Let's Get This Season Started!

Newsletter for June 27, 2025

Tennis and Pickleball Updates

SLYC Tennis and Pickleball are more popular than ever.  This winter, the board analyzed the SLYC’s 2024 court data and survey member preferences. As a result of this information, we revised a few of our booking, guest, and cancellation procedures, with goals to: 

• Effectively manage resources to fully utilize our courts and clinics and to alleviate court compaction, when possible.
• Streamline our systems and procedures to make them clear, consistent, fair, and easy for both our members and our administrators.

Key Summer ‘24 usage data informing these decisions

(Key survey data will be shared in a future newsletter)

Cancellations: 

• Free-play courts that were canceled between 12 and 24 hours before the reservation had a 70% chance of being re-booked.
• Free-play courts that were canceled <12 hours before the reservation only had a 35% chance of being re-booked.
• Free-play courts that were “no shows” had a 0% chance of being re-booked

Guests: 

A fair number of guests played more than the maximum allowed, revealing that:

• Members prefer to play with a guest more than 2x a summer (also supported by survey data).
• A better oversight system is needed.

Clinics: 

• Members often asked the tennis hut operators to excuse and refund their late clinic cancellations (< 24 hours from the start of clinic). The operators refunded over 100 clinic spots canceled within the < 24 hour window. 

2025 Tennis and Pickleball Policies

CANCELLATIONS:

Please cancel courts/clinics you can’t use to allow other members to re-book & enjoy, even at the last minute!

Free Play Cancellations:

• Members should cancel courts >12 hours in advance of booking time (2025).
• Members who do not cancel >12h in advance of booking time will have their infractions automatically recorded by CourtReserve (2025).
• 3 infractions = lose booking privilege ($25 to reinstate).
• 6 infractions = lose booking for 1 week ($50 to reinstate).

Clinic Cancellations:

• Members should cancel clinics >24 hours in advance of clinic time.
• If a member cancels <24h in advance of clinic time, the member will be charged for the clinic.
• Note: If only 1 or 2 people are registered for a clinic at 9am the business day prior, the registrants will be given the option (via email) to reply by 12 pm (noon) the same day if they wish to turn the clinic into a semi-private or private lesson. If a clinic is not converted to a semi/private lesson, the court will be converted to free play by 1pm the day prior. (2025)

No Shows:

• Members are required to be on court within 30 minutes of free-playing start time, otherwise a no-show strike will be implemented by CourtReserve (2025).
• No-Show Penalties:
• 1st infraction: $25 fine,
• 2nd infraction: $50 fine,
• 3rd infraction: 1-week booking suspension.

GUEST POLICY:

• Members may invite unlimited total guests.
• Members are responsible for their guests.
• Every guest must be registered as a unique SLYC non-member in CourtReserve before stepping on court. (2025)
• If an oversight occurs, guests will be asked by the SLYC Check-in Staff to register as non-members on CourtReserve, on site, during play on their electronic device; this is an easy procedure that can be done by scanning a QR code and filling in basic information. If guests do not have an electronic device on their person or there is another barrier, guests have up to 24 hours after playing to register (online or by visiting the tennis hut in person).
• $50 penalty is charged to the member who violates the SLYC guest policy 3 times.
• Each guest may play up to 3 times per season (May 15 - October 31, 2025) at a rate of $25 per guest play, as a non-member. After 3 guest visits, that guest will be offered an opportunity to join as an SLYC member to participate in all programming, use of the facilities, and be allowed booking rights. Guest usage is tracked by the SLYC through CourtReserve. (2025)
• Guests may join clinics and special events if there is room 24 hours prior (the clinic. fee + an additional $25 Guest fee will be applied each time).
• Guests may not participate in SLYC tournaments.
• Guests may not book free-play courts or play on courts without an SLYC member
• Past guest fees may not be applied to membership fees.

RAINOUTS:

• When a court or clinic is rained out on weekdays from 9am-4pm, operations will update the scheduler in CourtReserve.
• Clinics will be refunded if the clinic runs for <50% of the time.

FREE-PLAY COURT AND PRIVATE LESSON BOOKING RULES:

• Courts/clinics/lessons may be booked up to 1 week in advance (bookings open at 8am, 7 days prior) via:
• CourtReserve (website or app),
• By phoning (705-772-6716),
• Visiting the tennis hut between 9am & 4pm on weekdays.
• Every member is allowed 3 advance free-play bookings (both tennis & pickleball within the available-to-be-booked week).
• Every member is allowed 1 private lesson weekly on a weekday and 1 private lesson on weekends.
• If a lesson/court is available to be booked 24 hours in advance, it will not count towards your weekly allotment.

COURT 3 MULTI-USE POLICY FOR

SUMMER 2025

Based on a repeat look at all the court usage and compaction data, this new policy

takes into account the high demand by SLYC members for pickleball and tennis court

times. It best uses Court 3’s availability and ensures that one other court remains open

as a free-play tennis court on weekdays and weekends, with the exclusion of men’s,

women’s, and co-ed drills nights. This multi-use Court 3 booking policy will be

reviewed, assessed, and amended as necessary mid-summer by the Racquets Co-

Directors.

WHAT IS A MULTI-USE COURT?

