Padel safari

South Africa's latest super niche export

I play between three and four hours of padel a week. Do I have the time? No. Could I play more? Absolutely.

Despite my initial resistance to the idea – ‘hipster tennis’, I called it – I know perfectly well why I’ve become hooked. It’s a great way to stay fit while having fun. It’s competitive but not overly competitive. It’s social but not overly social. And there’s something deeply satisfying about still improving at a sport in your forties.

Many readers may baulk at the cost. (Three games a week works out to about R450 ($30), or R1800 ($120) per month.) My response? Have you tried mountain biking?

For the uninitiated, padel is a hybrid between tennis and squash, played on a smaller court surrounded by glass and mesh walls. You serve underarm, rallies last longer, and points are often won through angles and placement rather than brute power. It’s fast, tactical, and surprisingly addictive. The court size makes doubles the default, which is why the game is so social – and growing fast.

The figure below shows that the number of padel courts globally has doubled in the last four years.

Padel is also a sport that South Africans would be great at, I think. We grow up with ball sports; tennis, cricket, rugby, and soccer are part of our DNA. The weather helps too: long summers, endless sunshine, and a culture of being outdoors. No surprise, then, that according to the latest Playtomic report, South Africa has the highest share of outdoor padel courts in the world – 79%. Australia follows at 65%, the US at 64%. Only 37% of courts in Belgium, by contrast, are outdoors.

So to my European readers who play padel: the next time you trudge off to an indoor court while the snow falls outside, why not round up three friends and book a padel safari to the southern tip of Africa? At just $23 a game on average – the cheapest rate in the global rankings – you’ll play outdoors under the African sun, and you’ll have the perfect excuse to explore everything else the Western Cape has to offer.

Where, then, are the best courts? The short answer is: plenty, with more opening every month. But for visitors, a few stand out for their settings as much as their surfaces. Here’s a list of the padel courts in South Africa. Below I list my Western Cape top ten. And if you’re a local who knows of hidden gems I’ve missed (or want to invite me to try it out myself), please add your suggestions in the comments below.

10. Kelvin Grove, Newlands

    The home of sport in Cape Town. Not to be missed.

9. Plettenberg Bay

   Padel in the gardens.

8. Mossel Bay

   Padel by the sea.

7. Simola, Knysna

   Padel in the forest. If your ball bounces out, there’s a good chance you’ll never find it again.

6. Waterfront, Cape Town

   It should be on the itinerary of every padel tourist. A unique setting with a great vibe.

5. Montagu

   What can be better than a padel game while exploring the small towns along the R62?

4. Camps Bay

   Camps Bay. You don’t need to know more.

3. Stilbaai

   A spectacular view with the Indian Ocean in the distance. (Also, when I played here in September, the facilities were top-notch.)

2. Cape Crusade, Stellenbosch

   There are many courts in and around Stellenbosch. Avontuur and Zorgvliet both have amazing settings. And there’s Van der Stel and Woodmill too. But it’s difficult to look beyond my ‘home base’ - Cape Crusade - where I spend many hours a week. It offers a great view of the majestic Jonkershoek and Stellenbosch mountains, and you can also watch the next generation of world-class athletes train at the spectacular new athletics track next door.

1. Fransvliet, Franschhoek

   Padel in the vineyards. What can be better than that?

‘Padel safari’ was first published on Our Long Walk. To support such writing, please consider a paid subscription. The images were created with Midjourney v7.