By JONATHAN BURROWS

BAHA Mar’s Racquet Club added a new addition to its growing amenities with the official ribbon cutting of two state-of-the-art paddleball courts.

The opening ceremony was held at the Racquet Club at Baha Mar this past weekend. 

Present at the ceremony were Derron Donaldson, director of the Racquet Club, Robert Sands, senior vice president of Baha Mar, and Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg.

“Today’s ribbon cutting is not only about inaugurating two new courts but also about affirming Baha Mar’s commitment to innovation, accessibility, and excellence in sports and leisure,” said Donaldson. 

Donaldson emphasised the accessibility of the new facilities, noting that courts are open to both guests of the resort and local Bahamian residents for rent at a residential rate and a resort rate.

Robert Sands spoke to the inclusion of the facilities at Baha Mar’s Racquet Club. “We are not an enclosed community, we are an open community and we open all of our facilities both to our guests as well as to the Bahamians at large to allow them to participate in the various offerings that we have,” said Sands. 

Players can book the court for private matches and tournaments or pair their sessions with a professional coach available for hire, to learn the fundamentals of the game. 

“You can bring a group of friends out here and learn the game, you can have brunch dates where you can reserve the court, you can have a girls’ night.

“We’re here to do it all for everybody and it’s just us trying to bring the racquet sport world here to The Bahamas and at Baha Mar,” explained Donaldson. 

Minister Bowleg spoke on the importance of new sporting facilities in promoting a healthy lifestyle. 

“It is initiatives like this which allow not just our guests but our locals to be able to remain healthy and stay away from obesity and have an opportunity to live a healthy life,” said Bowleg. 

Following his remarks, Bowleg joined several former Bahamian professional tennis players on the new court for an inaugural match. 

The Racquet Club welcomes both seasoned players and curious newcomers eager to learn paddleball.