Yes, Pickleball Can Be Loud. Solutions Exist — and the Best One Is the Most Fun.

This San Diego Union-Tribune opinion piece makes a counterintuitive case: the solution to pickleball noise is not to restrict the sport, but to design and locate more courts intelligently. Concentrating play at well-sited, acoustically-treated facilities removes pressure from the converted neighborhood courts that generate most of the complaints.

The argument in brief

- Dispersed, poorly-sited courts produce more complaints than concentrated, well-designed ones. - Municipalities that invest in dedicated, treated facilities see complaint volume drop. - Players want to play — they will travel for a good facility.

The engineering implication

If you are a municipality or builder, the takeaway is to treat acoustics as a design input from day one. A facility designed for 12 quiet courts will serve more players, more hours, with fewer complaints than 4 converted neighborhood courts.

Read the opinion piece: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/commentary/story/2022-07-01/pickleball-noise-solution