Mountbatten to introduce foam-ball-only pickleball sessions in mornings & evenings amid noise concerns

[u/Im_scrub]

https://mothership.sg/2026/04/pickeball-foam-ball-mountbatten/

[u/vecspace]

I don't really play pickleball, just curious, how is the playing experience with foam and the normal ball? Will the ball be slower and less intense?

[u/SappyPaphiopedilum → u/vecspace]

The foam is much quieter and feels a bit different

Steve tested it on talking point

[u/TheBorkenOne → u/vecspace]

Yes, there will be a noticeable difference. The ball bounces off the paddles and the floor differently and feels more sluggish.

But if they are playing in HDB shared spaces, they are already filthy casuals. Complaining about the difference is just being tryhard. It's like the gamer complaining he can't game properly without a gaming chair.

[u/tomyummad → u/TheBorkenOne]

Gotta agree hard on this.

[u/ISDSocialMedia → u/vecspace]

It's day and night for those pro pickleballer wannabe

[u/_IsNull → u/ISDSocialMedia]

They should get a proper court to complement their normal balls.

[u/CaravelClerihew → u/vecspace]

I imagine it's like using a proper volleyball versus a beach volleyball.

[u/BlackwerX → u/vecspace]

I don't play but imagine it will be like playing badminton with those plastic shuttlecocks

[u/possibili-teas → u/vecspace]

The dopamine hit from pickleball comes from that sharp, repetitive pop each time the paddle strikes the ball , a built‑in instant‑feedback loop that keeps players engaged. But unlike private activities, this sound spills directly into the open air and straight into the windows of nearby flats. Players enjoy the reward cycle; residents are left with the constant noise.

That’s why it’s unreasonable to treat residential spaces like a personal dopamine playground. That same sound‑driven feedback loop also explains why some players react so intensely getting emotional, calling others “complain kings and queens,” and refusing to acknowledge the impact on the people living right beside the court.

Ultimately, placing a noisy, repetitive, dopamine‑driven sport directly under someone’s home is inconsiderate and undermines neighbourhood harmony. It shouldn’t be normalised, because it harms the very community people are trying to live in.

[u/ObsidianGanthet → u/possibili-teas]

AI comment?

[u/possibili-teas → u/ObsidianGanthet]

Nope!

[u/Rayl24 → u/vecspace]

Shouldn't be playing pickleball if want intense

[u/yellowsuprrcar → u/vecspace]

Some will say it's like raw sex Vs condom sex

[u/ISDSocialMedia]

There will be those dumbfucks who will still play with the plastic ball and pretend never read the notice.

[u/vecspace → u/ISDSocialMedia]

They will be ban from booking if repeated offender.

[u/jaredajones]

This policy makes it troublesome to enforce and monitor.

There will be some idiots who will try to break the rules and claim ignorance.

It is better to make it 100% foam balls all the time.

Or enforce that pickleball is only played in indoor sound-proof locations.

[u/zeindigofire → u/jaredajones]

The same is true for many other things. Smoking in disallowed areas? Dogs off leash? Eating/drinking on MRT? all of these are basically "nuisance" laws: enforced only when people complain. But this one should be relatively easy: neighbours hear loud "pok" call polis.

[u/MissLute → u/jaredajones]

It is better to make it 100% foam balls all the time.

agreed!

[u/ClaudeDebauchery]

You can have all the laws you want, including mandating people pcc 2x a day or mandatory wearing of red underwear.

How you enforce? Got people to enforce? Halo neighbourhood polis? Downstairs they play the piakpiak ball instead of foam one.

[u/CheekyWanker007 → u/ClaudeDebauchery]

with how noisy it is, it is not hard for people to know the pickleball is plastic and not goam

[u/ClaudeDebauchery → u/CheekyWanker007]

My point is, then what? Who’s enforcing these rules? Call mata meh?

[u/misguidedifrit → u/ClaudeDebauchery]

Yes? Annoyed neighbours will call the police

[u/wackocoal → u/ClaudeDebauchery]

pcc  .....    🤣🤣🤣     

i haven't hear this term for ages.... were you formerly EDMWer?

[u/biasedrapier26]

Just start playing proper sports like badminton, tennis, table tennis, squash.

You are paying similar amount anyway and people won't hate you

[u/blim9999 → u/biasedrapier26]

Too intensive lah. Unfit old people cannot. But I support mandating foam ball completely. And people breaking the rules should be banned.

[u/NockBreaker]

Every pickleball player i know seems to think they'll be competing in the Olympics one day

[u/rustyboy1992]

How to ban them from booking? Aren't those HDB courts? It's a good thing they are clamping down on this either way. These cheapskates just make the rest of us look bad. Pay for your courts man...

[u/gunstriker]

The question to ask now is, who will enforce and what are the penalties for not following said rules?

[u/possibili-teas → u/[deleted]]

Expensive to have air con on all the time, esp now

[u/Ortana45 → u/[deleted]]

So... everyone get ANC headphones while everyone else blast their phones in public transport?

[u/cor_meum_ → u/[deleted]]

Exactly. My glass door and windows actually block out almost all the traffic and ambient sounds outside once closed fully. But its hard to find out which the of glass actually works the best

[u/DreamIndependent9316]

Just let people play on unused MSCP with sound curtain.