Pebble Creek Sports Club

Global Pickleball Network (GPN) is a rating system and event management platform for pickleball, similar to ratings systems like Pickleball Brackets, USA Pickleball, DUPR, UTR (for tennis), etc. The each have their own algorithms.

All players, regardless of their age, gender, or skill, are rated on the same scale between 2.0-5.0 based on their match results. GPN’s rating algorithm uses the ELO scoring system, calculating ratings based on statistics, taking into account your playing level and that of your opponents.

Learn more about GPN’s rating system here.

Learn more about the ELO rating system here.

Using your GPN history of pickleball league, tournament and practice matches, your singles and doubles playing levels will be calculated using a highly accurate algorithm.

For each pickleball match played, this algorithm takes into account your opponent's calculated level, the accuracy of their level, and the type of match played.

Your calculated levels can even be tracked over time, giving you a history of your progression.

Learn more here.

Most play sessions and events will be by skill-level based on your GPN rating. It ensures the best experience for all players, where competition is similar and results could go either way.

If you want to play in a higher-level court, your rating must increase through GPN games to earn that privilege.

We will also schedule some “all-levels” open play events to allow the entire community to play together for social events, or to enable couples of varying skill levels to play together in a social atmosphere.

Yes, if you want to play at Pebble Creek, as all event signups will be through GPN. If you don’t want to play in competitive events, don’t worry - you don’t have to! Simply create your account, enter your self-rating (see rating question), and you can sign up for non-competitive events.

With a GPN account, you will know exactly where you stand relative to other players at Pebble Creek. You can play in competitive events where can look to improve your rating while getting the most competitive games possible.

Create your GPN account here.

If you have a sanctioned tournament rating, or a recent IPTPA rating assessment, use that.

If you don’t know your rating, compare your knowledge and skills against the IPTPA rating criteria which can be found here.

A new pickleball player is likely a 2.0 player, possibly a 2.5 player and rarely, but possibly, a 3.0 player. Some rules of thumb for new pickleball players:

Someone who has not played pickleball, or any racket sport, would probably have a starting 2.0 rating.

Someone who has played a bit of pickleball or has intermediate skills in another racket sport (e.g. tennis) and has a good command of the rules of pickleball may qualify for a starting 2.5 rating.

In exceptional circumstances, someone who has advanced skills in another racket sport (such as tennis), including tournament play and has a very good knowledge of pickleball rules may qualify for a starting 3.0 rating.

The more unique opponent matches you play, the more accurate your GPN club rating becomes.

Calculated playing levels are re-calculated each night at midnight (PST). For each match played, the system takes into account your opponent's playing level, and the accuracy of their level. The more accurate your opponent's playing level, the greater the influence it will have on your own. The lower your playing level accuracy is, the more it can fluctuate. The higher your playing level accuracy is, the more stable it becomes.

See more information on the algorithm and ratings here.

Playing in the events that best match your current rating will improve your score quicker than playing up.

If you try playing up you may not only hurt your score but the score of your partner as well. Work your way up by successfully building your score at the level you are presently at. Climb the ladder one rung at a time.

Your GPN rating is based on the Elo rating system, a method for calculating the relative skill levels of players within a pool, i.e. other Pebble Creek GPN network members.

Your rating’s accuracy improves as you play more matches. It’s important to note that it’s calculated based on your play with other Pebble Creek GPN network members, rather than being an absolute measure of a player's strength. You may be the biggest fish in the pond at Pebble Creek, especially while we’re growing and the pool of players your rating is based upon is relatively small. If you went to a large tournament, your Pebble Creek rating may not be reflective of your skill level.

If you’re unsure, before you register for a large tournament, you can assess yourself using the IPTPA criteria here, or schedule a ratings assessment with one of our certified instructors.

See more information on the ELO rating system here.

There is no app in the app store, but you can run the site as a web app. This will create an icon on your phone, and it will look and feel just like a downloaded app.

For detail son how to add GPN to your home screen, click here.

Click on your account icon (top left), then select Settings/Notifications. Each option has an explanation when you click on it.