Galgorm Castle

Galgorm Castle sits within the historic estate of Galgorm Resort & Spa at 200 Galgorm Road, Ballymena, BT42 1HL, roughly 30 minutes from Belfast and the two Belfast airports, with the courts open seven days a week.

The padel courts opened in October 2025 as part of a £300,000 investment from the Galgorm Collection, the hospitality group that also runs The Rabbit Hotel, Roe Valley Resort and The Old Inn. Padel now joins championship golf, the Thermal Spa Village and a clutch of restaurants on Northern Ireland’s premier resort estate.

The setting is a working country estate, with the River Maine winding through 550 acres of parkland and the Castle Golf Course hosting both the NI Open and the World Invitational. The padel facility runs alongside Galgorm Castle Golf Club, with easy access to the clubhouse, restaurant and snack bar between sessions.

The padel courts

There are two padel courts at Galgorm Castle, both built to the standard 20 metres by 10 metres and fully enclosed for doubles play. Each court has a covered roof and floodlighting, which keeps the surface playable across long Northern Ireland evenings and through the wetter months of the year.

The courts were designed and constructed by Rocklyn and finished to a high specification, with double walls and an artificial turf playing surface. Managing director Colin Johnston has signalled plans to potentially expand to six additional courts in the future, alongside new indoor and outdoor tennis courts on the estate.

For now, the two-court setup is enough to run social doubles, casual hits and beginner sessions side by side without long waits between bookings, and the covered design keeps weather disruption to a minimum across the year.

Booking and access at Galgorm Castle

Court bookings at Galgorm Castle run through Playtomic on a pay-and-play model, so no membership is required to play padel here, and guests can book up to seven days in advance.

Standard rates are £24 per hour during the daytime slot from 09:00 to 15:00 and £32 per hour from 16:00 to 22:00 and at weekends. Ninety-minute slots are priced at £36 and £48 respectively, with racket hire at £2.50 and a tube of three balls at £7.50.

Opening hours run 09:00 to 22:00 Monday to Friday and 09:00 to 19:00 at weekends. The venue is signposted from the A42 and has free parking on the estate. For booking queries outside the app, the reservations team can be reached on +44 28 2588 1001 or at reservations@galgorm.com.

Programme and social play

Galgorm Castle padel runs as a pay-and-play facility rather than a membership club, which suits the resort’s mix of day visitors and overnight guests. The pricing structure encourages off-peak play, while peak evenings and weekends sit at the higher £32 rate for popular slots.

Players book singles or full doubles courts through Playtomic and the platform handles matching for open sessions. Beyond padel, the estate offers a full racquet-sports and country pursuits programme including tennis, falconry, fishing, clay pigeon shooting and horse riding for groups.

Best for

Galgorm Castle padel suits resort guests, golf-day groups and Mid and East Antrim locals who want quality covered courts without a membership commitment or contract. The combination of two new Rocklyn-built courts, on-site restaurant, free parking and immediate access to spa and golf makes it one of the most complete padel experiences in Northern Ireland.

Players travelling from Belfast or further afield can pair a padel session with a stay at Galgorm Resort & Spa or a round at Galgorm Castle Golf Club. Local Ballymena players get a properly built facility with live rates visible at the booking step on Playtomic and a clear weekday-versus-weekend pricing structure throughout the year.

Galgorm Castle is one of the venues on our padel clubs in Ballymena page, where you can compare courts, prices and how to book.

Galgorm Castle does not currently publish a dedicated coaching schedule on the booking platform. Players looking for lessons can contact the reservations team at reservations@galgorm.com to ask about availability, or check the Playtomic app for any open coaching sessions added by visiting pros.