The court is prepped with glide-y glass beads.

The discs are placed in the kitchen with care.

And the cue is prepped for a precise placement push.

It’s time to play "ball" ... err, "board."

Shuffleboard.

The St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club, located just off 4^th Avenue North on Mirror Lake, has been part of St. Petersburg history pushing a century.

“We’re the oldest club in the world,” said Club Executive Director Christine Page.

And while they've been around for a while, something you may not know: they are a free club every Friday night from 7 p.m. until 10 p.m.

“It’s a game where you can start, learn the rules and start enjoying right away,” explained Page.

How to Play

You play pushing yellow or black discs along a 52 x 6 foot court with a long-handled disc-cradling cue into a scoring triangle.

The top of the triangle is worth 10 points.

The second row is worth eight points.

The third row is worth seven points.

The fourth row — "the kitchen" — is negative 10 points.

You need to try to keep your discs in the scoring areas and try to hit your opponent’s disc out of the scoring areas, or even better, into the kitchen.

One rule to remember: land on a line, and your disc score is zero.

Resurgence

When Christine Page started as a volunteer at the club in 2005, there were only 35 members left in the club, a far cry from their heyday of 7,000.

In truth, the club was in jeopardy of closing.

But since then they’ve glided back into the thousands, and Page is now the head of the club.

“To see it well-loved by the community and used and to see it grow, it’s really one of my dreams, says Page. “It’s been fantastic just watching it and being a part of it.”

Go Play

Free Friday night shuffleboard fun runs from 7 p.m. until 10 p.m. as long as it’s not raining.

League play starts in September on Monday and Wednesdays. Sign up starts August 28.

There are about 200 members playing each night.

Membership is $35 a year to play all year long.