Pickleball in Dartmouth is having a moment. The town recently built and opened outdoor pickleball courts, a Dartmouth author turned her pickleball obsession into a guide to the sport and now, a brand new indoor facility hopes to capture another segment of the market. 

Pickleball and More, located in Big Value Plaza, is a creation from Donat Aubuchon, the current owner of the plaza. Aubuchon said he got into pickleball during the pandemic, playing in a makeshift court in his driveway: “My driveway was just long enough and wide enough for court,” he said. 

Aubuchon, who lives in Shrewsbury, needed to fill a large vacancy in the plaza created by Big Value’s departure in 2022, so he decided to “turn lemons into lemonade” by starting his own business. Pickleball and More filled the space with nine full-size courts and a seating area. 

Pickleball, often called the fastest-growing sport in America, is a variation on tennis in which two or four players hit a ball similar to a Wiffle ball over a net using solid paddles. It’s played on a smaller court than tennis. 

Aubuchon said he’s betting on the continued growth of pickleball’s popularity. The sport has been proposed as a Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association sport, and pickleball enthusiasts continue to push for its inclusion in the Olympics (though the International Olympic Committee did not propose the sport for 2028). 

“Pickleball is growing rapidly, not only at the older age group, but young adults [are] grabbing on to the sport,” Aubuchon said. 

The Dartmouth facility is the second of its kind on the South Coast. Fairhaven’s South Coast Pickleball has been serving the region since 2022. 

Looking for a way to stand out, Aubuchon opted for a cushioned court surface, made of recycled rubber. The softer surface is gentler on players’ joints than concrete, he said, which allows pickleballers to play longer and feel better when they do. 

“I can play three hours and not feel beaten up,” Aubuchon said. “The floor is quite a difference.”

Though Dartmouth’s new outdoor courts are free to the public, Aubuchon said players will appreciate the softer courts and protection from the elements that Pickleball and More offers. Also, as far as he’s concerned, the more courts the merrier: “I think that the more courts there are out there, the better the whole industry, the sport is,” he said.

Still, Donat said he’s not dead set on all Pickleball all the time — players that rent out the court can roll out badminton or volleyball nets too, as all the nets are portable on wheels. 

Pickleball and More also offers instructors for new and experienced players. 

Rather than a membership system like a traditional gym, the facility rents out its courts to players, or hosts open play programs where players can pay to drop in and play with new people. 

Aubuchon said they’ve had about 1300 registrations, which allow people to rent out courts and see upcoming events. 

The business recently received its beer and wine license too, which it hopes to use in the seating area. 

“There's a kind of a unity type of atmosphere here where people are going to come and are either interested in knowing about pickleball, or have played pickleball and want to talk about the sport,” Aubuchon said. “So you can start a conversation very easily.”

In the new year, Pickleball and More also plans to host tournaments and an ongoing league for more competitive players. 

“[Pickleball] is very easy to learn — I say this tongue in cheek, it's almost like legal cocaine for an adult or for anyone,” Aubuchon said. “It's very addictive once you start playing the sport.”

The business plans to hold a grand opening soon after its sign is installed on Jan. 9.