Club owners collect a combination of court time and membership fees, which creates a revenue stream, whereas pickleball struggles to charge. At the same time, the margins for padel business owners are more attractive than constructing a tennis court which costs double the amount.
Described as a hybrid game of squash and tennis and endorsed with big investments from famous athletes like the soccer player Zlatan Ibrahimovic and tennis star Andy Murray, padel, a racquet sport little known to Americans is vying to unseat pickleball as the US’s fastest growing sport.
Easy to pick up and played on a smaller court than traditional tennis, padel bears a number of similarities to pickleball. Nowprivate investors are spending big to build hundreds of courts across the nation and campaigning to see it become an Olympic sport for Los Angeles 2028.
First invented by Mexican businessman Enrique Corcuera in 1969, padel is a big pastime in Spain, where there are over 20,000 courts. It’s caught on more recently in the Middle East and other European countries, for example, in France where it’s been the fastest growing sport in the last two years, according to the country’s sports ministry.It’s been steadily making its way into the European mainstream and last month, Roland Garros hosted a major padel tournament on its grounds for the first time.
In the US, it’s states with large Spanish-speaking populations like Florida and Texas that are paving the way.
“You cannot get a court in South Florida without booking three weeks in advance. Facilities have a waiting list of 100 to get lessons,” said the president of the United States Padel Association (USPA). The association estimates there are 25 million people playing globally in more than 170 countries.
Although in the US currently there are only around 180 courts, the USPA is forecasting exponential growth based on the uptake of the sport it has seen in other countries. It expects there will be 25,000 to 30,000 courts with 8 to 10 million people playing in the US by 2029.
New York City recently welcomed its first padel club called Padel Haus. Opened by Santiago Gomez, the Williamsburg venue opened with four courts in July but the entrepreneur is set to open another eight in the city’s Financial District and 10 in Green point and Long Island City within the next year.
“New York City right now alone has enough demand for 50 courts and has room to grow,” said Gomez, who is also looking at expanding in Boston and Philadelphia. Although Gomez has been playing padel for years, he was inspired to invest in it after seeing its popularity rise during covid-19.
“During the pandemic, European governments were not allowing team sports to play, but they were allowing padel,” he said. As a non-contact sport, the risk of germ exposure is lower, but the distance between players is still close enough that people can still converse readily. “People were doing that as their only way to exercise and socialize.”
Fun fact: Santiago Gomez, co-founder of iconic Mexican restaurants Cosme and Atla, is the founder of the project.
“I played padel for almost 20 years while growing up in Mexico and spending my summers in Acapulco, where the sport was invented,” Gomez said in an official statement about his latest endeavor. “When the pandemic hit in 2020, I went back to Acapulco and made padel a part of my routine, playing every day. When I eventually returned to New York, I realized that the sport was one of the things the city was missing and the idea for Padel Haus was born.”
Expect the new destination to look very modern, boasting white oak wood floors, casings with matte black and concrete accents throughout. There will also be locker rooms with lime wall finishes, fluted glass shower doors, large-format gray terrazzo tile flooring and stacked matte sage green wall tiles.
In addition to the professional courts, the space will also be home to the city’s only padel pro shop, a co-ed steam room, an elevated viewing lounge and an organic juice bar that will be open to the public.
As for pricing, memberships currently cost $150 per month, plus a one-time initiation fee of $490. You can also book a court if you’re not a member, but it will cost you $55 per person per hour with a maximum of three bookings per month.
And if you’ve never played the game but so ardently wish you could, you’ll be delighted to know that Padel Haus will soon also launch an academy for both kids and adults led by certified padel coaches. Think of it as a tennis-slash-squash school.
ARTICLE Written by Anna RahmananTuesday June 14 2022 FROM TIME OUT.
THE COMPANY PADEL BOX HAS INSTALLED 3 PADEL COURTS OVER THE SUMMER IN THE NY AREA, SPECIALIZING ON PRIVATE RESIDENCES AND HIGH END SPORT FACILITIES.
The mission of Padelbox is to share our passion for Padel and to create opportunities for more people to learn and benefit from this racquet sport helping padel grow in the NY Metropolitan Area.
Tennis players have a new crush: the sport’s more social, knee-friendly cousin, padel.
In padel, four players hit the ball back and forth in an enclosed court, typically with a floor of artificial turf. Fans say it takes mere days to get up to speed, and the small courts—about a third of what is needed for tennis—are easy to install. The smaller courts also invite easier socializing, as does the fact that the game is played only in doubles.
