Millions of pickleball paddles were sold last year to serve America’s fastest growing sport, and the vast majority of them are just like the one I was handed to play with my first day - a honeycomb plastic core with a sheet of, essentially, fancier plastic glued to each face, a plastic handle, plastic grip, and plastic edge guard - it was immediately clear to me that America’s fastest growing sport was also America’s fastest growing contributor of single use plastics to landfills.
In fact, a leading paddle manufacturer states that just one year is an expected lifespan of their paddles, and with no way to deconstruct or recycle any part of the paddle the entire thing will end up in a landfill. That looks like upwards of 18 million pounds of plastic entering landfills each year.
I couldn’t wait to play more pickleball but I couldn’t bring myself to buy one of these plastic paddles. So I set out to design and make a pickleball paddle entirely out of wood that I could play great with and feel good about.
The idea became an obsession, and now, dozens of prototypes and design iterations later, I am proud to offer the world’s first hollow core wooden pickleball paddle (patent pending). Not only is the primary material of the paddle a renewable, biodegradable, natural resource - I have also sought out materials for every other part of the paddle that are as sustainable as possible.
It has brought me great joy to combine my decades of experience in woodworking and design, passion for trees and the environment, and love of pickleball into this paddle. I hope that you will feel the same way when you get to play with it.
We think it only makes sense that athletes of all kinds should be the most concerned about protecting the earth, and it doesn’t hurt to look good while you are doing it. We are just beginning a journey to revolutionizing sustainability in sporting goods, and we are so excited and grateful that you are joining us on this mission!
For more information about our products, materials, and designs please take a look at our blog, and always feel free to contact us directly with your questions.
Thank you for your interest and support!
Sincerely,
-Forrest Hudes
Founder, Bigwood Sporting Goods, LLC
