On Court.  In Culture.  Founded 1971.

Palm Springs
Padel Club

A private members club built on padel, friendship, culture,
and the stories that happen after the match.

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On Court. In Culture. · Public Secret · Private Club · Founded 1971 · Palm Springs, California

"By the final chapters, the club feels so vividly realised that readers may find themselves searching online to see if it actually exists."

★★★★★  Early Reader

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Every member receives the same number.
Not because everyone arrived in 1971.
Because everyone belongs to the same story.

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Membership is free. All members receive the same number. This has caused confusion since 1971. The club considers this part of the experience.

The Story
"Some places don't need to be explained.
They just need to be found."
— A. Palm

In 1971, a reckless dreamer named Arthur Palm discovers a strange new racket sport in Mexico and returns to the California desert determined to build the perfect club.

What he actually creates — alongside the brilliant woman history almost forgets — becomes something far bigger than sport: a place where movie stars disappear, friendships are forged, legends grow, and generations of members find a second home.

Told through twenty years of myths, mysteries and unforgettable characters, Palm Springs Padel Club is a warm, funny and unexpectedly moving story about belonging, legacy, and the simple idea that the best things in life happen after the match ends.

The Founders

Arthur & Vivian

Two founders. One club. Twenty years of stories.

Arthur Palm

Founder & Dreamer

Arthur Palm

"In 1971, Arthur Palm drove back from Mexico with a half-remembered sport, a napkin sketch, and an unshakeable conviction that the desert needed a club. He was right about the club. Wrong about almost everything else."

"Arthur supplied the fireworks."

Vivian Morgan

General Manager & Architect of Everything

Vivian Morgan

"While Arthur conjured the dream, Vivian built the reality. Courts. Membership. Accounts. Hotel. Events. Everything — in that order. The brilliant woman history almost forgets, until now."

"Vivian supplied the victory."

The People of Court Three

Meet the Club

Arthur Palm — Founder

Arthur Palm

Founder

Vivian Morgan — Managing Director

Vivian Morgan

Managing Director

Rafael — Barman, Sunset Bar

Rafael

Barman, Sunset Bar

Antonio Rodriguez — Head Chef

Antonio Rodriguez

Head Chef

Louis — Groundsman

Louis

Groundsman

Live from Court Three

This Week at the Club

Issue No. 005 · Week Ending August 22, 1976 · Updated each Wednesday.

🎾 On the Courts
🍸 Cocktail of the Week
🍽 Dish of the Week
⛳ On the Golf Course
🎤 Social Calendar
🎾 This Week in Tennis
🎵 This Week's Record
🎵 The Club Playlist

The soundtrack to Court Three. Playing now.

From the Desk of A. Palm

The Founders Notes

Each week a new dispatch arrives. Every letter is filed here. The archive grows.

Week of August 22, 1976 Read in full →

Everything has a rhythm. You can't put it on a timetable. You can only notice when it's right.

Dear Member,

I've been watching people serve. Not because I'm trying to improve. That would set a dangerous precedent. I'm interested in what happens before the ball is hit.

Some people bounce it six times. Some people bounce it twice. Then there are the good ones. Ball. Breath. Serve. Done. The same people tend to be good at other things. Ordering lunch. Knowing when to leave. Or, preferably, knowing when not to.

Court Three's final match on Thursday began at 6:18. At 7:52, Louis reminded the players that visibility was becoming poor. At 7:58, Arthur suggested that this improved concentration. At 8:03, nobody could see the ball. The match was declared unfinished. Arthur has entered it into his personal records as a draw. His opponents have not.

Vivian's cold supper menu continues. The peaches are almost finished. Antonio knows this. The members do not. A member asked whether the kitchen might keep serving them into September. Antonio looked at him. Then at the peach. Then back at him. "No." Some ingredients have the good manners to leave before people become bored of them.

The manuscript passed three hundred pages. Vivian noticed at dinner. Now I am noting it here.

Until next week — stay on court, stay in culture.

Arthur Palm · Court Three, Palm Springs · Est. 1971

Week of August 15, 1976 Read in full →

Nobody remembers who came second.

Dear Member,

I've been thinking about losing. Mostly because I've been doing rather too much of it. There are people who tell you losing is good for the character. These people have usually just beaten you.

