Pulse Padel has opened two outdoor courts at Elm Court Garden Centre, Capstone Road, open 6am to 11pm daily. It has now applied for an alcohol licence.

Gillingham has a new padel club. Pulse Padel has opened two outdoor doubles courts in the grounds of Elm Court Garden Centre on Capstone Road.

The club’s venue page now says “Open Now”. It held a grand opening on Sunday 11 October. Its post three days later thanked “everyone who came along and helped us celebrate”.

What is there

According to the venue page, the Gillingham site has:

  • two outdoor doubles courts
  • opening hours of 6am to 11pm, Monday to Sunday, “part manned”
  • free parking on site
  • a social area with drinks and snacks, toilets and a small sports shop
  • racket hire
  • adult and children’s group coaching, one-to-one coaching, social sessions, leagues and tournaments
  • pay-and-play and membership options

Courts are booked through the Nettla app, where the club is listed as Pulse Padel Gillingham. The venue page does not publish prices.

An alcohol licence is now in

The operating company, Pulse Padel (Gillingham) Ltd, has applied for a premises licence for the retail sale of alcohol at the site. The public notice appeared in the Medway Messenger on 22 October. It does not give the hours applied for.

Anyone who wants to comment can write to the Gravesham and Medway Shared Licensing Service, Civic Centre, Windmill Street, Gravesend DA12 1AU, or email licensing@gravesham.gov.uk. The deadline is 10 November 2026. The full application can be viewed at the Civic Centre in Gravesend.

Who runs it

Pulse Padel is a Kent operator whose companies are registered in West Malling. Companies House shows the Gillingham company was incorporated on 1 July 2026, one of several set up for individual venues.

Its venues page lists 15 sites. The nearest to Gillingham are:

  • Chatham: two outdoor courts at Platform 26 Padel, Waterfront Way, open 8am to 10pm on weekdays, pay-and-play only
  • Sittingbourne: three outdoor courts
  • Maidstone: three outdoor courts

The firm first announced the Gillingham venue in a post on 10 August, aiming to open in September. In mid-September it said construction was “well underway” and opening would come that month. The grand opening followed in October.

What it means for you

  • Padel is a racket sport usually played as doubles in a walled court, with short solid rackets. Beginners can usually hire a racket and play on their first visit.
  • The hours are long. The 6am start and 11pm finish, seven days a week, go beyond the firm’s Chatham courts, which list 8am to 10pm on weekdays.
  • Check the booking app before you go. Prices and coaching times are only published there.
  • If you live near Capstone Road and have a view on alcohol being sold at the site, you have until 10 November to tell the licensing service. A representation has to relate to the licensing objectives, such as preventing public nuisance.

For other things to do around the towns, see our things to do in Medway page.

Sources