Triangle Tennis Club claims first public padel court in the Hamptons

Triangle Tennis Club is betting that padel will catch on in the Hamptons only if ordinary players can get on court without joining a private club. At 411 Hampton Road in Southampton Village, the compact club says it now has the first padel court open to the public in the Hamptons, alongside two Har-Tru hydrocourts that have long anchored its tennis identity.

The club’s website frames the offer as more than a novelty. Triangle lists seasonal memberships, court rentals, adult and junior clinics, and tennis and padel lessons for both members and non-members. It also offers off-site lessons on clients’ own courts, a practical option for homeowners who want instruction without driving into the village. A pro shop rounds out the setup with racquets, clothes, accessories, and restringing services.

That public-access angle is the key change. In a market built around private clubs and summer memberships, Triangle is positioning padel as something visiting families, casual players, and tennis converts can try without a major commitment. The court itself sits within the club’s small-footprint village setting, the same intimate scale that has long defined Triangle’s place in Southampton. The club describes itself as a “cozy little club,” and local coverage has called it “an oasis of high-level tennis activity” in the heart of the village.

The idea was years in the making. In January 2023, owner Doug De Groot said he first had the thought of building a public padel court in the Hamptons about eight years earlier. A permit denial had blocked him from finishing a court at Buckskill Tennis Club, but Southampton Village ultimately gave the project the green light at Triangle. The court was described then as sitting over a Har-Tru tennis court with a plywood base and blue turf covering, and it was heated in winter. De Groot said padel was “more interesting than pickleball,” though he noted pickleball could be added simply by painting lines.

Triangle’s claim also lands in a bigger local shift. East Hampton Indoor/Outdoor Club added padel in 2024, and a 2025 roundup counted six Hamptons-area padel facilities spread across East Hampton, Southampton, Montauk, and Westhampton Beach. Triangle’s first-public-court pitch still stands out because it turns padel from a private-club add-on into a playable option for the broader racquet-sports community.