Yesterday I lost a set on Court Three to a man who spent the entire match apologising. Sorry. Lovely shot. Sorry. Lucky one. Sorry. By the end I wanted to hit him with the racket. Vivian says this demonstrates precisely why I need to lose more often. I disagree.

A dispute on Court Three lasted eleven minutes on Wednesday. The point itself lasted approximately six seconds. Arthur was involved. Naturally. Louis was summoned to adjudicate. He examined the mark, examined Arthur, examined Arthur's opponent. Then announced: "Play it again." Nobody was satisfied. Which is generally how you know an umpire has made the correct decision. Arthur won the replayed point. He has therefore decided Louis is an excellent official.

Arthur and Marco played nine holes for five dollars on Friday. By the seventh tee the wager had expanded to include five dollars, a bottle of Barolo, dinner, a car for one weekend, and something involving Court Three that Vivian refused to have explained to her. Marco won by two shots. Arthur paid the five dollars. Negotiations regarding the car continue.

Until next week — stay on court, stay in culture.

Arthur Palm · Court Three, Palm Springs · Est. 1971

Week of July 1, 1976 Read in full →

July arrived without warning. The desert does not ease you into things.

Dear Member,

July arrived without warning. This is characteristic of July. The desert does not ease you into things. We held the first evening doubles tournament of the summer on Saturday. Eight pairs, lights on Court Three from seven o'clock, finished at eleven. Nobody left before the end.

The winners were a pair nobody had particularly noticed before. It emerged, once the trophy was in hand, that they have been playing together for eleven years. They simply hadn't mentioned it. I find this to be exactly the right approach.

Vivian's kitchen project revealed itself this week. A cold supper menu — available from six on weekend evenings. Chilled tomato soup, grilled things, and something with peaches that members are already requesting by name. Fully booked since Tuesday. Reservations were not technically required. They are now effectively required.

Until next week — stay on court, stay in culture.

Arthur Palm · Court Three, Palm Springs · Est. 1971

Week of August 1, 1976 Read in full →

I don't trust people who arrive with spotless shoes. Because they usually haven't been anywhere.

Issue No. 002 — Week Ending Sunday, August 1st, 1976.

Arthur on shoes, confidence, and the things in life that should never look new. Björn Borg wins Wimbledon — Vivian notices his collar, Arthur notices his socks. The Paloma overtakes the Margarita. Marco Bellini plays nine holes with four clubs. Steely Dan on the terrace after six.

At 8:37 the sun disappeared behind the San Jacinto Mountains. Nobody moved. Rafael lit the lanterns. Antonio sent out another plate of olives without being asked.

Arthur Palm · Court Three, Palm Springs · August 1976

Week of July 25, 1976 Read in full →

There are people who think the match is the important part. They're usually the ones who disappear before the second round arrives.

Issue No. 001 — Week Ending Sunday, July 25th, 1976.

Arthur on why nobody leaves early. Court Three required brushing twice — because too many people refused to come off it. Rafael produced a bottle of Herradura somebody had been saving. Antonio appeared with grilled prawns that weren't on the menu. Landslide, just before sunset. Nobody spoke until it finished.

Arthur Palm · Court Three, Palm Springs · July 1976

Week of June 24, 1976 Read in full →

The desert has made its position clear. There is no negotiation with June.

Dear Member,

The desert has made its position clear. There is no negotiation with June in Palm Springs. You accept the terms or you leave. Most of our members have accepted the terms.

The early morning sessions continue to fill faster than we can post them. Six-thirty on Court Three has become something of a ritual — the same faces, roughly the same order of play, the same argument about who is serving first.

We had a small padel competition this week — nothing formal, no trophy, no committee. Four pairs, a round robin, and a disagreement about the score in the third set that I suspect will not be fully resolved until autumn.

Until next week — stay on court, stay in culture.

Arthur Palm · Court Three, Palm Springs · Est. 1971

Week of June 21, 1976 Read in full →

The heat has arrived properly. Court Three is busier than ever.

Dear Member,

The summer heat has arrived properly now. Not the polite warmth of May — this is the real thing. By ten in the morning the air sits heavy over the courts and by noon only the committed are still out there. I respect them enormously.

