Welcome to PADEL at East Dorset Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club

Looking for our padel booking subscription? It's available HERE
Our Padel courts are open for play with bookings and payments available exclusively through Playtomic. You don't need to be a member, booking is available to everyone. Click here for our Playtomic Page

COURTS AND BOOKINGS CONDITIONS

Our three Padel courts are brand new in Summer 2024 and are available to everyone on a Pay & Play basis.

Booking periods are 60 or 90 minutes. Players may not book more than one court per day.

Courts are £22 per hour off peak, and £26 per hour at peak periods which are weekdays 5 to 9pm, Saturdays from noon to 5pm and Sundays from 6 to 9pm.

Special Offers

Limited time special offer £60 booking subscription now available

Become a Padel Booking Player for our introductory price of only £60 for 12 months. You will benefit from 14 day advance priority booking, you can hold 4 reservations at any one time and you will receive 10% off food and drinks in our cafe and bar.

Special offers only available on the Playtomic app (download from your app store) then go to the East Dorset Padel page on the Playtomic app.

Scroll the top menu to the right until you find Memberships (next to Academy).

To subscribe, pay and become a Padel Booking Player in the Playtomic app see step 5 on our Playtomic Page.

See our Padel Page for Padel information

What is padel?

Padel is a racket sport that combines elements of tennis and squash. It is typically played in doubles on an enclosed court, which is about one-third the size of a tennis court. The court is surrounded by glass or solid walls, allowing the ball to bounce off them, much like in squash, which adds a unique strategic element to the game.

Key Features of Padel:

1. Court Size & Structure:

The court is 10 metres wide and 20 metres long, enclosed by walls made of glass and metal mesh.
The walls can be used in play, similar to squash.

2. Scoring:

Padel uses the same scoring system as tennis (15, 30, 40, game).

3. Rackets:

Padel rackets are solid (no strings) and perforated with holes. They are smaller and more compact than tennis rackets.

4. Ball:

The ball used is similar to a tennis ball but with slightly less pressure, making it bounce a little differently.

5. Serving:

The serve is underhand, and the ball must bounce before being hit.
The serve must land in the diagonally opposite service box, just like in tennis.

6. Game Dynamics:

Points are often longer than in tennis due to the use of walls, and there's a greater emphasis on strategy and placement rather than just power.
Padel is particularly popular in Spain, Argentina, and other Latin American countries, but it has been rapidly growing in popularity worldwide and now you can play it in Parkstone, Poole, Dorset in the United Kingdom. Its appeal lies in its accessibility—it’s easier for beginners to pick up than tennis, and rallies tend to be longer and more engaging.

How do you score and win in padel?

In padel, scoring follows the same system as tennis. Here's a breakdown of how it works:

1. Point Scoring (15, 30, 40, Game)

Points are counted as 15, 30, 40, and Game.
The first point is 15, the second is 30, the third is 40, and winning the fourth point wins the game, unless the score is tied at 40-40 (deuce).

2. Deuce and Advantage

If both teams have 40 points, the score is called deuce.
After deuce, a team needs to win two consecutive points to win the game:
- Winning the first point after deuce gives Advantage.
- Winning the next point wins the game. If the opposing team wins the point at Advantage, the score returns to deuce.

3. Game Scoring (Set System)

A set is won by the first team to win 6 games, with a margin of at least 2 games.
- Example: A set can end at 6-4, but not at 6-5. If the score reaches 5-5, play continues until one team leads by two games (e.g., 7-5).

4. Tiebreak (if 6-6 in Games)

If the score reaches 6-6 in games, a tiebreak is played to determine the winner of the set.
- The tiebreak is played to 7 points, but a team must win by 2 points. If the score in the tiebreak reaches 6-6, play continues until one team wins by 2 (e.g., 8-6, 9-7).

5. Match Scoring

Padel matches are typically played as best of 3 sets. The first team to win 2 sets wins the match.

Summary:

Points: 15, 30, 40, Game
Deuce at 40-40, then Advantage and Game.
Win a set by winning 6 games, leading by 2 games.
Tiebreak at 6-6 in games, played to 7 points, win by 2.
Best of 3 sets wins the match.

Padel service rules

To serve, stand behind the service line and hit the ball cross court into the opposite service box. The ball must bounce before you hit it and you must serve underarm.
If you land the ball in the service box and then it bounces and hits the cage first, this is out. If it hits the back wall, the point is live.
Players take it in turns to serve for a whole game.

Padel rules for the walls

You can use the walls to your advantage in two ways. You can either let the ball bounce and hit the wall before hitting it back, or you can hit the ball against the wall to try and land it on your opponents’ side of the court.
In a rally you can also aim your shots to bounce and hit the cage to create awkward rebounds for your opponents. However, serves can’t hit the cage and you can’t hit the ball against the cage on your side of the court.