Members can choose to use Court 3 for tennis, in which case the full court is booked,

or book a 1/2 court as a pickleball A or B.

DAYS/TIMES FOR MULTI-SPORT

Court #3 will be available to book as a free multi-use court for either pickleball or

tennis:

• Monday - Thursday 5pm onwards (when there are no programs or tournaments),
• Fridays 4pm onwards (when there are no programs or tournaments),
• Weekends 5pm onwards (when there is are programs or tournaments),
• August 18-24 from 2 pm onwards (when there are no programs or tournaments).

HOW MEMBERS BOOK COURT 3 AS A MULTI-USE COURT

Logging in to CourtReserve, members should:

1. Choose Tennis/Pickleball,
2. Click Book A Multi-Use Court,
3. Select either Hard Court 3 to book a Tennis Court, or Pickleball A or Pickleball B to book one side of Court 3 as a pickleball court,
4. Add all names of players.

When a member books Court 3 as a Pickleball court, CourtReserve automatically

designates CRT3 as two PB courts: Pickleball Court A and Pickleball Court B. A

second Pickleball court will automatically be open for booking by another member.

A member cannot book both halves of the pickleball court as it counts as a double

booking. Another member of their group must do so, thus ensuring maximum usage

and fairness to all. As with all courts, members must include the names of all their

players — singles or doubles — to complete a booking.

COURT 3 SHOULD ONLY BE BOOKED FOR PICKLEBALL IF THE ORIGINAL

PICKLEBALL COURT #1 IS NOT IN USE. PICKLEBALL COURT #1 IS THE

DEFAULT FOR ALL BOOKINGS.

If a member books Court 3 as a multi-use court, and is only using one side of it for PB,

and the original PB court is open, the member will be asked by SLYC Racquets Staff to

move to the original PB court as a courtesy so that other members may use Court 3 for

tennis, if desired.

SLYC racquets check-in staff will monitor when Court 3 is booked as a PB court and

remind users to strike 5 minutes before their hour is up so that the wheeled net can be

moved off-court as a courtesy to the next players with the assumption that they are

tennis players.

After the season ends on August 24, the wheeled pickleball nets will be locked away

and can only be accessed by the Property or Racquets Directors on request.

Update: Hydro Line Relocation Project

Earlier this year, the board made the decision to proceed with burying the overhead power lines running over court one and the pickleball court, out of an abundance of caution for the safety of our members. However, as many are aware, a severe ice storm struck Ontario in late March 2025, causing widespread power outages and significant infrastructure damage. In response, Hydro One redirected its full resources to emergency restoration efforts. As a result, the hydro line burial project has been delayed and is now scheduled to begin this fall.

As in previous summers, members are reminded that use of SLYC facilities is at their own risk.

In the meantime, those who hold the “Stony Lake let” close to their hearts will be glad to know that this cherished tradition will continue for one more summer.

Join Us For the 2025 SLYC Opening Social!

SLYC Adult Members – You're Invited!

Join us this Saturday, June 28th at 5:00 PM at the Clubhouse as we toast the start of another active, joyful, and convivial Stony summer!

Please bring your own beverage and an appetizer to share.

New or “new-ish” members are warmly invited to arrive early at 4:30 PM to meet the SLYC Board of Directors and connect with one another.



We hope to see you there!

Junior Sailing Starts Next Week!

The SLYC Junior Sailing Staff looks forward to welcoming our young sailors starting Monday, June 30th!

• Morning programs (Wet Feet, Opti Intro, CANSail 1 & 2): 9:00am – 12:00pm
• Afternoon programs (Wet Feet PM, Opti Advanced, CANSail 3 & 4): 1:00pm – 4:00pm
• Race Teams (Opti & 420): Full day, 9:00am – 4:00pm

Stoney Lake Sprint: Saturday, July 5

The organizing committee of the Stoney Lake Sprint invites you to join them at beautiful Viamede Resort for a morning of fun, fitness and fundraising in support of the work that Kawartha Land Trust does to protect and preserve Ston(e)y Lake. 

Little Sprinters 1k kicks off at 9:30am, with the 5k run/walk at 10am. 

Many thanks to the sponsors: Lane Four, Kawartha Park Marina, Bridgewell, 

Bedford Lakehouse, Viamede Resort, Lancer Electric and Century Health (Lakefield).

They love early registrations!

Mixed Doubles Tournament (A, B & C)

Grab a partner and join in the Mixed Doubles Tournament taking place on July 5-6 (with optional matches on July 4). No partner? No problem! Sign up and our pros will help you find one! We will accommodate Stony Sprint participants and volunteers in our scheduling. Registration for the Mixed Doubles Tournament closes at 9pm on Sunday, June 29.

Call out to Past SLYC Director's 📣

The current Board is in the process of gathering and consolidating all historical SLYC documents. If you have old files or paperwork at the cottage we would be super appreciative if you would pass them on to a current Director or drop them by the tennis hut (please give the hut a head's up by emailing slycinfo@gmail.com).

SLYC would love to receive your ideas and feedback about anything and everything to do with our club — let us know what's on your mind by clicking on the green button above! All comments are anonymous so we won't be able to respond to your feedback directly, but please know that we're listening. Thank you for sharing!