Our Story

Pisgah Paddles was born from a love of pickleball, a passion for quality gear, and a belief that great paddles should not have to cost a fortune.

My name is Darren Hollis, and my wife and I started Pisgah Paddles with a simple goal: to offer high-quality pickleball paddles at reasonable prices.

A few years ago, we moved to Brevard from Georgia to enjoy small-town life, cooler weather, and the outdoors. We wanted to live in a place where we could stay active and enjoy being outside without the long stretches of extreme heat.

A few years ago, I discovered pickleball, and it quickly became something I loved. I have always enjoyed sports and competition, so finding a game that challenged me and kept me moving was a big deal. After my last knee surgery, pickleball became more than just a sport. It became part of my rehab and part of my effort to get back in shape.

At first, getting around the court was not easy. It took months of work before I really started making progress. By last September, I finally began to feel better and play with more confidence.

Around that same time, I started paying closer attention to paddles. I realized that many of the paddles I liked were priced at $200 or more. Since I like keeping two paddles in my bag and replacing them from time to time, I started asking a simple question: why does a great paddle have to cost so much?

That question led to the beginning of Pisgah Paddles.

Using overseas relationships I had built over the years, along with our current business infrastructure, I set out to find the best factory I could, one with a strong track record of producing high-performance paddles. In March, we received our second round of prototypes, and we loved them.

Our paddles are made with the same materials, craftsmanship, and expertise used by many well-known brands. We are now in our first production run, and we expect those paddles to arrive in late June.

Our factory already manufactures paddle lines that are USA Pickleball approved, so we know our paddles are being made with those standards in mind. Our goal is to submit our paddles for final approval later this year.

Pisgah Paddles was built out of a love for the game, a desire to stay active, and a belief that players should be able to get a high-performance paddle without paying top-tier prices.

We hope you enjoy playing with our paddles and following our journey as we grow. I look forward to seeing you out on the court very soon.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me directly at darren@pisgahpaddles.com.