Quiet Paddles

The right tool for the job...

Let's further continue this week's paddle discussion with another element that has entered the market. Some venues, especially those in residential communities, have noise ordinances. As we players are well aware, the game can be loud. Some of that is the laughter and banter from players but that appears to be less irritating to some than the constant "pop, pop, pop" from the paddle whacking the ball. Paddle manufacturers have looked to that as a niche market and started to make "quiet" paddles. Pickleball Portal did a good write-up on the topic. I will include an excerpt below, but the entire article is worth reading since it also includes a list of subject paddles. The article was titled Quiet Pickleball Paddles | Green Zone Approved Paddle List.

Quiet Pickleball Paddle: How To Choose?

Some people have asked me...."What's the best quiet pickleball paddle that is on the approved list"? ​ But I think that's just such a hard question to answer!  First of all there are a LOT of paddles on the list (over 100 the last time I counted!). 

Secondly the list includes paddles from every price range, material (wood paddles, composite and  graphite paddles), edgeless paddles and those with edge guards.  Virtually every paddle shape (wide-body, elongated, etc.) grip size and core material (polymer core, aluminum core, Nomex) are represented on the list. 

Because of this, it's really too hard to declare any one paddle  or short list as "The Best Quiet Pickleball Paddle"​.  I think the principal to finding a good paddle has not changed and noise, although definitely a priority if you live in a "Green Zone" community,  should NOT be the number one deciding factor. 


Although some very well known and commonly used paddle models were not approved, every major pickleball paddle maker has approved paddles on the list.  Just as an example the Gamma Proton was approved on the list whereas the other Gamma paddles (Atomic, Fusion, Ion, Micron, Voltage) have all  been categorized as "banned" Red Zone paddles  by Sun City. 

The fact is that there are some very well known and best selling paddles on the market that did not pass the noise test but the same manufacturer's other paddles were accepted so you really can't isolate the best quiet paddle just based on brand or other general criteria such as core material or price range. 

I recommend you FIRST find a paddle that meets your playing style, weight and grip size requirements and THEN cross-reference the list to see if it is also approved as a "quiet paddle". 

As I've repeated multiple times on the blog and here in our paddle buyer's guide,  I would first look at paddle WEIGHT and GRIP SIZE as top priorities when buying a new paddle.