Padel Lab launches new court at Ruimsig Country Club as part of club’s 36th birthday bash

Seemingly boxed in, the ways to play are limited only by the imagination.

More compact than tennis, more freedom offered than squash and more running needed than badminton, the sport of padel is providing an increasingly popular alternative for racquet-sport lovers. As part of Ruimsig Country Club’s ceaseless ambition, two padel courts were launched at their 36th birthday celebrations, October 1.

The energetic social sport is always played between pairs as a doubles competition ensuring maximum teamwork and participation. Played with a standard tennis ball and a perforated composite material bat that resembles a bulky beach paddle, the smaller court and smaller racquet amplify the pace of play dramatically. Despite being hailed as easy to play and easy to learn, those proficient play the game at lightning speed.

Cryptically translated from Spanish as paddle, padel originated in Mexico and the sport is dominated by Spain and Argentina. Players from those two nations occupy nine of the top 10 spots in the men’s rankings as well as a staggering 19 of the top 20 women’s spots. Unsurprisingly, their national teams sit atop the international and continental rankings, respectively.

The company responsible for bringing the racquet sport to the Ruimsig club is Padel Lab and the group have successfully launched courts in Rivonia and Centurion. Ruimsig has become their third venture and a fourth venue is approaching launch in Elardus Park, Pretoria. The South African Padel Association is affiliated to Tennis South Africa and as the sport grows so will avenues for our junior padel stars to take on the world.