered, a schedule of matches is created. In the 2.5 league, a team match consists of three individual matches, one of singles and two of doubles. All other leagues play two levels of singles and three levels of doubles.
For 18 & Over leagues, 2.5 men will play Monday nights. 2.5 women play Tuesday night; 3.0 men play Thursday night; 3.0 women play Friday morning and Monday night (yes, you can plan on a morning team and a night team); 3.5 men play Wednesday night, 3.5 women play Wednesday morning and Tuesday night; 4.0 men play Thursday night, and 4.0 women play Monday morning and Saturday morning; 4.0 Low men play Saturday morning; 4.0 Low women play Wednesday night; 4.5 men play Sunday afternoon; and 4.5 women play Saturday afternoon.
For 40 & Over leagues, 3.0 men play Saturday morning, 3.0 women play Thursday morning and Thursday night; 3.5 men play Monday night; 3.5 women play Thursday morning and Wednesday night; 4.0 men play Tuesday night; 4.0 women play Friday morning and Monday night; 4.5 men play Saturday afternoon; and 4.5 women play Sunday afternoon
What if my team wins the season?
Local winners at all NTRP levels advance to the District League Championship Tournament, where they will compete against teams all over the state.
Macon Tennis Local Play-Off Rules for all Leagues Play-Off Dates are only if needed to have a winner advance to the State Championships or a second place team, if needed. Play-offs are scheduled when there is a different winner from each season – such as fall vs. spring or winter vs. summer – at a particular level, day or night. Play-offs cannot be played at any level until all regular season matches have been played and the scores entered into TennisLink.
Women: Two teams will advance, one from the weekday and one from the business league. If a team wins both seasons, it will advance to the state championships without a play-off and will choose whether to take the fall or spring team. If different teams win each season, they will play in a play-off against each other. If there is not a weekday league or not a business league, the rules of the men’s league will be followed.
Men: Two teams will advance to state championships. The winner from each season – fall, spring, winter, and summer. If the same team wins both seasons, the second place teams will play in a play-off to determine which will advance. If the same team came in second both times, they can choose which roster to take.
If a team declines the play-off, the next in standing order will have a chance to play in the play-offs (second place, third place teams etc.).
HELP!
The MTA staff members are ready, eager, and able to help you with all aspects of league play. Donna Bailey is the Executive Director of MTA and League Coordinator. She and her assistants may be reached at 478-477-1957.
Other helpful people are the staff of JDS: Carl Hodge, our Director/Head Pro, Sarah Witherspoon, his assistant, and Robin Bateman, the Center Manager.