Frequently Asked Questions
What is Padel ?
Padel is a fast-growing and addictive racket sport that combines the best elements of tennis and squash, played with solid rackets on an enclosed court about half the size of a tennis court. In padel, success is driven more by tactics than by sheer power or strength.
The fun difference between tennis and padel is the court is surrounded by walls (glass and metal mesh) that are part of the game. You can play the ball off the walls, which creates long rallies and strategic shot-making. It’s typically played in doubles, making it very social, accessible, and fun even for beginners, while still offering great depth for advanced players.
Padel is suitable for all ages and abilities. You don’t need any previous racket-sport experience to get started, making it an ideal option for beginners as well as experienced players.
Learn more here: LTA PADEL ORGANISATION
Padel Vault is open from 6am to 11pm 7 days a week.
Booking in advance is highly recommended and all bookings have to be made via PadelMates– our busy periods are evenings from 5-10pm and all day on weekends and bank holidays.
No, we operate a Pay & Play option which allows anyone to come and play padel.
Yes, we have three membership options. Please visit our membership page for more information.
Yes of course. We have rackets available to hire at £5 per session. You can collect and pay for these from reception when you arrive.
Balls can be purchased in packs of 3 from reception and are yours to keep.
We do! We have 5 doubles courts and 1 singles court, all available to book via the PadelMates app
Yes, we have free parking for up to 72 cars.
We have mens and ladies changing rooms upstairs which feature
- spacious lockers
- private/family changing rooms
- showers
- hair driers
- toilets
We also have accessible changing rooms, toilets and baby changing on our ground floor.
Join in the Padel Vault community and find players, matches and events in our Whatsapp community.
or scan the QR code to join
All court bookings are managed through the PadelMates app. Download the app to your device, create an account and search for Padel Vault to find availability.
Yes, we have three membership options. Please visit our membership page for more information.
Not at all. We have a Pay & Play option for £60/hr for our doubles courts, or £30/hr for our singles court.
Pay & Play sessions can only be booked up to 7 days in advance.
Yes, you can do this by creating an Open Match on the PadelMates app. This means anyone can join, or you can join other existing open matches yourself.
Your can find details of available spaces on open matches on PadelMates and you can join our WhatsApp community to find players and matches.
Non-member Pay & Play bookings can only be made up to 7 days in advance.
Booking slots are released hourly on a rolling 7-day window.
Membership benefits include extended booking windows up to 28 days in advance.
Members at Padel Vault get the following benefits :
- Discounted Court Fees
- Advance Bookings up to 28 days
- More Court Bookings per month
- Discounts in our cafe and store
- Access to exclusive member tournaments and events
Not at all! Our experienced coach is available to anyone wanting to find out more, learn how to play or develop your skills.
We do! Our coaches are experienced and DBS checked to work with adults and children.
Yes, we have a number of padel classes for beginners where you can learn all the rules and how to play padel, either individually or with friends / family.
We run regular sessions and activities across a range of skill levels such as
- Intro to Padel
- Play with Our Coach
- Drills & Matches
- Americano Tournaments
- Ladies Coffee & Padel
- Padel & Pints
All these have limited availability per session and are available to book on PadelMates under the Activities section.
Access to events depends on the event and details will be included on each event listing in the Padel Mates app.
We’d love to host your event at our club. Whether its a team building day learning padel or a corporate launch party with a twist, we have a venue with a luxury feel, premium facilities and epic vibe.
We can provide everything from space hire to padel coaching, tournaments, licenced bar, catering options, DJ, photographers / videographers.
Head over to our contact page to speak to our events team about your requirements.
Absolutely! We recommend booking the courts your need at least 4 weeks in advance to ensure we have capacity.
Contact our events team for more information.
Pricing for events and venue hire depends very much on what you’re looking for, when you want to run your event, how many courts, and what other facilities and services you need.
Reach out to our events team who will be able to help.
A padel racket is similar to a tennis racket but shorter, made of lightweight composite materials (no strings), with perforated holes and a forgiving sweet sport that’s easy to hit with. Rackets come in three designs: round, teardrop, and diamond; The LTA advise that beginners start with a round racket. They are available for hire, enquire with any member of staff when you arrive.
Comfortable trainers with good grip are suitable but Padel trainers are advised. Padel trainers are shoes with a herringbone or zigzag sole for excellent grip and quick stops on sandy artificial turf courts. Compared to tennis shoes, they’re lighter, more flexible, and better suited for padel’s short sprints, pivots, and lateral moves.
Padel balls are very similar in appearance to tennis balls but specially designed for padel. They are slightly smaller and have lower internal pressure resulting in less bounce and slower speed, this promotes longer rallies, more control, and strategic play on the enclosed court. They are available to purchase, enquire with any member of staff when you arrive.
You can buy padel specific brands, which are great, but feel free to wear whatever you feel comfortable in. Generally, sportswear is advised.
Padel follows the same scoring system as tennis; 15-30-40. At 40-40 (deuce), play follows the star point system:
First advantage: Winner takes the game; loser returns to deuce.
Second advantage: Winner takes the game; loser triggers Star Point.
Star Point: Single decisive point, the winner takes the game meaning no endless advantages and faster games.
Matches are played best of 3 or 5 sets. First to 6 games wins a set but must win by 2 games.
If games are tied 5-5, play continues until a team wins 7 games.
If games are tied 6-6, a tie-break is triggered; first to seven points wins, points are called numerically (1, 2, 3 etc.) and you must win by at least 2 points.
Tie-Break serving rules:
Service starts with the player due to serve next in the set. This player serves only one point, from the right side of the court. After that, players alternate serving two consecutive points, starting from the left side, following the original serving order.
Serve underarm only, bounce the ball below waist height from behind the service line. With at least one foot grounded, serve diagonally into the opponent’s box, the ball must bounce before hitting any wall (fault if it hits metal fence). Similar to tennis, you are allowed two serves, if your first serve is a fault you get a second chance.
The first serve of each game must be made from the right side of the court and alternates thereafter.
Who serves first is decided at the start of the match by a coin toss. The winning pair chooses whether to serve or receive first. The serving pair then decides internally which partner serves the first point.
The receiver must let the served ball bounce once in their box before returning it.
During rallies, you can volley and half-volley the ball.
The ball must bounce once on the ground before rebounding off glass walls or fences and being played back over the net. If your opponents return hits a wall directly without a prior ground bounce it’s a fault.
Your opponents win a point if you commit any of the following faults:
– Returning ball doesn’t go over the net.
– The ball bounces twice in your side of the court.
– Returning ball hits the glass or fence on your opponents side without bouncing first.
– Hit the ball out of bounds; it goes over the back/side walls without bouncing, it exits through fence gaps without bouncing.
– You touch any part of the net, including posts.
– Volleying the ball before it crosses the net.
– Hitting the ball twice.
– If the ball hits your body.