5 minute read
PITCH PERFECT Properties fit for sports-loving buyers, from golf pros to padel tennis fans, by Alexandra Goss
sporting A chance
THERE’S A HEALTHY DEMAND FOR HOMES WHICH OFFER SPORTING ACTIVITIES ON THE DOORSTEP, FROM GOLF AND PADEL TENNIS TO OUTDOOR SWIMMING, WRITES ALEXANDRA GOSS
While many of us were only too pleased to give up the Zoom quizzes and sourdough starters we took up during lockdowns, others have stuck faithfully to their pandemic pastimes. And for growing numbers of Londoners, their new hobby is now dictating where they choose to live.
Golf soared in popularity during the pandemic, in part because it could be practised safely outdoors when indoor sports were banned. Some 5.2m people played on a nine- or 18-hole golf course
in the UK and Ireland in 2020, according to leading golf body The R&A, a vast increase of 2.3m on 2019’s figure. The average age of UK golfers has also fallen by five years to 41, while a quarter of female golfers tried the sport for the first time during the pandemic.
Serious golfers living in central London historically had to travel to the edges of the city to tee off, but this spring saw the opening of Chelsea Golf Club at Chelsea Creek, the new 1,239-home scheme set in almost eight acres of waterways and landscaped gardens by Imperial Wharf station. This is London’s first digital golf club and the 2,300 sq ft space has four golf simulators that provide lifelike graphics of more than 150 of the world’s best golf courses. Membership of the club begins at £80 a month, while prices for homes at Chelsea Creek start at £750,000 for a onebedroom apartment through Knight Frank and JLL (chelseacreek.co.uk).
“People now want more facilities in their local neighbourhood, so it made sense to bring a club to a residential location and community,” says Aaron Lloyd-Goodwin, founder of the Chelsea Golf Club. “Golfers can pop in for a session in their lunch break, at the end of the day, or at weekends.”
Tennis has also seen a Covid bounce, with data from the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) showing that tennis court bookings in some London boroughs were up by as much as 75 per cent last year. A family who recently rented a house in Woodsford Square, Holland Park, moved to the property specifically because it overlooks Holland Park Lawn Tennis Club. William Saunders, senior lettings manager at John D Wood & Co, says: “As a family, they started playing tennis during lockdown and when they viewed this home they fell in love with it straight away. The reception overlooks the courts, which means now they can watch tennis, as well as play it, whenever they wish.”
Padel tennis, a mix between tennis and squash, is one of the fastest growing sports in Europe and there are now 89,000 padel players in Britain, according to the LTA. The game is usually played in doubles on a court that’s a third of the size of a tennis court, and Marsh & Parsons says its clients are seeking homes near the padel tennis clubs in Regent’s Park and Rocks Lane Bishops Park tennis centre.
The Outdoor Swimming Society saw a 36 per cent rise in membership in 2020 and the pull of the famous Hampstead ponds has made this popular part of north London even more desirable. “The Hampstead area has been attracting many newcomers since the pandemic, as a result of the swimming,” says Giles Elliott, north London partner at The Buying Solution, Knight Frank’s independent buying consultancy. “We have one client who’s looking to buy in Hampstead or Highgate as they want to be closer to the pond for their 5am morning swim – a hobby taken up in lockdown.”
The wide open spaces of Hampstead Heath have always brought people to the area, says James Diaper, head of sales in the Hampstead office of Savills. “However, the desire to exercise locally is now ingrained in buyers’ minds and is something they wish to maintain,” he explains. “Cycling is another big draw and we have had buyers interested in houses on Swain’s Lane and Highgate West Hill, which are popular routes for serious road racers.” Boxing is great exercise and interest in classes is growing. There have been 10.7bn views on TikTok for #boxing and in 2020 around 775,000 people participated in boxing in the UK, including boxing fitness classes, with more than half of these women.
The Kobox boxing clubs first came to London in 2015, and the 50-minute highintensity classes done to low lighting and loud music – the tagline is ‘fight club meets nightclub’ – have a cult following. The Buying Solution says proximity to a Kobox club, especially the one on the King’s Road in Chelsea, has been listed as a requirement.
Yet for fitness fanatics with the healthiest budgets, the lure of exercising in one’s own home is still strong. Claire Reynolds, head of the Mayfair office of Savills, says: “There’s continued demand for properties with a gym, pool and spa, whether it be a private home or an apartment development.” L
WORKING OUT Opening page: North London locals enjoy regular, refreshing dips in the famous Hampstead ponds Above: Woodsford Square is a prime location for membership at Holland Park Lawn Tennis Club Left: Chelsea Golf Club at Chelsea Creek offers a state-of-the-art fairway experience
HOMES FOR SALE
NEARBY SPORTS CENTRES, AT-HOME YOGA STUDIOS AND ON-SITE GOLF SIMULATORS ARE ON ACTIVE LONDONERS' WISH LISTS
BARNES COMMON SW13
This four-bedroom 1,868 sq ft house overlooks Barnes Common and is close to Rocks Lane Barnes sports centre, which has six multi-use floodlit tennis courts. £2.3m. marshandparsons.co.uk
CHISWICK, W4
Practise anything from yoga to Peloton in the purpose-built garden studio of this five-bedroom 3,127 sq ft house in Chiswick, available for sale through Dexters. £3.75m. dexters.co.uk
190 STRAND, WC2
This studio flat is on the fourth floor of 190 Strand, a luxurious new development with a spa, swimming pool, gym and a golf simulator. £850,000. savills.com
SURREY LANE, SW11
Set in the heart of Battersea, this grand home has six bedrooms, a gym and an endless pool (with a current). Available for sale through Savills. £9.95m. savills.com
