Pickleball Sound 101 - The Statistics of Pickleball Sound and a Recommended Noise Standard for Pickleball Play

Abstract

Sound from a pickleball game is a random series of impact sounds each time a paddle strikes the ball. The sound level from these impacts varies depending on the paddles and balls used, the skill of each player, and the force of each impact. A simplified measurement method and a common metric were used to measure the time varying nature of pickleball impacts as individual events. The sound measured from pickleball play exhibited a normal distribution that allowed statistical techniques to be applied to these measurements. Estimates were made of the percentage of time that maximum sound levels would be exceeded. Current noise ordinances fail to quantify the annoyance from these short duration random impacts. This results in measured pickleball sound levels that are not a noise violation but remain a source of complaints from nearby residents. Noise limits for pickleball play are proposed using this common metric so that pickleball sound can be effectively quantified and managed.