Photo credit: City of Greenville, North Carolina, licensed under PDM 1.0
by Kathleen Romito, MD, member, Quiet Communities Scientific Advisory Council
My dad always told us kids, “If you make a mistake, just fess up and move on.” Recently, two communities finally pulled the plug on pickleball courts that were located too close to homes after years of debate and complaints from neighbors unhappy about the persistent popping noise.
The town of Farragut, TN, initially placed eight pickleball courts within 100 feet of homes. After three years of advocacy, meetings and a potential lawsuit, the town reverted the courts back to tennis and allocated $1.3 million to build a new nine-court, lighted pickleball complex in a park farther away from homes.
Wellesley, MA converted two tennis courts to pickleball courts in late 2022, located within 30 feet of homes. Last year, after many meetings, petitions and news reports, the town limited use to two days a week. This month, the town closed the courts completely for public use. Seventy thousand dollars has been allocated to study alternate locations and enclosed facilities are being considered.
Both communities, much to the chagrin of neighbors living near the courts, took their time moving through the predictable stages of pickleball controversy. They are as follows:
- Enticement: Local leaders are enticed by how “easy” it is to convert one tennis court into two to four pickleball courts.
- Hasty decision: There is no evaluation by a certified sound specialist who has experience with pickleball noise.
- Honeymoon: If the courts are near homes, this phase will be brief. Pickleball is popular and courts are used for many hours each day.
- Problem realization: Neighbors speak up about the noise and how it affects their daily lives and their health.
- Contentious disputes: Pickleball players are enthusiastic and community leaders are stuck between them and residents who want less noise. Lawsuits may result.
- Bargaining: Trials of limited hours of play, quieter equipment and sound barriers. If the homes are less than 250 feet from the courts, these trials often do not work.
- Regret: Lots of expenses, unhappy people and eventual closure of courts.
Farragut and Wellesley, like so many other communities, converted existing tennis courts to pickleball courts during the pandemic to provide people with space outside to socialize and be active. At the time, not much was known about the effects of long-term exposure to pickleball noise for neighbors who live close to courts.
Experienced acoustic specialists now know that the impulsive pop of pickleball is problematic when courts are too close to homes. Health researchers are finding that nearby residents may develop health problems from the noise. My mom always told us kids, “If you’re going to do something, do it well.”
Communities across the country continue to build new pickleball courts too close to homes, ignoring the acoustic experts and the concerns of neighbors. Thus, the cycle starts anew. When will community leaders pause to learn from others and stop spending unnecessary time and money putting pickleball courts where they don’t belong?
