Meet the Owl Paddle, the first quiet pickleball paddle certified by USA Pickleball, the governing body of the sport in the United States. This product claims to address the overwhelming complaints about the noise in pickleball courts. But how quiet is it? Who were the people behind this? More importantly, will it really help solve the annoying pickleball noise? Let's dig into some details.
To start with, USA Pickleball announced last September that they added a Quiet Category to pickleball products, including paddles. The organization said it invested time and resources for 15 months to study pickleball noise. Along with this, USA Pickleball collaborated with experts and manufacturers to design a product that can help reduce noise and vowed to invest more in a quieter pickleball.
Finally, last month, USA Pickleball announced the launch of Owl Paddle, which claims to have reduced noise by 50 percent. This product is also said to be the first pickleball paddle on the market that aims to deliver below 600 Hz and below 80 dB. USA Pickleball noted that standard pickleball paddles produce 1,100-1,200 Hz and 85 Hz (and above) when hitting the ball. When measured about 100 feet away, the noise is around 70 dB.
"As USA Pickleball continues to invest in Quiet Category options for our sport and community, we could not be more pleased to work with the OWL Sport team on the launch of their paddle, which marks the very first certified Quiet Category paddle on the market," USA Pickleball CEO Mike Nealy was quoted as saying in the press release.
"We appreciate this collaboration with OWL Sport as they launch a paddle that allows for both a reduced acoustic footprint and excellent performance in competition. This marks an exciting milestone in our continued efforts to provide acoustics-related solutions to sound-sensitive locations." He added.
According to OWL Sport, Owl paddles are made of graphene/nano technologically-enhanced carbon honeycomb and have balanced 'anti-head heavy' construction for effortless maneuverability. These first-ever USA Pickleball-certified paddles are available in 13mm and 16mm elongated handles. You can check them out on their official website - OwlPaddle.com.
Interestingly, Owl Paddle enjoys support from huge names in sports, including tennis legend John McEnroe, Super Bowl champion Drew Brees, and top APP pro player Jessica Warren. Note, however, that this new paddle is certified only for rec plays, not for sanctioned tournaments. As of writing, we have not yet found players who have tested this new paddle. Hopefully, this will start reducing the noise problem in pickleball.