We welcomed three new members this week — a couple from San Francisco who discovered padel on a trip to Spain last autumn, and a retired architect who has been walking past the fence for two months before finally coming in. He played for three hours on his first day.

Until next week — stay on court, stay in culture.

Arthur Palm · Court Three, Palm Springs · Est. 1971

Week of June 14, 1976 No. 01

Arthur writes from Court Three. The desert is hot. The club is alive.

Dear Member,

The bougainvillea is rioting again along the east fence. Vivian says we should cut it back. I say we should let it do whatever it wants. This is Palm Springs. Things grow here that have no business growing anywhere.

On the courts, we had sixteen sessions across five days. Martinez has been working on his serve and it is beginning to show. The Tuesday evening doubles has grown to the point where we now run a waiting list.

At the bar, Vivian introduced a new cocktail this week — The Deuce. Mezcal, fresh grapefruit, a measure of something she won't name. It arrived on the menu without announcement and sold out by Thursday.

Until next week — stay on court, stay in culture.

Arthur Palm · Court Three, Palm Springs · Est. 1971

New note every week. Members receive it first.

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The Archive

From the Club Records

Not a blog. Not a newsletter. The Archive. Everything discovered in the back room of the clubhouse, 1971 onward.

Part I The Founders

The Long Way Out of Mexico
Chapter 1

The Long Way Out of Mexico

A broken Mercedes south of Ensenada. Two cartons of cigarettes. A bottle of tequila. And the strangest sport Arthur Palm had ever seen. He drove back to California with a napkin sketch and an idea that would change everything.

The First Employee
Chapter 2

The First Employee

The courts were finished first. The bar was always the priority. For a few weeks, everything worked beautifully. Then reality arrived. Not all at once. One small disaster at a time. The limes ran out. A booking was lost. And then Vivian walked in.

The Summer Nobody Left
Chapter 3

The Summer Nobody Left

A lunch became dinner. A doubles match became drinks. One drink became sunset. Nobody could explain it. People simply kept returning — and staying longer each time. Arthur measured success in delayed departures.

The Summer The Actor Arrived
Chapter 4

The Summer The Actor Arrived

Nobody remembers who told him about the club. The first sign of trouble was a silver Porsche that appeared in the car park shortly after lunch. Parked badly. Deliberately badly. Conversations slowed. Not visibly. Just slightly.

The Open That Never Happened
Chapter 5

The Open That Never Happened

Three hundred people watched a match that was never scheduled, never announced, and never officially played. The greatest afternoon in Club history. Nobody could agree afterwards on who won.

Part II The Culture

Court Three
Chapter 6

Court Three

Most places become famous because somebody decides they should be. Court Three became famous because people kept coming back. Management considered this a success. Management also considered this someone else's problem.

My Flamingo
Chapter 7

My Flamingo

The flamingo arrived on a Tuesday. Nobody knew who put it there. Nobody removed it. By Friday it had a name. By the following week it had a story. Arthur claimed no involvement. Nobody believed him.

The Italian
Chapter 8

The Italian

He arrived with a red Ferrari, three suitcases, and an impossible confidence. He brought the racing world to the desert. The car stayed three weeks longer than planned. So did he.

The Desert Nine
Chapter 9

The Desert Nine

Nine holes. The founders believed lunch was more important than the back nine. The committee agreed. There was no committee. Still nine holes. Still the best morning at the club.

The Car in the Clubhouse
Chapter 10

The Car in the Clubhouse

The Desert Nine was Vivian's victory. The racing car was Arthur's relapse. Marco Bellini returned one winter — quietly, without the red Ferrari, without the three suitcases. He sat at his usual table and said almost nothing. Then the plan began.

The Man in the White Dinner Jacket
Chapter 11

The Man in the White Dinner Jacket

Nobody knew his name. Nobody asked. He arrived every Friday at seven, took the same table, ordered the same drink, and watched Court Three until closing. The rule he inspired outlasted everything else.

The Sunset Rule
Chapter 12

The Sunset Rule

When the sun drops below the mountains, the match doesn't end. The drinks come out. It wasn't written in any handbook. It didn't need to be. It simply became the way things were done.

Part III The Legacy

Evidence
Chapter 13

Evidence

Some things are found. Some things are left behind on purpose. The ledger. The key. The letter with no address. Vivian kept them all. Filed under E. She never said what the E stood for.