There are few public places to play padel despite its growing popularity. Many new courts are popping up in homes, particularly luxury properties because of the sport’s reputation as a game for the affluent. Real-estate agents are seeing more buyers in Florida, Texas, California and New York seeking the amenity, or a place to put one. Homeowners with a court are “like the popular kid at school,” says Oren Alexander of Douglas Elliman Real Estate in Miami. “Everyone wants to be your friend and come over and play padel.”
(The sport isn’t to be confused with another popular game, pickleball, where players use plastic balls and table tennis-style rackets, following rules similar to badminton. Pickleball has an even smaller play area.)
It took less than a week for Gabriel Perez Krieb to create a court at his San Diego home three years ago. After buying a five-bedroom, 6,000-square-foot home for $2.9 million in 2016, the food-company chief executive added the court and a viewing lounge area on his 2-acre property. As a longtime tennis player, he knew others who also played padel. The sport makes it easier for beginners and experts to enjoy it together, he says. “You still get to have a lot of fun playing it,” he says.
Gabriel Perez Krieb installed a padel court at his home in San Diego. His sons, Bruno, pictured, and Emilio, are on the junior national padel team.Sandy Huffaker for The Wall Street Journal
Bruno Perez, 16, playing padel. The racket is smaller than the one used for tennis.Sandy Huffaker for The Wall Street Journal
The family also installed a viewing lounge on the 2-acre property, which includes a five-bedroom, 6,000-square-foot home.Sandy Huffaker for The Wall Street Journal
The court has 13-foot tempered-glass walls.Sandy Huffaker for The Wall Street Journal
His $60,000 padel court, built next to an outdoor terrace and infinity pool, has helped keep his family active during the stressful time of the pandemic lockdown, he adds. His two sons play on the junior national team and have a private coach. “It was great timing; we were able to take advantage [of the court] through the pandemic,” says Mr. Perez Krieb, who recently invested in a padel center in San Diego.
Origin stories differ, but many believe the game was invented in Acapulco, Mexico, in the late 1960s by businessman Enrique Corcuera, who set up the first court at his holiday home. Demand for courts has expanded steadily, particularly over the past few years.Soccer star David Beckham is a fan.
Hotels, including the Ritz-Carlton in Key Biscayne, Fla., now offer padel courts. Today, an estimated 120 residential and commercial courts can be found around the U.S., says Marcos del Pilar, director of padel at the U.S. Tennis Association’s national campus in Orlando. Outside of the U.S., popularity is surging in Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands and areas of Asia and South America. “It’s easy to learn,” Mr. del Pilar says, “but hard to master.”
A custom court in Palm Beach, Fla., built by Ana Claver of the Padel Box.PHOTO: ANA M. CLAVER/THE PADELBOX
A padel court takes about a week to install, at a cost of $30,000 to $40,000, says Ana Claver of the Padel Box. The company has completed 12 courts in the U.S. this year, with 25 more in the plans for the next few months. While most of the early demand has come from single-family homeowners, padel clubs and other companies are looking to install courts for commercial use, says Ms. Claver, based in Manchester, N.J.
The company’s courts have silica on top of turf to add bounce and to allow smooth slides. A combination of galvanized steel and tempered glass are used for the 13-foot walls. “It’s an incredible box to make friends and do business,” says Ms. Claver.
Some clients prefer to customize, says Miami architect Kobi Karp. Over the past few years, he has added adjustable louvered roofs to make it easier to play in the hot sun. And rather than keeping the courts tucked away, homeowners want the sleek courts to be a focal point, with nearby seating areas and custom lighting. “They are front and center,” says Mr. Karp. He estimates that customizing a court costs about $75,000.
Miami developer Todd Glaser says he is planning padel courts for several spec houses, starting at $60 million, that will come up for sale in the next two years. Many of the homes that might have offered a tennis court now show a padel court in the plans, especially in areas such as Miami Beach and Palm Beach, where land parcels tend to be smaller. “It’s not as big and intrusive as a tennis court,” Mr. Glaser says.
Ignacio Perez, center, turned a tennis court into a padel court at his Texas home.Michael Starghill for The Wall Street Journal
‘Padel is easier to enjoy with family and friends,’ he says.Michael Starghill for The Wall Street Journal
Mr. Perez purchased a home in the Woodlands, Texas, in 2018, drawn to the property’s 52,000 square feet of outdoor space.Michael Starghill for The Wall Street Journal
Padel, Anyone?
