Several years ago, there was a minor kerfuffle centered around Franklin Creek pickleball noise and neighbor insomnia. Homeowners closest to the pickleball courts were unhappy that the sound of the ball hitting the paddles made it difficult to sleep. At the time there were no regulations restricting the hours players were permitted to use the courts. The Board met with the upset neighbors and carefully studied the situation. The study considered the decibel level created when the ball meets the paddle. It was found to be 70 dBA, which is considerably higher than that created by tennis or everyday urban noise. The neighbors had a point. A reasonable agreement was achieved. The courts would be available from 8:15 AM until 9:00 PM. Problem solved.
Nationwide there has been much disgruntlement regarding the recent explosion of pickleball. Pickleball courts are replacing tennis courts, so tennis players are unhappy. The sport is too noisy, so homeowners in close proximity to new courts are unhappy. The list of reasons to be upset with the sport’s proliferation is lengthy and, in some cases the pushback has been aggressive.
There have been a number of reports of vandalism to, and violence on, pickleball courts. In April of this year a Boston CBS affiliate reported that nets had been slashed and tossed out of the courts in Needham, Massachusetts. A month before fires destroyed Lahaina, a court on Maui was vandalized. The bill: $1400. Online source, The Skilled Pickle, printed a lengthy list of courts from Boston to Santa Rosa that have been vandalized. The report went on to point out the impact of vandalism on communities. These include financial costs and loss of access to courts, as well as a decreased sense of community and safety. The report went on to identify some of the methods used to damage courts, including destroying nets and lights, painting over lines, graffiti and digging holes in the court surfaces.
It’s been reported that in Denver, Colorado the police were called when seventy-year-old men threatened a construction crew who arrived to resurface a court. It seems they were not ready to stop playing. And two weeks ago, in Santa Monica, thousands of dollars were lost to vandalism when a pickleball storage shed was torched. Recently Martina Navratilova weighed in on disagreements caused by the dual purposing of courts to accommodate both tennis and pickleball: “I say if pickleball is that popular let them build their own courts.”
Disagreements or not, the pickleball genie is out of the bottle and not going back anytime soon. Temporary courts were built on the Mall in Washington, DC and fourteen courts were built on Wollman Rink in Central Park. My advice to both sides is simple: use some common sense. Common sense does not involve vandalism or pugilism. Follow the example of The Landings Club and find reasonable ways to accommodate all sides. We put men on the moon, we should be able to find peaceful resolutions to the pickleball wars.