Getting started with padel

This section takes you from "I keep hearing about padel" to playing regularly. It covers the practical side: how booking works, what lessons cost, what happens at your first session, and the real cost of playing in Australia, with prices taken from venue websites and booking pages in November 2026.

Your first steps

1. Find a venue. My where to play section lists the venues I could confirm in each city.
2. Book a class or social. An intro class is the easiest way in. Ace Padel Clubs on the Sunshine Coast, for example, listed its intro class as free.
3. Read up on the basics. Five minutes with my rules guide means more time playing.
4. Turn up ready. See what to expect at your first session.

Getting started guides

• How to book a padel court: Playtomic, MATCHi and venue apps, open matches, and what to check before you pay.
• Padel lessons: intro classes, clinics, academies and private coaching, with prices.
• Your first padel session: what to wear and bring, how a class or social runs, and court etiquette.
• How much padel costs: court hire, per-player costs, classes, racket hire and memberships.

Do I need a partner or a group?

No. Padel is always played by four people, but you do not need to bring three friends. Socials and open matches exist exactly for this: you sign up on your own and the venue or app matches you with other players. Classes do the same thing for beginners.

How much should I budget?

For a first session, about $0 to $50 covers a class and racket hire. After that, court hire shared four ways is about $10 to $25 per player per hour at the venues I checked. Padel Australia's investment program page gives an average peak-hour court hire yield of $75 per court, which is about $19 per player per hour. My cost guide has the detail by venue.