ACE PICKLEBALL CLUB - CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

$250K PRIZE POOL.

MEMBERS ONLY.

The APC Championship Series is a national tournament series held across all Ace Pickleball Club locations. The events are included in your Membership at no additional cost.

Too serious for you? Think again! Our events are purpose-built for all skill levels to have a fun, exciting experience.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!

ACE PICKLEBALL CLUB - CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

MARCH 22-23, 2025

Men’s and Women’s Doubles

Registration is Closed

APRIL 26-27, 2025

Team Event

Registration is now Open

4/26: All Men’s Division

4/27: All Women’s and the Open Division

MAY 31-JUNE 1, 2025

Mixed Doubles

5/31: All Under 50 Age Divisions

6/1: All 50+ Age Divisions

AUGUST 23-24, 2025

Men’s and Women’s Doubles

8/23: All Women’s Under 50 and Men’s 50+ Divisions

8/24: All Men’s Under 50 and Women’s 50+ Divisions

SEPTEMBER 13-14, 2025

Team Event

9/13: All Women’s and the Open Division

9/14: All Men’s Divisions

OCTOBER 11-12, 2025

Mixed Doubles

10/11: All 50+ Age Divisions

10/12: All Under 50 Age Divisions

WHAT APC MEMBERS ARE SAYING

Kris Carter
⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑

I recently played in the member championship series at Ace. The event was top notch. Upon check in, I received a nice t-shirt and a schedule of my event and times etc. The event ran as planned. There were open courts to warm up which was nice. Sandwiches, chips and drinks were served upstairs. Following the event, they awarded very nice medals and winners hats. The staff at Ace always is friendly and accomodating, whether you are a beginner or the best player in the world!

David Artman
⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑

Love the Club! Staff smiles and enjoys being helpful and accommodating. I recently played in the inaugural Championship Series. Like everything they do, fun and well organized.

Paul Mancini
⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑

Awesome event, very well run, play time was right on time and finished on time as expected. The food and snacks were a nice touch too, great overall experience.

A Berry
⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑

I really enjoyed participating in the recent Championship Series at ACE. ACE is such a fun and supportive club to be apart of!

FAQ

CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

MEN’S AND WOMEN’S DOUBLES

TEAM EVENT

MIXED DOUBLES

CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES FAQ

  • a. A series of 6 local member-only tournaments held throughout the year designed to create fun, competitive outlets for our members.

    b. Each event is a qualifying tournament to get into the 7th event – the APC National Championship.

  • As a member at Ace Pickleball Club, there is no cost for you to participate in this event.

  • All players must have an active membership with APC both at Registration and continuously through the date of the APC Championship Series event they participate in.

  • a. Men’s Doubles

    b. Women’s Doubles

    c. Mixed Doubles

    d. Team Event

  • a. March 22-23 – Men’s and Women’s Doubles

    b. April 26-27 – Team Event

    c. May 31-June 1 – Mixed Doubles

    d. August 23-24 – Men’s and Women’s Doubles

    e. September 13-14 – Team Event

    f. October 11-12 – Mixed Doubles

  • Open Play will not be available during tournament hours.  Open Play will be available to members after the tournament events are completed each day – usually around 6pm. 

  • Any paddle that is currently on the USA Pickleball or UPA-A Pickleball list of certified paddles is eligible for play in the National Championship.

  • No, tournament scores will not be submitted to DUPR.

  • More than 20 Ace Pickleball Club locations will have the opportunity to host at least one APC Championship Series event in 2025.

  • The winners from each local event bracket (i.e., 3.5 Men’s Doubles - 50+ age group, 4.0 Team event, 3.0 Mixed Doubles Under 50 age group) will be invited to participate in the season-ending National Championships.

  • a. Free opportunity for competition and networking with other members

    b. Bragging rights for you and your partner

    c. Opportunity to win your local Championship, but more importantly…

    d. Opportunity to qualify to play for even greater rewards at the APC National Championships

  • All questions related to the Championship Series should be addressed to your local Club’s Management Team or emailed to championships@acepickleballclub.com.  One of our team members will respond to your email as quickly as possible.

MEN’S AND WOMEN’S DOUBLES FAQ

  • Skill Levels available:

    • Beginner (2.5), Intermediate (3.0), Intermediate Plus (3.5), Advanced (4.0), Advanced Plus (4.5) and Open (5.0+).

