The Gauntlet is the Tour for the rest of us. The ultimate national proving ground — regional elites face hungry challengers, every DUPR point counts, every Takedown matters.
We eliminate the "rating-parking" stalemate by hosting exclusive, high-stakes brackets that match regional elites with rising challengers — ratings on the line. This isn't just local pride. It's a national war.
Your DUPR is on the line every single match. No protected ratings. No safe brackets. Every game has real consequences.
Every point and Takedown feeds the National Gauntlet Leaderboard. Defend your turf or climb toward the year-end National Championship — every game matters.
This isn't recreational pickleball. Elite brackets come with cash on the line, regional pride at stake, and a national audience watching. Stay at the top? You have to defend it.
You pay $120, burn a whole Saturday, and play four matches — two of them blowouts. You get a medal, maybe, and a DUPR bump if you're lucky. Meanwhile the players you actually want to test yourself against are three courts away, in a bracket you'll never touch.
The Gauntlet flips it. Short, dense, guaranteed-match events where amateurs share courts with the best players in their city. Every rally is recorded, every win moves your rank, and every city gets an answer to the only question that matters: who's actually the best around here?
Everything feeds the Gauntlet Leaderboard. The Gauntlet Series is where reputations are made in a single night. The Challenge Ladder is where they're defended every week.
Our flagship. A ~3-hour, high-energy event where every player gets 9–11 guaranteed matches — rotating through regions anchored by the top-rated players in your area. Play with the pros, then take your shot at them.
Competition that never closes. Challenge anyone up to 3 spots above you on your city ladder, schedule the match yourselves — any court, any night — and report the score. Win and take their spot. Defend your rung by answering challenges.
Points from every Gauntlet and ladder match roll into your season total. Finish high enough and you're invited up the pyramid.
Not in these cities yet? The Gauntlet launches where the demand is. Add your city to the waitlist — 150 signups triggers a pilot Gauntlet.
Every division runs its own Gauntlet Leaderboard — one number, one board, one race against your true peers. Event nights bank the big points, ladder matches add to the pile, and your best 8 events count. Points are worth the same in every division: a 1st-place night pays 200 whether it's Prospect or Elite. It rewards showing up, beating better players, and defending your spot. It cannot be parked.
Event points — the placement curve pays 200 down to a 25-point floor for every completed night, +20 for winning your Takedown group. Majors score ×1.5, Slams ×2.
Ladder points — 4 a win, +2 per rung jumped on a Takedown, 3 a defense. Capped at 35 a month, so the ladder keeps you climbing but can't replace event nights.
DUPR-synced — all matches submitted to DUPR, so your official rating grows while you climb the board.
Your DUPR on registration day sets your division — exactly on a line means the lower division, and unrated players start in Prospect. Play up always, down never.
Gauntlet Leaderboard = event points + ladder points · placement × tier multiplier per night · ladder points capped monthly · boards update after every match and publish every Monday.
Every player gets a free profile. Members get the ladder, the full stat suite, and first crack at every event in their city.
Claim your profile. Get on the board.
or $79/year — two months free. The full competitive toolkit.
First 50 members in each new city. Never reopens.
ProAm Advocates represent and grow Pro-Am Gauntlet in their local communities through player outreach, networking, event support, and market development. Advocates are eligible for revenue-sharing and other incentives tied to the success of their market.
Competitive player, coach, club leader, or passionate ambassador — we'd love to hear from you.
Fill out the form and our team will be in touch.