The game that has homeowners putting up courts on their properties
Ignacio Perez spent six months updating the interiors of his six-bedroom, 10-bathroom Texas home. He spent $1.8 million to purchase and renovate the home in 2018.MICHAEL STARGHILL FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL1 of 6•••••
Other homeowners are giving old courts new life. Last year, Ignacio Perez spent three weeks and $30,000 converting the tennis court on his property into padel and basketball courts. Mr. Perez, a Houston developer, purchased the Woodlands, Texas, home in 2018, drawn to the property’s 52,000 square feet of outdoor space.
He worked with a local installer to create the two separate sports areas rather than renovate the single tennis court. Although he enjoys playing both padel and tennis, he doesn’t miss the one-on-one tennis games. “Padel is easier to enjoy with family and friends,” he says.
In New York, a padel court will be an added amenity at 111 West 57th Street, a tower set to be completed early next year. The net-enclosed court on the building’s 8th floor will sit alongside a juice bar and shared lounge spaces. The padel court is inside the preserved Steinway Hall, which operated as a showroom and headquarters for the piano manufacturer. The landmark structure will connect to the supertall skyscraper with units ranging from $8.8 million to $66 million.
A rendering of the padel court at 111 West 57th Street, a New York tower set to be completed early next year.PHOTO: HAYES DAVIDSON (RENDERING)
After building his Los Angeles home 21 years ago, Barry Cayton envisioned a guesthouse on the second parcel of land he bought next door. But after he was introduced to padel by friends, he changed his mind.
In 2016, he worked with a landscape designer to visually combine the two lots. In addition to a padel court, Mr. Cayton built two outdoor pavilions clad with charred wood—known as shou sugi ban—complete with televisions, fire pits and wet bars. The total cost was $700,000.
“For a while, it was the only court in town,” says the real-estate developer, who lives in the gated Bel Air Crest community.
Five years later, little has changed. Each week, the former college tennis player sends a text message to 11 friends inviting them for a Saturday game. A handful always show up. “I am smitten with the game,” says Mr. Cayton.
Home Court Advantage
Barry Cayton added a padel court and outdoor seating areas at his home in Los Angeles.PHOTOS: JOHN WOLDENBERG (2)https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
Setting Up a Padel Game
How to play: The game follows the same scoring system as tennis. The ball is served underhand from behind the service line and needs to hit the ground of the opponent’s service box before hitting the walls. After the serve, players can hit the ball to return it or let it bounce on the ground. The ball is out if it bounces on the ground twice or hits the wall first.
What you need: With small court sizes and more people playing, the racket game is geared toward different skill levels playing together. Padel rackets are usually smaller than a tennis racket,with a carbon fiber face and carbon frame. The ball is similar to tennis but has less pressure.
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New article about padel growing in the United States.
Padelbox installed another Panoramic ALLGLASS COURT at Palm Beach.
The Palm Beach Architectural Commission agreed to play ball, of sorts, with casino-and-resort billionaire Steve Wynn, who won the board’s approval to install a padel court in the back yard of his oceanfront manse at the south end of Billionaires Row.
THIS IS TRULY THE JEWEL OF ALL PADEL COURTS. FEATURING 9.8′ GLASS PANELS FOR UNOBSTRUCTED VIEWS ON THE BACK AND SIDE WALLS, CREATING OPTIMUM VISIBILITY FROM INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE COURT. THE ALLGLASS COURT IS THE ULTIMATE IN DESIGN AND FUNCTIONALITY.
Padelbox has upgraded the All Glass model with a new design featuring 3 meters of glass side panels which improves visibility and is aesthetically pleasing.
Our company provides an array of different Padel Court models which can be modified to fit our clients needs. We specialize in installing courts for Sports and Tennis clubs as well as Private Residences. We work alongside our clients paying attention to details making every Padel Court we install unique, beautiful and structurally sound. We provide you with calculations, drawings and details in order to pass city codes and wind load requirements.
Palm Beach homes: Palm Beach officials have approved the town’s first padel court , which is expected to be installed at casino and resort mogul Steve Wynn’s estate on South Ocean Boulevard.
