Another golf club to install padel courts

An Essex golf club has become the latest to say it will install padel courts at its venue.

The Notleys Golf Club has received approval to install four external padel courts and an adventure golf course.

The courts will be constructed at the north of the clubhouse, with each being 20 metres in length and 10 metres wide, with a lightweight frame and mesh enclosed around each court.

Spokesman David Bugg said: “The application for four padel tennis courts and an 18-hole adventure golf course has been approved by Braintree Council.

“It is hoped construction of the courts will be completed by early August and ready for play.

“The adventure golf will be open for Easter 2025 with an Essex landmark theme for the obstacles.

“You don’t have to be a member to take part in any of the activities, The Notleys Golf Club prides itself on being inclusive.”

The Notleys Golf Club was founded in 1995 and has an 18 hole course situated in the valley of the river Brain, the club welcomes experienced and new golfers alike.

Padel is a similar sport to tennis, played on an enclosed court in which the ball can be played off the walls with stringless bats. While it was invented in 1969, the sport has grown rapidly in recent years, and there are now more than 400 courts in the UK, a more than eightfold increase in the last five years, with 90,000 players, a rise from 6,000 in just three years.

Several of the new courts have appeared at golf clubs. For example, Royal Norwich, St Ives (Hunts) Golf Club, Golf It!, Teign Valley Golf Club and Farrington Park Golf Club have all either installed padel courts or announced an intention to recently.