David Lloyd Eastbourne

David Lloyd Eastbourne, on Broadwater Way in Hampden Park, has three dedicated Padel courts confirmed by a gallery caption on the club’s own website, alongside a dedicated ‘Play Padel in Eastbourne’ section with no ‘coming soon’ qualifier. Padel sits within a large racquets set-up that also includes twelve indoor and seven outdoor tennis courts, badminton and Pickleball, with coaching available across abilities. The club is midway through an unrelated £5m refurbishment of its spa, gym and studios, but this does not appear to affect Padel’s current availability. Membership also covers the indoor and outdoor pools, Spa Retreat and Spa Garden, and Clubroom.

New to padel? What you need for your first session

Most UK padel venues hire rackets by the hour, so you do not need to buy anything before your first game. Check this club’s booking page for hire availability and prices.

Once you have played a few times and want your own kit, this is the order we would buy in.

• Court shoes first. Clubs hire rackets, they do not hire shoes, and running trainers slide on padel courts. This is the single purchase that most improves your first month. See our best padel shoes for UK players.
• Then a racket. Once your technique has settled you will know whether you want control or power. Start with our best beginner padel rackets, or read how to choose your first padel racket.
• Balls last. Most clubs provide balls for casual sessions. When you start playing regularly, see our best padel balls for UK courts.

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Never played before? Read the rules of padel and how padel differs from tennis before you turn up.

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