The noise is the issue. No kidding. I have never been near pickleball at this point but do know what the sound of a plastic ball is against a hard object so I can imagine what residents might not like about it.
What would you do with the noise problem
I wouldn't want a racketball court in my house either or next to it so this may be the same issue. With tennis, it seems that the sound is subdued and not the same pitch and maybe less brittle than the sound of plastic balls getting smacked.It may not only be the noise spikes but the tone of the sound that makes it so annoying to players.
Why
I suspect that pickleball is attracting many of the same players that would have gone for racketball. It takes less skill, and another added advantage is less movement is required.If you must
In chess the Queen is the most versatile and essential piece on the board, and without it the game ends. Consider pickleball as a beginning step toward tennis, the Queen of racket sports. Tennis can also be calibrated to cope with your mobility so taking up a sport of less skill requirement should be thought of as your starting point. It's your call though.
Stay with Tennis but calibrate it for your mobility and skill
I always thought that for seniors it might make sense to remove the alleys from play in doubles after age 60 or 65 just to limit the movement required. You could even add another player too and have two at the baseline and one at the net. It could make things interesting. Safety of course is another issue if more players are added. New ways of not taking head or face shots if you are at the net are in order.As for me, I'd like to find a way to keep people on the tennis court and even if it meant using some of the slower balls for seniors that are currently used for those learning I think that has just as much value as going for the pickleball method.
How about taking out the alleys, using 60 orange dot or 78 green dot balls that are slower and easier to hit. I'd rather be using a tennis racket. How about you?