Member No. 1971
Chapter 14

Member No. 1971

Every member receives the same number. Not because everyone arrived in 1971. Because everyone belongs to the same story. The card arrived in a green envelope. No postmark. Signed: A. Palm, Founder.

Founders Weekend
Chapter 15

Founders Weekend

Every year. Same weekend. No agenda. No formal invitations. Arthur announced there would be no speeches five years running. The microphone was always ordered in advance. You either knew, or you didn't.

The Disappearance of Arthur Palm
Chapter 16

The Disappearance of Arthur Palm

Some people leave. Others simply don't come back. He didn't show for breakfast. Left his key on the bar. Left his car in the car park. Left his plans on the table — exactly where Vivian would find them.

Public Secret. Private Club.
Chapter 17

Public Secret. Private Club.

Everybody knows. Nobody talks. Stars without entourages. Champions without ego. Deals without signatures. Friendships without effort. A club that was never supposed to exist — and never stopped existing.

The archive grows each week. Members receive new entries first.

The Sunset Bar

Where the Match Ends
and the Evening Begins

Court Three closes when the sun drops below the mountains. The bar opens properly. This has been the rule since 1971. Nobody has ever argued with it.

🍸

The Founders Margarita

Tequila. Fresh lime. Triple sec. Vivian's proportions, not Arthur's. No improvements have been made since 1971, and none have been requested. Rafael serves it in the heavy glass. It has never been served any other way.

The house drink. The only drink that matters at sunset.

🍽

From the Kitchen

Chef Rodriguez's philosophy has always been the same: use what's good, do very little to it, and get out of the way. The terrace kitchen runs from six until the last member leaves. Sometimes that is nine o'clock. Sometimes considerably later.

This week: the peaches are almost finished. Antonio is not discussing this.

⛳

The Desert Nine

Nine holes. The founders decided early that lunch was more important than the back nine. The committee agreed. There was no committee. The Wednesday morning scramble has run, largely unchanged, since the summer of 1972. The handicap disputes are ongoing.

This week: pace-of-play experiment attempted. Vivian has withdrawn the experiment.

🎵

The Soundtrack

Rod Stewart drifted over the terrace the summer the Actor arrived and never quite left. The playlist runs from five o'clock. Vivian controls the volume. Arthur controls nothing, and has accepted this.

This week: Boz Scaggs. Arthur is waiting for Stevie Wonder. Vivian says anticipation is part of civilisation.

The Sunset Bar — Palm Springs Padel Club
After the match — Court Three terrace

"The courts are why they arrive. The terrace is why they stay."

Join the Club — It's Free
The Club

On Court. In Culture.

The Club has always had a look. These are the first three pieces from the archive. Limited. Considered. No restocks. No rush. They exist because the Club exists — not the other way around.

Member No. 1971 Tee

First Drop · 01

Member No. 1971 Tee

A small crest on the chest. The flamingo. On the back: Member No. 1971. Public Secret. Private Club. The only number that matters. The only tee worth wearing on Court Three.

Members First — Register Interest Join the club to be first →
Founders Cap

First Drop · 02

Founders Cap

Forest green. Cream embroidery. Pink flamingo. The cap Arthur never wore — but Vivian always kept behind the desk. Available to members first. Then, briefly, to everyone else.

Members First — Register Interest Join the club to be first →
Membership Card Print

First Drop · 03

Membership Card Print

Museum-quality archival print of Member No. 1971. Signed by A. Palm, Founder. Co-signed by Vivian Morgan, General Manager. Framed version available. The Club considers this the correct way to display it.

Members First — Register Interest Join the club to be first →

On Court.  In Culture.

The first drop goes to members. Become Member No. 1971 →

What Readers Are Saying

The Verdict Is In

Press Reviews
Review
★★★★½

"PADEL PARADISE OR PALM SPRINGS SCANDAL? Arthur Palm's wild ride from Mexico tequila benders to building a celebrity playground where movie stars lose to accountants and a flamingo rules the roost! Steamy proposals on Court Three, vanishing founders, suspicious suitcases, and a 'public secret' club that's basically The Great Gatsby meets Cocktail in the desert. Juicy, addictive chaos."