    Age groups available:

    • Under 50, and 50+.

  • Events to be played on Saturday, March 22nd:

    • All Men’s Doubles for the Under 50 Age Groups

    • All Women’s Doubles for the 50+ Age Groups

    Events to be played on Sunday, March 23rd:

    • All Men’s Doubles for the 50+ Age Groups

    • All Women’s Doubles for the Under 50 Age Groups

    • Beginner Level – All Ages Combined

    • The format of play is Pool Play followed by a Playoff.

    • All Pool Play matches are played as 2 out of 3 games to 11, win by 1

    • All Playoff matches are played as 2 out of 3 games to 11 with win by 1 in the first two games and win by 2 in the third game.

  • Pools are created based on the overall number of teams that register at each Skill/Level/Age Group.  We strive to create Pools of 4 teams, which guarantees 3 matches for all teams entered plus additional games for teams that move on to the playoffs.  When needed, we will run Pools of 3 teams, which will guarantee 2 matches for all teams entered plus additional games for teams that move on to the playoffs.  In situations where only two teams register at a given Skill Level/Age Group, those teams will play one match to determine the winner.

  • Players 50 and older are able to play in either the Under 50 age group or the 50+ age group, but cannot play in both events.  All players are only allowed to register for a single event within the tournament.  Players registering for more than on event will be withdrawn from both events they have registered for.

TEAM EVENT FAQ

  • 4-person teams competing against each other in multi-round matches.

  • Nothing – all tournaments within the Championship Series are included in your membership.

    • Any current member is eligible to play in the tournament

    • All players need to have active memberships at the date of the tournament

    • Beginner (2.5) – All ages play together

    • Intermediate (3.0) – All ages play together

    • Intermediate Plus (3.5) – All ages play together

    • Advanced (4.0) – All ages play together

    • Advanced Plus (4.5) – All ages play together

    • Open (4.75+) All ages play together

    • The entire event takes place the weekend of April 26th and 27th, however each gender group will only compete on one of those days

      • Saturday, April 26th – Men’s Teams

      • Sunday, April 27th – Women’s Teams and the OPEN Division

  • BEGINNER through ADVANCED PLUS Skill Levels:

    • Men’s Teams (4 men on a team) vs other Men’s Teams

    • Women’s Teams (4 Women on a team) versus other Women’s Teams

    • Each team will rank order their players 1, 2, 3, 4 based on skill level within the team.

      • Club Management will have the authority to alter the rank order supplied by the team.

      • The final approved rank order will remain in place throughout the tournament

    OPEN Skill Level:

    • Men and women play with and against each other in this Division.  4-person teams are developed through a draft process regardless of gender.

    Match Format:

    • Game 1 – Players #1 and #2 from each team will play a doubles game to 11, win by 1

    • Game 2 – Players #3 and #4 from each team will play a doubles game to 11, win by 1

    • Game 3 – Players #1 and #3 from each team will play a doubles game to 11, win by 1

    • Game 4 – Players #2 and #4 from each team will play a doubles game to 11, win by 1

  • The tournament will take approximately 4-5 hours to complete should your team make it all the way to the final match

  • Registration will open on Wednesday April 2nd at Noon local time and closes at midnight on Sunday April 20th.  Once the registration site goes live an email will be sent to all members and we will provide a link here and in other areas of the Championship Series website.

  • Traditional Scoring will be used for all tournament games

  • Pool play matches will not play Tie Breakers.  Only Semi-final and Final matches will play Tie Breakers. 

    The Tie Breaker for this team event is a combination of doubles match ups from both teams that play against each other in a single game played to 11 win by 2.  Each team will send out their double’s teams in a predetermined order as listed below:

    • The first rotation of players (Players 1 and 2) will remain on the court until either team reaches 2 points. 

    • The second rotation of players (Players 3 and 4) will remain on the court until either team reaches 4 points. 

    • The third rotation of players (Players 1 and 3) will remain on the court until either team reaches 6 points. 

    • The fourth rotation of players (Players 2 and 4) will remain on the court until either team reaches 8 points. 

    • The fifth rotation of players (Players 1 and 2) will remain on the court until the game is completed. 

  • Only 1st place finishing teams will receive invites to participate in the APC National Championships.

