Our new padel court was officially opened on the 22nd May and can now be booked by members from just £10 an hour. Check out the video below from our recent padel launch party, where over 70 guests enjoyed an evening of padel, pickleball, pizza and prosecco. And keep reading this page for answers to common questions that people are asking about how the padel court will work at Wargrave.
What is Padel?
Padel is short format of tennis that is hugely popular in Europe. It combines elements of tennis and squash and is a doubles game played on a court enclosed by glass walls and wire mesh. The scoring and rules are similar to tennis, but the use of walls allows for unique strategies involving rebound shots.
How will I be able to book the Padel court at Wargrave and how much will it cost to hire?
Only adult members will be able to book the padel court using the ClubSpark online booking system. Using this system, members can book up to 14 days in advance. The cost to book the court will be £20 per hour for peak rates and £10 per hour for off-peak times. This compares to around £40-£60 an hour that is being charged by many commercial padel clubs.
What are the times for peak rate and off-peak padel court bookings?
The peak rate times to book the court (£20 an hour) are on weekdays from 5pm until 10pm, and at the weekends from 8am until 5pm. All other times will be off-peak (£10 an hour). These times will be reviewed once we have a better understanding of how the court is being used.
P = Peak (pink). Green = offpeak.
Can non-members of the Club book the padel court at Wargrave?
No, the padel court is only for members of Wargrave Tennis Club. However, non-members can play if they are invited as guests and accompanied by a member who has booked the court and has paid the visitors’ fee.
Will the Club be offering any Padel-Only Memberships?
No, the padel court is primarily designed to meet the demand of our existing 240+ adult tennis players and to attract more tennis members who are also interested in playing padel at rates significantly lower than those of commercial padel operators. For those who are keen on only playing padel, we hope that the rates we are charging (both for full membership and court hire charges) make it worthwhile to join.
Is there a waiting list to become a member of Wargrave Tennis Club?
At present, there isn’t a waiting list to join Wargrave Tennis Club; however, this will be reviewed once we reach our membership target of 400. Our current membership stands at just under 390, with over 240 adult members. This level has increased by nearly 30% since 2024, driven by the addition of new clay courts, improved coaching, and the introduction of pickleball and padel. Should we exceed our target, we will consider pausing membership applications to ensure that existing members have ample access to the new padel court.
Will it be easy to book a padel court?
There has certainly been a surge in demand, but even after 10 days, there are still plenty of slots available for members to book during the week. This is likely to change as more members try this exciting new game; however, by controlling membership growth (see above), we aim to maintain a “membership to court ratio” at a good level so that future bookings don’t become impossible.
Will members be able to make numerous bookings in a single week?
To ensure that all members can easily access the court, we have agreed to place an initial limit on the number of bookings that a member can make both in a single day (no more than 2 hours per member per day) and in a single week (no more than three bookings per week). This will be reviewed once we have a better understanding of the demand for the new court.
Can members play with their guests?
Yes, members of the Club can invite guests to play and enjoy our facilities at any time of the week. However, guests must be accompanied by the member and they should pay a £5 all-day guest / visitors fee before they start playing on the court using the QR code on posters in the clubhouse (cash payments are not accepted). A guest of a member can play as a visitor up to 4 times in any one year. After this, the guest will be expected to join the Club.
Do I get a refund if I cancel a court?
Yes, but only if the court is cancelled before 24 hours of the booking time. However, if cancelled within less than 24 hours of the booked time, no refunds will be granted. We encourage members to avoid making too many advanced bookings to avoid this risk and to certainly check the 5-day weather forecast in case heavy rain is expected. We are also aware that if people cancel at the last minute, it will be hard for the court time to be allocated to other members. Many commercial operators offer a much stricter 48 hour no refund policy.
Will there be any padel club sessions and how will it work with pickleball tennis?
Our initial plan is to run two combined Padel and Pickleball sessions every week (for up to 20 players). These will be offered on a Thursday evening from 7pm – 10pm and possibly on a Thursday morning from 10am to 12 noon with players using the padel court and three pickleball courts. The session will be available on a first-come-first-serve basis and will give our members, and potential new members, the chance to try out padel on the new padel court (and to play pickleball on the other courts while they are waiting). Given the similarities between both games, we think that these sessions will be fun and popular. This will be reviewed after a few weeks to find the best times when members can “give padel a try for free”.
Will I be able to come and try the court before becoming a member?
Yes, you can come and play as a guest of any existing member and pay the visitor’s fee of £5. Alternatively, potential new members will be able to attend one of the two open club sessions each week (see above), where members will participate in a mix of padel and pickleball over 2-3 hours.
Will padel bats and balls be provided by the Club?
Unless it’s an approved Club session, players will be expected to provide their own padel bats and padel balls. Although to encourage members to try the new court, for an initial period, padel rackets will be available to use at a hire charge of £2 each. Please ENSURE rackets are placed back in store after use!
Can Pickleball-Only Members book and play padel?
No, pickleball-only members will not be able to book the padel court. However, they will be able to play on the padel court during the weekly padel / pickleball Club sessions (see above). They can also play padel if they are playing as an accompanied guest of a full adult tennis member and they have paid the £5 visitors fee (see rules for visitors above). There is currently a limit of 40 pickleball-only memberships.
Have you any further questions?
Sorry if we haven’t answered all your questions about padel. For more information or any other questions, please email our membership secretary at membership@wargravetennis.com.
These questions and answers were reviewed and agreed by the Club committee on the 7th April and will be reviewed again at future meetings based on membership feedback on how padel is being run at Wargrave.
Photos from the recent padel launch party on 22nd May 2025…..
Photos of the court being built on Friday, 16th May 2025…..
Progress on Monday 12th May 2025…..
