New Sports Pavilion Includes Something for Everyone
At a recent conference, Rob Duckett tried his hand at padel, a mashup of tennis, racquetball, and pickleball played on an outdoor court enclosed with glass or plexiglass walls but without a ceiling.
“They had a padel court set up,” he says of the conference hosts, “and I got a chance to hit a couple of shots, but,” The Cliffs president adds with a chuckle, “that’s the extent of it.”
Though padel was invented in 1969 in Acapulco, the legendary Mexican resort town, Duckett says the sport is catching on here, just as pickleball took off 10 years ago. Now, the game will soon hold court among other premium attractions coming to the much-anticipated Sports Pavilion at The Cliffs at Mountain Park, conveniently situated near The Cabin.
In addition to two courts each for tennis and padel and four courts for pickleball, the campus will feature a resort-style pool, indoor and outdoor dining options, a one-acre dog park, a playground, an amphitheater, and green space for relaxation and recreation.
The facilities are designed by Atlanta, Georgia-based Summerour Architects, whose clients include some of the most iconic Southern brands, including Kentucky’s famed Maker’s Mark distillery and the Old Edwards Inn & Spa in Highlands, North Carolina.
“This particular set of amenities is the last major project that we committed to when we bought The Cliffs,” Duckett says, adding that South Street Partners, who acquired The Cliffs in 2019, has invested “north of $70 million” for new amenities.
“Our strategy has been to diversify some of these new amenities to give members as many opportunities to try new things and explore new experiences as possible,” he says.
Duckett says this as a member himself since 2012. “As a member, I think it’s phenomenal because I enjoyed The Cliffs before all this happened. And I love The Cliffs for what it did for me, which was mostly golf,” he says—never mind his current role, where he gets to see these projects start.
While new ground is breaking at Mountain Park, South Street Partners’ efforts have been executed in other communities. Some of the latest among them are the Keowee Springs Clubhouse, The Lake Club at The Landing, the Magnificent 7 party boat, and most recently, Simmer ’71 at the Lakehouse—a new barbecue concept whose name comes from the method used for cooking barbecue sauce and the year Lake Keowee was created.
And, of course, all members enjoy access to all communities at The Cliffs.
“We’re always trying to serve our current members while also attracting new buyers, so we have to keep the club amenities up to date and relevant for the future,” Duckett says.
This story was featured in Cliffs Living magazine. To see more stories like this one and learn more about The Cliffs, subscribe here.