The Palm Beach Architectural Commission Wednesday agreed to play ball, of sorts, with casino-and-resort billionaire Steve Wynn, who won the board’s approval to install a padel court in the back yard of his oceanfront manse at the south end of Billionaires Row.
So you might ask: What’s padel? And that’s just what commissioners wanted to know.
Turns out it’s a combination of tennis — thanks to the center net — and racquetball, played on a prefabricated but customized court measuring 33 feet wide by 66 feet long. Players slam the ball on the rear and side walls, but the ball must always clear the net to remain in play.
The court’s faux-turf surface will be surrounded on all sides by a coated-steel frame that supports walls made of safety glass and mesh. The fencing stands a little more than 13½ feet at its highest point.
It came as no surprise that few on the dais appeared familiar with the game: The court is the first of its kind ever to be approved for installation at a Palm Beach property, officials said.
Officials got their first look at the Wynns’ request for the padel court last month, when the board was told that the proposed version was patterned after one owned by motivation guru Tony Robbins at his Manalapan estate.
But commissioners weren’t happy in January with the location Wynn had chosen for his — just outside a side entrance on the south side of the house at 1960 S. Ocean Blvd. near Sloan’s Curve. The board ended up deferring the project for a month after demanding more detailed plans.
And when the project was re-presented this week, the court had been shifted to the northwest corner of the property with its longest side fronting the Intracoastal Waterway. Immediately to the north, on the other side of a hedge, is a neighbor’s tennis court.
From the “Palm Beach Daily News”
The court will be installed by PadelBox LLC in the next few months. Brand new ALLGLASS model including new design with an unobstructed view from back and side walls.
Padel Box is constantly improving design and innovation. Courts include high quality turf with a 6 to 7 year guarantee. Highly resistant to wear and tear and UV rays. Now you can choose many different color options for you padel court.
Advance is our top-of-the-line padel playing surface. Certified by the Spanish Padel Federation (FEP) as well as the international Tennis Federation (ITF), Advance is made of Monofilament polyethylene yarns with PU finishing to guarantee the best tuft lock and dimensional stability.
The New Complex inaugurated almost a year ago, has been featured in important architectural journals worldwide.
Text description provided by the architects. The New Padel Pavillion softens with its presence the material frontiers between public and private space at the Parolin neighborhood in Curitiba, Brazil. This is specially noticed during the day, due to the players flows around the club headquarters, or during the evening, when the pavilion acts as a significant, LED light, urban lamp. The physical impermeability, common to massive private sport pavilions, is reduced in this project for the simplicity of its architectonic strategy based in three elements: limits defined by green walls, base in podium and encasement as a suspended box.
In accordance to the offset limits imposed by urban legislation, the site was able to host four padel courts, measuring 10X20meters each. The court structure, of Spanish manufacture, is a combination of large tempered glass panels, structured by galvanized steel tubes profiles. The transparency of these court boxes BY PADELBOX allows the whole vision of the site limits, therefore the sensitive visual boundary for the player extends from the game limits to the green walls that surround the pavilion, at the neighborhood skirts. The wall, edge between the public and private domain, assumes, consequently, the role of the visual limit of the lot through its development: it widens to host greenery, it staggers to obey the pedestrian scale, and it ends as a niche to control the pavilions access.
The plot’s original ground had a strong declivity that was modified for the creation of a podium area for the four paddle courts, as well as a terrace which profits from views towards the city skyline. The elevated area was structurally planned to accommodate extra public weight when stands are placed at competitions. The underground area, close to the changing rooms, houses the rain water reuse tanks, serving the whole complex. At the front street level, at the lower portion of the site, a sloped parking lot was placed, minimizing its visual impact from the courts.
The New Padel headquarters for Curitibano Club intends to be a center of national reference for the practice and competitions of such sport in Brazil. The project also required flexibility for the installations of stands, assuming that their views would not be affected by structural elements. Thus, from these constraints, the limits of the sports pavilion and its eight stilts (visually read as only four supports) were defined. Over the round tubular metallic supports lies two longitudinal trusses measuring 50 meters long and six meters high, which hang the two other transversal trusses measuring approximately 24 meters long. The twelve meters cantilever at all four extremities help to emphasize the lightness and suspension of the pavilion box, while allowing a better structural behavior of the central span, as it reduces the bending moment at the main trusses. The whole structure is locked sideways by a metallic pergola, element that also acts as a scale regulator at the living area, once it does not facilitate from this place the perception of the total volume of the sports ground.
