JACKSON HORSESHOE CLUB HAS LARGEST HORSESHOE LEAGUE IN MICHIGAN

Using a team approach, the Jackson Club fields 16 teams with 90-100 players registered in the 16 week league season. Operating under non-sanctioned league rules the season runs from May 1 to Aug. 16 including position and playoff night if required to determine the first half and second half team winners.

Our club is a Charter Member of the Michigan Horseshoe Pitchers Association that feature some 18 Clubs with over 200 association members. We schedule sanctioned tournaments as part of the MHPA annual schedule with both indoor and outdoor tournaments. The Courts are located on a Jackson City Park located in southeast Jackson.

Location of our Club:

Our indoor courts

42°14'15.2"N 84°23'16.1"W

The club's Indoor Court Building features six courts in a solid cement floor. The courts are used for NHPA sanctioned tournaments during the late fall and winter months. Our Club sponsors the tournament every other Saturday while one of the WSHPA charter clubs sponsors the tournaments on the other Saturdays. The fall schedule usually starts in late October and runs through April of the next year. The first Winter League was launched in the fall of 2007 with ten teams participating

OUR TOURNAMENT AND CLUB OFFICE

The club office and tournament building was constructed during the early days of the club's development that features 16 outdoor courts and six indoor courts housed in the building above.

This photo shows one of the two sections with eight courts each. The chalk boards seen in the background are used for recording League scores for each individual game played during league play. Each courts features competing team members from two teams registered for league play. Two courts with four players each are assigned to the courts on a rotating schedule developed at the start of the league year.

On a typical League Night during the 16 week schedule the 16 courts are a bee hive of aspiring pitchers determined to be the league champion. Teams vary in the number of players they carry on their team line-up, but typically the average is 5-6 players. The team approach allows flexibility for fielding a team each league night. If the team does not have at least four members present they can find a sub to complete the required four pitchers on the two courts.

The Score Board is a replicate of a standard score sheet designed for up to 50 shoe games. It provides for the names of the players from the competing teams. Each round for 'count all' handicap scoring is recorded on the board and the results are recorded on a summary sheet provided for each set of two courts. A total of four members from each team compete in four 40 shoe game each week of league play.

Building improvements: Many thanks to Ron Deforest, Mike Warner, Mike Gorton and Richard Gorton