Padel tennis – the fastest-growing sport worldwide – is relatively new to South Africa, but has taken the country by storm since its introduction. One of the reasons it has become so popular is that it is less strenuous than other racket sports and can be enjoyed by everyone looking to get active, regardless of age or proficiency.
“It’s also a great way for family and friends to unwind and spend some quality time together while on holiday,” says Shaun Lamont, managing director of First Group Hotels and Resorts. “However, while the number of padel courts is growing exponentially nationwide, hardly any resorts offer this facility, which is why we’re so proud to announce that Magalies Park Resort is one of the first in South Africa to have a padel court installed.”
What is padel tennis all about?
A fun and exciting marriage of tennis and squash, padel can be played both indoors or outdoors and is scored in exactly the same manner as tennis. The game can only be played in doubles, which makes it very sociable and relies more on tactics than power – making it newbie-friendly, with the uninitiated able to pick it up far quicker than they would traditional racquet sports.
A padel court is divided by a net with players using a stringless, solid padel racquet to hit the ball. However, as in squash, it’s acceptable to bounce the ball off the court walls to spice up the game and create some healthy competition.
Serving up the latest craze
Driven to continually offer guests a range of exciting activities, First Group was inspired to get in on the action and proudly launched two new Padel Courts at its Magalies Park Resort in the North West. “With so many people being far more health-conscious nowadays and wanting to be active, we know how important it is to our clients to be able to enjoy fun activities that encourage this while on holiday,” Lamont explains.
With beautiful views of the surrounding landscape, the two courts are the perfect place to indulge in this new and exciting activity with family and friends. Available to all Magalies Park shareholders, whether you’re there to stay or just popping in for the day, the cost is R50 per person, per hour.
“Enabling our guests to try their hand at something new and enjoyable with their families, or for those already practised in the sport to be able to continue playing while away, is very important to us. We are in the business of creating lasting and magical memories for our clients by evolving with their needs, and padel tennis is just one more way for them to get the very most out of their holidays at Magalies Park Resort.
“Our operations team are also hard at work identifying which of our other resort properties lend themselves to introducing padel courts so that more guests will be able to enjoy this facility in the future,” Lamont concludes.