Palm Springs
Padel Club

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

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

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. I find this enormously comforting. Routine is underrated. Particularly when it happens before the rest of the world is awake.

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. The winners were gracious. The runners-up were gracious also, though they have asked that I note they were runner-up on points only, and that the final set was played in conditions they consider irregular. I consider this a reasonable position and have recorded it here accordingly.

On the golf course, Wednesday morning produced one of those rounds where the golf itself is largely incidental. The Desert Nine was in good shape. One member holed out from the fairway on the seventh. He has mentioned this four times since. We expect at least two more mentions before the week is out. He has earned them.

At the bar, Rafael has introduced something he is calling the Summer Arrangement — which is simply the Founders Margarita served slightly colder and with a little less ceremony. Nobody has complained. Several people have asked for two.

Vivian spent part of the week sourcing something for the kitchen she won't be specific about. She used the phrase a small project twice, which in my experience means something considerable is being planned quietly. I have learned not to ask. The results are always worth the patience.

The book is moving. Some weeks it moves faster than others. This was a slower week — not because nothing came, but because what came needed to be sat with for a while before it was ready to be written down. I think this is how the best things arrive.

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

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

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 have adjusted accordingly. Early morning sessions from six-thirty are now full every day. There is something about playing in the desert before the sun takes over that I cannot adequately describe. The light is different. The ball sounds different off the glass.

On the courts, 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.

At the bar, Vivian has moved the evening service outside onto the terrace. Small tables, candles once the sun drops, the mountains going dark in the distance. She found a case of old Rioja from somewhere she won't say.

In the kitchen, this week's dish was a simple thing — grilled sea bass, a little oil, some herbs from the pot by the back door. Sometimes the kitchen knows exactly when to get out of the way.

On the golf course, the Wednesday nine has resolved its handicap dispute. I won't say how. Everyone showed up and nobody left early — the only measure of a good morning.

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

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

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.

It has been another full week at Court Three.

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.

In the kitchen, our guest chef served a cold roasted pepper soup with smoked almonds that caused a table of six to fall entirely silent. In thirty years I have not seen that happen.

On the golf course, the Wednesday morning nine continues. Four members, one cart, a disagreement about handicaps that has now entered its third week. I am staying out of it.

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

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