S1E63: The pickleball pickle: Loud nuisance or fun pastime?

Sep 18, 2025

Ask episode

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

Pickleball has been a smash hit in Singapore over the past couple of years, but not everyone’s a fan.

Synopsis: Join Natasha Ann Zachariah at The Usual Place every Thursday as she unpacks the latest current affairs with guests.

The game has attracted players of all ages looking to learn a new skill, keep active or meet fellow ‘picklers’.

On the flip side, pickleball has sparked complaints from residents living near Housing Board courts, who say the games are too noisy and disrupt the peace.

Last week, a Straits Times report looked into the tensions that have arisen amid pickleball’s growing popularity.

Complaints have surfaced on online forums, while angry residents have aired their grievances on social media and written in to ST’s Forum page.

MPs and town councils have stepped in with measures, though these vary across neighbourhoods.

They include restricting playing times for games, switching off the lights at courts after a particular time, and even banning pickleball from badminton courts, thus reducing the opportunities for play. (Pickleball courts are nearly identical in size to badminton courts, but smaller than tennis courts.)

The backlash against the game has been frustrating for players, who are competing to book spaces at ActiveSG facilities, as demand balloons. There are private courts, but they are a more expensive option.

In this episode of The Usual Place, I spoke with:

- Jeremy Soh, founder of pickleball club Performance Pickleball who picked up the sport less than two years ago; and

- Assistant Professor Nurul Amillin Hussain, a social scientist from Nanyang Technological University.

What made the game popular, and can pickleball players and residents find common ground? Also, why do tensions keep arising over sports in the heartlands?

Highlights (click/tap above):

2:00 Is pickleball a real sport?

7:13 A good sport to repopulate urban spaces

10:03 How much does it cost to get started?

12:43 Facing complaints when playing in public courts

17:40 Are we more intolerant than before?

19:35 Silent balls can help, so why don’t players use them?

27:48 Is noise in the ear of the beholder?

29:41 Is pickleball just a fad?

Host: Natasha Ann Zachariah (natashaz@sph.com.sg)

Read Natasha’s articles: https://str.sg/iSXm

Follow Natasha on her IG account and DM her your thoughts on this topic: https://www.instagram.com/theusualplacepodcast