Hamtramck artist pioneers premium, eco-conscious pickleball paddle

In a small workshop nestled in the basement of a Hamtramck rowhouse, Forrest Hudes wraps a long strip of leather around the handle of what they call “the world’s first hollow-core” wood pickleball paddle.

As a wood-working artist, Hudes, who uses the pronouns they/them, has spent the past decade transforming pieces of wood into unique and stunning furniture and home decor .

Then last summer, Hudes began playing pickleball with friends at Clark Park in southwest Detroit, and it changed the course of their life.

“I got two points into my game, and I was like, ‘This is my life now,’” the 34-year-old tells Metro Times . “I have an addictive personality. I was hooked.”

Hudes was surprised by the poor quality of pickleball paddles. Most are made of plastic and deteriorate quickly, which means they’ll end up in a landfill “for all eternity,” Hudes explains. Some are made of wood, but they are known for being cheap, heavy, and prone to splintering. They generally lack power and consistency.

Most serious pickleball players use paddles made of a variety of toxic, composite materials such as carbon fiber, polymer, graphite, and fiberglass.

As pickleball becomes more popular, Hudes worries that America’s fastest growing sport is contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and overflowing landfills.

“I researched pickleball and the history of the sport, and it opened my eyes to how big the pollution was,” Hudes says. “It’s shocking how fast it rose in popularity. It adds up to a lot of impact on the environment, and because of the popularity of the sport, it multiples that impact by millions of paddles a year. It’s an amazing sport that has so many positive social and health impacts, but it’s taking this ecological toll that is invisible to a lot of people.”

Hudes, a Pennsylvania native who received a master’s degree in 3D design at Cranbrook Academy of Art, put their other artwork on hold and transformed their basement into a full-fledged paddle production studio, where they’re churning out a natural product that aims to be as good, if not better, than the toxic alternatives that have taken over the market.

In September 2023, Hudes launched Bigwood Sporting Goods (named after their partner, whose last name is Bigwood) and is offering the first high-performance paddle that is made exclusively of wood. For now, Hudes is the company’s sole full-time employee, but they hope to expand as their paddles get more attention.

Before settling on the current version of their paddle, Hudes experimented with 50 design variations and 28 full prototypes since last summer.

What makes these paddles so unique and effective is the lightweight basswood core that is carved into an intricate honeycomb pattern, which enhances their strength and durability while evenly distributing impact with the ball. Hudes has a patent pending for the hollow-core design.

Other wood paddles “are basically a piece of plywood,” Hudes says. “They are super heavy because a solid sheet of anything is too heavy, and it’s completely solid so the surface reaction with the ball gives it no control or spin.”

The face of the Bigwood paddles is covered in a dark, rich walnut veneer. Unlike plastic paddles, each Bigwood paddle is unique because of the intricate grain patterns.

The handle is wrapped in leather, and Bigwood’s logo is laser cut into the walnut face.

The paddles come with an organic cotton sleeve.

At $220, the Bigwood paddles are competitively priced and more inexpensive than many other performance paddles. They also come with a one-year warranty.

In April, the U.S. American Pickleball Association (USAPA) approved the paddle , which means it was inspected and can be used in professional tournaments.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, pickleball has exploded in growth, with more than 13.6 million players nationwide. The global pickleball paddle market is expected to reach $322.6 million by 2028, up from $148.5 million in 2021, according to Business Research Insights . A vast majority of those paddles are made of toxic materials.

According to USAPA, there are more than 735 manufacturers that have created nearly 2,900 different models.

But when it comes to premium paddles, there are fewer than two dozen companies, such as Joola, Selkirk, Engage, Diadem, and CRBN, that rise to the top. I’ve tried most of these paddles, and my preferred choice was CRBN.

Until I tried a Bigwood.

At first, I was skeptical that a wood paddle would offer the same versatility, control, and spin as a carbon fiber paddle. But I was wrong.

After adjusting to the wood paddle over the course of a game, I discovered the Bigwood offers more power and control than most other premium paddles I have used. The paddle is surprisingly light and very responsive, with a large sweet spot that provides consistency and minimizes vibrations.

My dinks, lobs, and drives were as good, if not better, when I used the Bigwood.

“There are a lot of power paddles out there, but you lose that touch and control,” Hudes says. “Because wood is a natural material and has the ability to flex because of the fact that it comes from trees, it has the ability to hold onto the ball and have dwell time. You get this combination of power and touch, and that is really awesome.”

One of the biggest complaints about pickleball is the high-pitched sound , which is notoriously annoying to neighbors. But the thwack of a ball coming off a wood paddle is far more pleasant, producing a lower tone.

Of the more than 100 people I have played pickleball with, only a handful have used a wood paddle, and it was primarily a cheap brand. To be sure, the sight of a wood paddle at a competitive pickleball game prompted quizzical looks.

At a tournament at Court4 in Detroit , Hudes and their partner defeated me and my teammate using Bigwoods.

Hudes’s paddles have made me rethink pickleball and its impact on pollution and climate change. While the industry is currently dominated by plastic composites, Hudes has the chance to spur a revolution in performance paddles.

Hudes is as surprised as anyone that they’ve created a transformative product.

“I never imagined myself as a business person,” Hudes says. “It has been a wild ride.”