The West Hants Club

The West Hants Club in Talbot Woods, Bournemouth, is one of the south coast’s leading racquets and fitness clubs and has built padel into its line-up since 2018, expanding to three floodlit courts in 2025. Padel here is reserved for full members, played outdoors alongside a large tennis and squash programme, a gym, swimming pool, studio classes and a restaurant and bar. Coaching is available, and courts are booked through the club’s own online system. Long opening hours through the week make it easy to fit a game around work.

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.

🛒 Shop padel kit on Amazon UK →

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

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