  • Work with your Club Management to take advantage of opportunities to get connected with other members that are also seeking teammates through our Find a Partner activities.

  • Open Play will be available on Saturday April 26th following tournament play, which is expected to be around 6pm.

MIXED DOUBLES FAQ

  • Nothing – all tournaments within the Championship Series are included in your membership.

  • Skill levels available

    • Beginner (2.5)

    • Intermediate (3.0)

    • Intermediate + (3.5)

    • Advanced (4.0)

    • Advanced + (4.5)

    • Open (4.75+)

    Age groups available

    • Under 50 and 50+

  • The tournament will take approximately 4-5 hours to complete should your team make it all the way to the final match

    • Information regarding which divisions are playing on which day is available on the “Schedule of Events” section of the Championship Series Website

    • Start times for each skill division will be available the Saturday prior to the tournament

    • Any current member is eligible to play in the tournament

    • All players need to have active memberships at the date of the tournament

    • The format of play is Pool Play followed by a Playoff.

    • All Pool Play matches are played as 2 out of 3 games to 11, win by 1

    • All Playoff matches are played as 2 out of 3 games to 11 with win by 1 in the first two games and win by 2 in the third game.

    • Registration opens on May 7th and closes at midnight on May 21st. Once the registration site goes live, an email will be sent to all members, and we will provide a link here and in other areas of the Championship Series website.

    • You must have a defined partner in order to register for the event

  • Work with your Club Management to take advantage of opportunities to get connected with other members that are also seeking a teammate through our Find a Partner activities.

  • Pools are created based on the overall number of teams that register at each Skill/Level/Age Group. We strive to create Pools of 4 teams, which guarantees 3 matches for all teams entered plus additional games for teams that move on to the playoffs. When needed, we will run Pools of 3 teams, which will guarantee 2 matches for all teams entered plus additional games for teams that move on to the playoffs. In situations where only two teams register at a given Skill Level/Age Group, those teams will play one match to determine the winner.

  • Players 50 and older are able to play in either the Under 50 age group or the 50+ age group but cannot play in both events. All players are only allowed to register for a single event within the tournament. Players registering for more than on event will be withdrawn from both events they have registered for.

  • Only 1st place finishing teams will receive invites to participate in the APC National Championships.

  • Open Play will not be available during tournament hours. Open Play will be available to members after the tournament events are completed each day – usually around 6pm.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP FAQ

  • This event is the season ending finale of the APC Championship Series. Top finishers from qualifying local APC Championship Series events are invited to participate in this “winner among winners” event.

  • As a member at APC, there is no cost for you to participate in this event.  Players must pay their own travel expenses related to playing in these events

  • Any location that runs a local APC Championship Series event will be extending invites to their winning teams in each bracket played to participate in the APC National Championship.

  • The APC National Championship event will have a minimum prize pool of $250,000

  • a. Free opportunity for competition and networking with other members from Ace Pickleball Clubs across the country

    b. Opportunity to represent your local Ace Pickleball Club at a national level

    c. Opportunity to be an Ace Pickleball Club National Champion

    d. Opportunity to win part of the $250,000 minimum prize pool

  • The National Championship will be played the week of January 26, 2026.  The location for this event has not been determined yet.

  • There is no entry fee for qualified players to play in the National Championship.

  • Qualified players must be members from the time that they participated in the qualifying Championship Series event until the date of the National Championship.  Failure to maintain membership will disqualify a player from participating in the National Championship.

    • If your partner is no longer qualified to play (either no longer a member at APC, has not been a consistent member at APC, or is otherwise unable to participate in the event), you are able to select a replacement player.  Replacement players must meet the following criteria:

      • They must be a current APC member and remain a member through the National Championship dates

      • They must have played in an APC Championship Series event during 2024

        • Their participation must have been in the same event that you are qualified in (Men’s, Women’s, Mixed or Team)

        • Their participation must have been at the same skill level or below as the skill level you qualified for with your previous partner (Open Skill Level replacement players for the Team Event also need to have been drafted in the same 1, 2, 3 or 4 position/slot or lower as the player they are replacing)

        • Their participation must have been at the same age level or higher as the age level you qualified for with your previous partner

  • All questions related to the National Championships should be emailed to championships@acepickleballclub.com.  One of our team members will respond to your email as quickly as possible.