HOP-format
leagues.

The shape of a season.

Round-robin, then promote.

Every week, four players are matched into a foursome and rotate partners over three games. Wins and points carry across the whole eight weeks. Cumulative results drive a ladder that promotes the top of each level and relegates the bottom.

• Weeks 1-4. Round-robin within each skill level. Each player plays 3 games a week against rotating partners.
• Weeks 5-7. Top 8 of each level compete for promotion; bottom 8 compete to avoid relegation. Wins and points from weeks 1-4 carry over.
• Week 8. Positional finals.
• Promotion adjustment. If a player is promoted mid-session due to dropouts, they inherit the last-place active member's win-and-point total to keep the standings competitive.

Same partner. Eight weeks.

Each partnership plays one match a week — three games against a single opposing partnership. Levels are seeded by the higher of the two DUPR ratings, with combined DUPR as a secondary signal. Partnerships without established DUPR play in self-assessed skill divisions at the commissioner's discretion.

• Weeks 1-7. Round-robin among all partnerships in the same level (5-7 weeks depending on team count).
• Week 8. Positional best-of-5: 1st vs 2nd, 3rd vs 4th, and so on down the standings.
• 4-team levels. Double round-robin, then a 1v2 / 3v4 best-of-5 final.
• 6-team levels. Two-week round-robin among top 3 and bottom 3 across weeks 7-8.

Self-officiated. Honest scores.

Games are self-officiated. The call is made on the side where the ball is. If playing partners disagree on an in/out call, the ball is in. Disputes that can't be resolved are replayed.

When recording scores, submit the actual final score of each game — do not trim points down to 11. DinkTracker caps points at 11 only when computing standings; the full raw score is submitted to DUPR for rating purposes.

• Server side rule. First serve from the traditional side; switch sides at 6 points by default (mutual pre-game agreement may waive the switch).
• No ties. Every game must have a winner — DUPR rejects tied scores.
• 11-point cap on standings. A player can earn at most 11 points per game in the standings calculation, even if the raw score was higher. This prevents run-up.

Wins, then points, then seed.

Individual ladder. Standings rank by total wins, descending. Tiebreakers: total points (capped 11 per game), then initial seed. The initial seed tiebreaker is fixed at the start of the session — it doesn't shift with in-session results.

Partners league. Standings rank by total wins. Tiebreaker: head-to-head result.

Reschedule first. Sub if you must.

Make every effort to reschedule a match before bringing in a substitute. If an injury or emergency cuts a match short, completed games count and are submitted to DUPR. A game in progress counts only if at least one team has hit 9 points (and that game is not submitted to DUPR).

• Individual subs. Any HOP member from the same level or higher can sub in. Subs from outside the league are allowed by unanimous agreement, but those games are not submitted to DUPR.
• Partner subs. Must have a DUPR rating no higher than the highest-rated player in that level.
• Failure to play. If a partnership won't complete a match and no eligible alternative is arranged, both teams score zero for the week.