Boston Pickle Club proposing pickleball location on the South Shore

NORWELL − South Shore picklers, ready your paddles: a new indoor pickleball facility is being proposed in Norwell.

Boston Pickle Club is looking to open its second location, in the business park at 77 Accord Park Drive, to serve as its South Shore anchor. In April, the club launched its first location in Boston’s Hyde Park neighborhood.

The 28,000-square-foot facility on the South Shore would have room for 10 courts, a lounge, lockers and areas for stretching and fitness.

“The beautiful thing about pickleball is the inclusive nature of it,” Boston Pickle Club co-owner Stephen Hauck told The Patriot Ledger. “It’s really a game suited for everyone.”

Hauck went before Norwell’s zoning board June 26 to request a special permit. The hearing was continued to July 17 as the board requested more information about parking availability.

Boston Pickle Club is open to the public, but offers memberships that allow picklers to book courts 10 days in advance. The general public can book courts up to three days ahead.

Unlike facilities like PKL Boston – which exudes a more party vibe with food and drinks – Boston Pickle Club focuses on health and fitness, Hauck said. While the Norwell facility would have the ability to host catered events, there would be no kitchen on-site to regularly serve food. 

Pickleball has soared in popularity in recent years. It’s a group sport that can be played regardless of age or skill level. There’s even a U.S. Open Pickleball Championship where professionals and amateurs have duked it out since 2016. The South Shore has another indoor pickleball facility, in Hanover, aptly named Pickles, which opened in 2021.

What is pickleball?

Pickleball is an easy-to-learn, accessible racquet sport that relies on reaction time, precision and strategy to win. According to Sports Imports, the game combines elements of ping-pong, tennis and badminton.

The game involves two or four players on a downsized tennis court lobbing a hollow, hole-punched ball over the net.

Will the new pickleball in courts in Norwell be noisy?

With the Norwell pickleball facility being indoors, neighbors – even those standing right outside the facility’s doors – wouldn’t be able to hear the classic “pop” of the ball making contact with the paddle, Hauck said. He said additional measures would be taken on the ceiling, at the front desk and in the lounge area to improve the acoustics.

Hauck said he hopes to open the Norwell location by Nov. 1 if the zoning board approves the special permit this month. The hours would likely be similar to the Hyde Park location, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Boston Pickle Club owners hope to expand to eight to 10 indoor pickleball facilities along the Interstate 95 corridor over the next five years.

When was pickleball invented?

Pickleball was invented in 1965 by three dads — Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum — in order to provide a fun pastime for their families, according to USA Pickleball. At the time, it was played with a wiffle ball, but today there are perforated, plastic balls made specifically for the sport.

Why is it called pickleball?

According to Long Cove Club, there are two competing stories for the origin of the sport’s name. Pritchard’s wife, Joan, says she started to call it pickleball because “the combination of sports reminded me of the pickle boat in crew where oarsmen were chosen from the leftovers of other boats.”

Hannah Morse covers growth and development for The Patriot Ledger. Contact her at hmorse@patriotledger.com.