If your session is more than 6 days away when you book, your payment is taken 6 days after you book, not on the day you play. This is normal, and it doesn't mean you've been charged twice or charged by mistake.
Why it works this way
When you book, we don't charge your card straight away — we place a hold on it. Visa and Mastercard only allow a hold to stay on a card for 7 days. After that, it has to be either charged or released. We use 6 days to stay safely inside that limit.
So:
Session within 6 days of booking: the hold stays on your card and is charged 4 hours after your session's end time.
Session more than 6 days away: the hold is charged on day 6, and anything you shouldn't pay is returned to you after the session.
Why not just charge me after I've played?
Saving your card and charging it later gives no guarantee that the money is still available when we try, and it can trigger an extra bank verification step that fails or goes unanswered. The club would then be left unpaid for a court that was booked and played on. Holding the money up front is what makes the payment secure for everyone.
If you booked the court and chose Pay Your Part, the amount held is larger than your own share. See "Why was I charged more than my share of the court?"