BIZZ BUZZ
Diving
into Pickleball
HEAD First
A
s a global leader in sporting equipment,
HEAD has entered the pickleball
market in a big way, formally making a
commitment to the sport after watching
it evolve over the past several years.
“We’ve had our eye on pickleball for
five or six years now,” says Ben Simons, Senior Business
Manager for Racquetball, Squash & Pickleball for HEAD
Penn Racquet Sports. “Normally, when we decide we’re
going to do something, we invest a lot of resources, we
don’t go half way, so we wanted to be sure. There’s a lot of
research and development, engineering and major capital
investment to get into a new business. We found our own
factory, and it took a couple years to bring a paddle to
market and be competitive.”
Since then, however,
HEAD has developed two
lines of paddles that players
of any caliber can excel with.
“We tested all kinds
of cores to come up with
something we were sure
of,” says Simons. “We
tested cores that resulted in turbo-charged paddles and
others where the ball died on the paddle. But you have to
go through all of that development to make sure everything
is right. And then you put it out to the pros to get their
expertise. We’re in this for the long run. If we create great
products, invest back in the sport, be at the US Open,
Nationals, regional events, work with ambassadors, the
HEAD brand can help everybody, and that’s great. If the
sport grows, we all grow.”
Currently HEAD offers two lines of paddles—the Radical
Series and Extreme, both of which have the same shape,
thickness and core throughout their individual three-product
lines. As with all HEAD lines, the three options are created
in a “Good, Better, Best” format.
The Radical is a traditionally shaped paddle. Tour features
a graphite face, the Pro has a fiberglass, textured face and
the Elite, with its $69 price point, is essentially the Pro
without the texture and comfort grip system.
Simons says HEAD’s philosophy is to ensure even their
entry-level paddles maintain the same quality control as
their top-of-line models. “We don’t want to destroy the
integrity of the product. We take off the fringe parts for our
entry models and you still have a quality paddle base.”
HEAD’s second line, the Extreme, features a unique shape
with the top corners cut off. “In developing the Extreme,
we tried a couple things. We wanted something that had
a little weight, but felt light,
so we took some head weight
out,” says Simons. “They swing
very quickly, have a thinner
core and are a control type of
paddle in general. The Extreme
is for players who can generate
their own power and prefer
maneuverability.” The Extreme also comes in Tour, Pro and
Elite versions.
Simons says HEAD also has various accessories available
to pickleball enthusiasts and is always working to push
the envelope further. He says his personal opinion is that
eyewear will be a future priority in the sport and HEAD’s
already out in front of that.
“We’re always looking at the bigger picture,” he says.
“We’ve covered the major things for players, now what can
we do?” •
“We tested all kinds of cores to
come up with something we
were sure of. ”
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