The 3 key points for a GREAT-LOOKING PADEL COURT

Les 3 points essentiels pour avoir un beau terrain de padel

Summary

Synthetic turf (not carpet…)
Court structures
Lighting
Further findings

For any padel enthusiast, there’s something magical about a padel "court": the transparent glass, the bright lights bringing out the colour of the turf — everything comes together to put the players centre stage.

There’s a reason we’ve all stopped to watch matches, whatever the players’ level.

The performance is beautiful because the stage is magnificent.

In this article, I’ll describe the differences between existing court structures, along with their advantages and disadvantages. Everything you need to know about making a great-looking court...

Synthetic turf (not carpet…)

There’s a lot to say about synthetic turf, and rightly so, because it has a major influence on play. I’m not talking about colour, of course: everyone’s entitled to an opinion on that (even if everyone with good taste prefers blue courts…).

Not so long ago, the question when choosing turf was whether to go for polyfilament or monofilament. But the arrival of "sand-free" carpets has shifted the focus from that distinction to turf with or without sand.

Let’s clear something up straight away: no, these carpets (such as Mondo’s Supercourt XN) are not "sand-free". This new technology uses "curled" fibres to substantially reduce the amount of sand needed to "protect" and stabilise the carpet fibres.

World Padel Tour WPT padel turf

Reducing the amount of sand in the turf has several consequences.
You may think I’m fixating on this, but the first is visual: the courts’ colours are richer and more vibrant, making them more pleasant to play on.
The second matters more to club managers. Less sand means less sand in players’ socks, and therefore less sand in the showers. And that means? Fewer blocked drains.
Another welcome change for managers is less court maintenance (note that I didn’t say no maintenance!), although sand still needs to be topped up regularly. Without it, the courts could start to "sound hollow" over time.

One final consequence, and an important one: play is slower on "sand-free" turf, and sliding is no longer possible. As a result, ball manufacturers have had to develop livelier balls, such as Head Pro S, Babolat Tour and Bullpadel Master, to satisfy fans of par 4s and par 3s... The end of sliding has prompted another change in equipment: "clay-court" shoe soles have given way to hybrid soles combining studs and a herringbone pattern, as on the Premura from Babolat or the Hack Hybrid Fly.

Court structures: panoramic or classic

It’s the setting for our matches: the court structure itself. There are two main types of structure.

So-called "classic" courts are the most common: they’re clearly the standard option. Why? They’re the cheapest, which is an excellent reason. But above all, they’re perceived as being lower quality because the vertical steel posts obstruct the view from outside.

Panoramic courts are more prestigious, and visibility is better because the entire back of the court is one uninterrupted pane of glass. The photo in the article even shows a "full panoramic" court. What’s the difference? There are no steel posts, even in the corners, improving the view of play still further. At most clubs, these are the showpiece courts: the centre courts where players most confident in their abilities like to play.

Does it make any difference to players? None whatsoever.

However, a new version of the court has emerged recently, first on the World Padel Tour and then gradually on new courts, such as those at our friends’ club, Padel Horizon. What’s the difference? The second pane of glass extending along the side from the back of the court is also 3m high (instead of 2m of glass and 1m of mesh)...

Padel Horizon padel club in the Paris region

The change may seem minor, but reckless smashers will no longer be able to count on an unpredictable rebound off the mesh if they miss a par 3...

Lighting: LED / halogen

The finishing touch is the lighting.
Let’s take a moment to look at the different shapes of the posts that hold the lights. Straight, curved or V-shaped, each gives the court its own character. It’s worth noting that more and more indoor clubs are choosing to light their courts directly from the ceiling.

In reality, there’s hardly any debate left between LED and halogen.
Halogen lighting is poor quality, with a yellowish colour. It takes time to warm up and uses a lot of energy.
By contrast, LED lighting is bright white without being dazzling, reaches full power instantly and uses far less energy than halogen.

The FFT sets precise requirements for lighting across the court: it must reach 300 lux without too much variation between points.
At present, the best way to achieve this is to install eight 200W spotlights per court

Further findings

My aim wasn’t to write a buying guide, but rather to describe the different elements that make a "beautiful" padel court.
I’d still like to mention a few points to watch out for. I recommend paying attention to the quality of the concrete base beneath the turf, as it can cause a lot of problems.
The quality of the steel is also essential, particularly for an outdoor court exposed to the elements.
If you have any other questions, you probably know how to contact me...

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