Pickleball Is Gaining Traction, But Leaves Communities with Noise Problems
Pickleball is a growing sport. People of all ages can enjoy playing. The rules are fairly simple and each game ends at either 11 or 15 points. The game was invented in 1965, but it wasn’t as popular until recently. More and more pickleball courts are being built due to the rising interest in the game. The game can be compared to tennis, badminton, and ping pong due to it requiring paddles, a ball, and a net.
Pickleball was created by Rep. Joel Pritchard at his home in Bainbridge Island, WA. Due to not being able to find rackets to play badminton, Prichard, his family, and businessmen Bill Bell improvised with ping-pong paddles and a plastic ball. From there, Rep. Prichard and his friends created the rules for a family-friendly game. Several years later, a corporation was created in 1972 to preserve the game and not long after that, pickleball tournaments came along to give the sport even more recognition.
Though pickleball is a growing sport, it doesn’t come without its issues that affect the surrounding communities. The game is fairly loud, creating sharp, slapping noises whenever the paddles strike the ball and when the ball bounces on the court. When you combine numerous games simultaneously on multiple courts, the cumulative noise levels can become quite a nuisance for those who live or work near the pickleball courts.
According to an article by the LA Times, “Researchers have shown that the sound of a solid pickleball paddle hitting one of the sport’s hard plastic wiffleball-like balls can be more than 25 decibels louder than that of even the hardest-swung Wilson connecting with a felt-covered tennis ball (Sheets).”
Pickleball Noise Solutions and Sound Barriers
Many resorts and country clubs are beginning to add pickleball courts to their grounds. With many of them near neighborhoods and businesses, addressing the crackling noise of the paddle smacking the pickleball for hours a day has become a front-burner issue. In worst-case scenarios like this, noise pollution can cause mental and physical health issues for those affected. Many residents living near pickleball courts are looking for urgent solutions to mitigate the noise. One proven and well-known solution is the use of engineered noise barrier walls that absorb the sound.
Here is an example of pickleball noise solutions that was implemented:
Contact Sound Fighter Systems today if you would like to learn more about how we can help you implement pickleball noise solutions and sound barriers around your courts.
To learn more about the history of the game, visit: https://usapickleball.org/what-is-pickleball/history-of-the-game/
Sources:
https://www.pickleballuniversity.com/home/what-are-the-5-rules-of-pickleball
https://usapickleball.org/what-is-pickleball/
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-03-03/pickleball-noise-fueling-neighborhood-drama#:~:text=There’s%20no%20question%20that%20pickleball,a%20felt%2Dcovered%20tennis%20ball
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