Q&A – Items on Court

By Mark Peifer, USA Pickleball Certified Referee; Past Chairman, USA Pickleball Rules Committee

QUESTION: My opponent’s hat blows off as he hits his shot, and it lands on the court but not in the NVZ. A wind gust then blows the hat completely past his baseline. I return the ball but it hits the hat out of bounds. Since the hat is no longer on the court, my opponent calls the ball out. Was that the correct call?

ANSWER:  Yes. The applicable rule is Rule 11.H, “Items on the Court. If any item a player is/was wearing or carrying lands on their end of the court, unless the item lands in the non-volley zone as a result of a volley, the ball remains in play even if it hits the item.”