GoSports GS 40 Q-Foam Pickleballs - Quiet Foam Balls for Indoor or Outdoor Practice - 3 Pack

The Q-Foam is a foam pickleball. That one fact explains both why you'd want it and why it won't replace your regular balls. A 3-pack costs about $13 and averages 4.4 stars from about 299 reviews.

Why foam

A hard plastic pickleball makes a sharp pop on every hit, and that noise is what neighbors near courts tend to complain about. Foam is much quieter. GoSports designed the Q-Foam for courts where noise is an issue, for evening games and for neighborhood courts with noise restrictions. It also works for practice at home against a wall or a garage door, which a plastic ball would make very loud.

Foam is also soft. GoSports pitches it at beginners, seniors and young players, since being hit by it is less likely to hurt. That helps new players who flinch every time the ball comes at them.

What you give up

It isn't a regulation ball, and GoSports says so. Each ball weighs about 22 g (0.78 oz), compared with 26 g for a standard outdoor ball. It's the same 2.9 in diameter. GoSports says it "plays similar" to regulation balls but that the bounce and hit distance will vary, and it shouldn't be used for tournament games.

So it's a practice ball. You can learn strokes and footwork with it, but expect an adjustment period when you switch back to plastic.

Who it's for

• Players at courts with noise rules or complaints from nearby homes
• Solo wall or garage-door practice at home
• Kids, nervous beginners and older players who don't want to be hit by a hard ball
• Casual family games where nobody cares about regulation bounce

Who should skip it

Anyone playing league or tournament games, or practicing for them. You'll want a regulation ball that bounces like the real thing.

Our quiet pickleball balls guide covers what else you can do about noise. For more on starting out, see pickleball balls for beginners and pickleball balls for kids.

Alternatives

If you want a real ball at a low price, the GoSports GS 40 12-pack is USAPA certified and costs about $17 for twelve. It's hard plastic, though, so it's loud. For indoor play, the Franklin X-26 is a lighter regulation ball, but it's still plastic and still makes the usual pop.