Padel has arrived in Somerset West!
Billed as the fastest growing sport in the world, padel is a racket sport described as a hybrid between tennis and squash. It is typically played in doubles on an enclosed court roughly 25% smaller than the size of a tennis court. Scoring is the same as normal tennis and the balls used are similar but with a little less pressure.
On Saturday 5 March, two courts were officially opened at Lourensford Estate in Somerset West, and is already proving a hit among first timers, amateurs and professional athletes of other sports alike.
“We’ve been at this for three years, publicising this, looking for a site, and building it. These are the first panoramic courts in the country,” boasts Steven Cox, the owner and founder of the courts at the picturesque estate. There are other courts in Camps Bay, Century City and Johannesburg, among other locations, but this one is part of a totally separate entity.
Cox grew up in Somerset West and attended Beaumont Primary School and Paul Roos Gymnasium. He also owns Padel Projects, a company which prides itself in providing and manufacturing the equipment, hardware and apparatus used in the sport of padel. “I came across the sport in Spain in 2015 and it really struck me as something that would do well in SA, so when I arrived back home I immediately started researching the feasibility of opening a ‘Padel Hub’. We searched for sites and eventually Lourensford popped up, they were interested in our concept and at the beginning of 2020 we started setting this up. We built it from the bottom up and everything is proudly South African manufactured”.
Together with his partner Noemi Llompart, they have invested a significant amount of money and time in getting the Padel Hub off the ground.
And already tennis and squash players as well as other athletes, families, teens and the general public have been rushing to the hub to learn and play the addictive and exhilarating game. “The reaction so far has been great as the sport is basically for everyone. Everyone who’s been here has returned to play again. It’s less strenuous on the body than tennis and squash, and has a very competitive element that just invokes a great experience every time.”
During the next few weeks the Padel Hub will launch a membership programme and soon after that tournaments, friendlies and social events will be held regularly.
Cox and Llompart are on site everyday, where they introduce guests to the game and are open from 07:00 to 22:00 daily.
For bookings and details, download the “Playtomic app” for free on your smartphone. All bookings are processed through the app. You can see court availability, find others to play against in the area, record your matches, see your ranking, and much more.
You can also find Padel Hub on Facebook.