Pour me a margarita and sign me up.

Review
★★★★★

"A warm, meandering love letter to a fictionalized private club that feels more real than most memoirs. The prose has a rhythmic, conversational charm that mirrors padel itself: quick rallies of dialogue, unexpected bounces off the walls of memory, and constant forward momentum. In an era of fractured attention, Palm Springs Padel Club celebrates the radical act of staying — for one more point, one more drink, one more story."

Highly recommended for anyone who's ever lost track of time on a terrace.

Review
★★★★★

"A work that cleverly disguises itself as club lore while executing a sophisticated exploration of myth-making, place, and the architecture of belonging. In an age of isolation and digital ephemera, Palm Springs Padel Club makes a compelling, sun-bleached case for the enduring value of third places: spaces designed not for transaction but transformation."

A surprising, generous, and quietly profound debut.

"A sun-drenched reminder that some places, and some people, make you want to linger."
"A love story — not merely between Arthur and Vivian, but between people and a place that refuses to let them leave unchanged."
"Arthur names the dream. Vivian makes it survive."
★★★★★

The Beautiful, Mythic Soul of a Desert Sanctuary

"On its surface, this is a book about the origins of a niche sport in a sun-drenched corner of California. But open the cover, and you will quickly find that the game itself is merely the stage.
"Arthur supplied the fireworks. Vivian supplied the victory."
It transcends the typical sports memoir to become a poignant meditation on community and what it means to be truly seen. A gorgeous, nostalgic, and utterly infectious read. You don't need to know a single thing about padel to fall completely in love with the culture built around it."
— Early Reader · Perfect for fans of Joan Didion's California observations, vintage subcultures, and mid-century Americana.
★★★★★

Some books tell a story. A few manage to create a place.

"Written as a collection of interconnected legends, myths and club anecdotes, the book follows the evolution of Palm Springs Padel Club from four dusty courts in the desert to a cultural institution filled with unforgettable characters, rituals and traditions.
"By the final chapters, the club feels so vividly realised that readers may find themselves searching online to see if it actually exists."
Whether you play padel or have never picked up a racket, Palm Springs Padel Club is a place you'll want to visit — and, like its members, you'll almost certainly want to return. Highly recommended."
— Early Reader · At its heart, a book about the places that become part of us, and the people who make them matter.
★★★★★

A Charming, Heartfelt Gem

"Less a novel than a lovingly polished collection of club legends — part tall tale, part love letter, part affectionate myth-making.
"The literary equivalent of a perfect membership card — something you want to carry with you."
Evocative, witty, and surprisingly moving. A delightful debut that leaves you wishing the gates would open just for one more match at sunset. Highly recommended."
— Early Reader · Ideal for readers who loved A Gentleman in Moscow, club memoirs, or any story that understands how places become legends.
★★★★★
"The prose has a warm, after-dinner glow — dryly humorous and full of desert light. You don't need to know a single thing about padel to fall completely in love."
— Early Reader
★★★★★
"The book wisely keeps padel itself in the background — it's the excuse, not the subject. What matters is the culture that forms around it: the lingering matches, the shared rituals, the sense of belonging."
— Early Reader
★★★★★
"Arthur supplies the spark and the legends; Vivian supplies the structure and the soul. Their relationship is the emotional core — romantic without sentimentality, complementary without cliché."
— Early Reader

More reviews coming soon. Be among the first to read it.

PSPC · 1971

Read the Book

Available now on Amazon Kindle

The Curious Story of Palm Springs Padel Club — by Sol Parker

Public Secret.   Private Club.

Buy on Kindle — Amazon
About the Author
SP

Sol Parker

Sol Parker is the author of Palm Springs Padel Club, his debut work of fiction. The story came together through his own journey into padel — introduced by friends, and quickly consumed by the sport and the culture that grows around it.

His padel partnership with his wife, and their life at East Grinstead Padel Club, gave him an intimate understanding of what makes a club more than a place to play. The fictional characters of Arthur and Vivian draw direct inspiration from their own story.

A life spent around private members clubs, a lifelong love of Hollywood, film, music and Palm Springs, and a deep fascination with the great American Dream all found their way into the pages. The result is a book that feels lived-in — because, in many ways, it was.

Hope you enjoy the read. — Sol.