Move Over Golf: Why Padel is the Best for Business?

For decades, business conversations have been held over drinks, meals, and rounds of golf. A stroll around a golf course while warming up a client has appeared in hundreds of movies, but is it actually effective?

While the popularity of golf is waning, it’s still popular with older generations. If you’re looking for a gentle sport you can do with those who are a little less mobile, golf is likely your best choice. However, if your colleagues and clients are a little younger or more mobile, we’ve got a much better way for you to play the day away: a game of Padel.

Padel is the fastest-growing sport on the planet; it’s easy to pick up and incredibly fun to play. So, why is Padel best for business?

14 Reasons: Padel is the Best for Business

1) Padel gets the endorphins pumping

Let’s face it, golf doesn’t exactly get the blood flowing. While not every game with a client or colleague needs to be a hard fat-burning workout, there’s no doubt that Padel gets everyone on their feet and sweating.

All that expended energy and fun creates a whole host of feel-good chemicals in the body, from dopamine and serotonin to endorphins. All these chemicals make you feel good and the brain links these rewarding chemicals with what you’re doing and the people you’re with.

That means a few games of Padel can essentially “hack” your colleagues’ or clients’ brains to feel more positive toward you (and vice versa). And what could be better for business than that?

2) Padel is competitive

We’ve all seen golf rounds in movies where everyone throws the game just to make the CEO or client happy. But how many top business people really want to win a game simply because their opponents aren’t willing to try and beat them? Very few!

The truth is, business people are competitive by nature and want to have the thrill of competition. Padel can definitely just be played for fun, but it is an inherently competitive game.

3) Bonding time

Padel gives you two-on-two time with your colleagues or clients in a relatively small space. Each Padel game lasts 45 minutes – 2 hours (averaging just over an hour for most amateur games), so you’ve got plenty of face time with them. Unlike golf, you can also squeeze in a Padel game over a long lunch or late in the afternoon. We’re all busier than ever, and often asking someone to find an entire day or half-day to go and play something like golf just isn’t realistic.

Padel also offers the need to form teams and partnerships, something that’s rare in a game like golf. Teaming up this way gives you more opportunities to bond with the people you’re with, and build rapport.

4) Easily accessed in major cities

Do you and your colleagues and clients live and work in a large city, like London? If so, even just traveling to a nice golf course that’s not surrounded by noisy roads can take you an hour or more. Padel doesn’t sap your time this way – Padel courts are popping up all the time and most can be found within easy reach of central business districts. That means you can get to a Padel court quickly and spend your time playing instead of traveling.

5) Gifting

Are you introducing people to Padel for the first time? If so, and your sales are big enough to warrant gifts, you can gift your client with their own Padel racket when you invite them to play. This is not only a great way to please your client, but they’ll also think of you every time they use their racket from then on. (Browse our range of rackets here if you want to impress!)

As a plus, they may start attending your Padel club, giving you even more opportunities to forge a connection with them!

6) Everyone can play together

While things have certainly progressed in the world of golf, it’s still rare to see men and women playing together. There’s still a lot of segregation in sports and while some make sense due to physical differences, golf isn’t one of them. The business world is progressing fast, and a lot of clients won’t appreciate such division.

When you play Padel, you can play with anyone you like, regardless of age, gender, or ability. It’s a much better bonding exercise for everyone because no one needs to be excluded.

7) Networking opportunities

Have you ever been to a busy Padel club? They’re pretty exciting places to be and those in central locations often attract high achievers. You never know what beneficial business connections you may make while just casually playing in your downtime!

8) Padel is great for internal events

Trying to think of something fun you can do as a team-building activity? Padel is a great choice. Get your team together, divide into pairs, and spend a morning or afternoon working up an appetite on the Padel court. After, head for lunch or dinner and you’ll find your team is more supportive of each other than ever before.

9) Clients can relax

The problem with inviting a client to a meal or for a round of golf is that your ulterior motive is plain to see – they won’t feel fully able to relax knowing that they’re going to be pitched at by the end.

Padel offers a different experience because it’s fast-paced and you’ll likely be breathing hard, leaving less room for business talk during the game. That means you and your client can get out all that tension and nervous energy by losing yourselves in a game before any serious business talk comes up, by which time your client will feel relaxed and open.

10) The weather doesn’t matter

Padel has the huge benefit of being playable both inside and outside, meaning provided you have access to both types of court, you can play outside on warm summer days and head inside when it’s cold and wet. Of course, you can also play Padel indoors when it’s dark or with floodlights outside.

Heading out onto the golf course on a wet day in November isn’t a whole lot of fun, and really only serious golfers are going to do it if the course is open. If you want your client to have a good time, you may as well forget the whole thing.

11) Great for after-game drinks or dinner

Golfers often head into the clubhouse for drinks or dinner, but that does limit your options and no one can relax properly because they’ve got to drive home. Padel courts are much more accessible than golf courses due to their central location, and so you’ve got access to public transport and a wide range of bars and restaurants.

12) You can put health first

Drinks and dinners out courting clients can add up on the scale, and a leisurely stroll around a golf course isn’t exactly going to burn off those calories. In fact, a round of golf can burn around 720 calories if you carry your bag in around 2.5 hours, while you can burn the same in an hour of Padel and 1.000 calories in 1,5 hours of Padel. If you or your clients are health-conscious brands, Padel is a great choice.

13) It’s great for spectators

Some sports are only entertaining if you’re interested in them, such as golf and Formula 1, but Padel is certainly not in that category! Padel is incredibly entertaining, even if you’re watching your friends play for the first time. That makes it the ideal sport for group activities as anyone not playing can cheer from the sidelines and still feel involved with what’s going on in the court. That’s just another thing about Padel that makes it ideal for business activities.

14) It’s easy to pick up

If you’ve never played golf before, heading out to play a round is quite a challenge. It’s not the kind of thing you can pick up without some practice first. Padel is easy for beginners to pick up as almost everyone has at least some experience with similar racket sports, such as tennis or squash.

A beginner can get a good volley going just a few minutes after getting a Padel racket in their hands and the rules are easy to understand. Sure, a beginner may not fly around the court the way experienced players do, but all involved will have a great time, and a good time is certainly good for business!

So next time you’re thinking about how you can better bond with your colleagues or build rapport with an important client, consider inviting them out for a game of Padel instead of heading for drinks or a round of golf. New clubs and courts are being built all the time, so you’re sure to find a Padel court near you.

Choose Padel for Your Next Business Meeting

Padel offers so many benefits for business people because it’s competitive, and fun, naturally creates a bond between players, and can be played anywhere at any time. Get your Padel racket here and invite your colleagues or clients out for a game of Padel!