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A massive new facility is set to bring pickleball courts and golf simulators to Raleigh.
Pin Point, a new sports and entertainment concept by a local group, is set to open this summer. The facility will be the largest indoor pickleball and golf facility in the country, according to its owners.
Located in warehouse space at 2201 S. Wilmington St., Pin Point will feature 16 professional pickleball courts, eight commercial golf simulators and a chipping and putting area.
Pin Point will lease a 71,000-square-foot space on the second floor of a warehouse building. Other tenants in the building include Mid Atlantic Roofing Supply and Iron Mountain. The second-floor space was not popular with other companies because of its lack of loading dock accessibility – but that isn’t an issue for Pin Point, co-owner Garrett Leatham said.
The buildout for Pin Point is expected to cost between $1.5 million and $2 million. Funding for the project comes from personal funds and a bank loan, Leatham said.
The venture is owned by a trio of friends – Leatham, Jacob Starritt and Dylan Bryan. Leatham and Bryan co-own a property management company at the coast. Starritt owns Starritt Builders General Contracting and has invested in real estate deals alongside Leatham. The team has been working on the Pin Point concept for about eight months. They originally had a piece of land under contract in Cary, but the deal fell through, Leatham said.
Leatham was a quarterback on the N.C. State football team in 2013 and 2014, starting as a walk-on and later earning a scholarship spot.
The facility is located in a warehouse building in south Raleigh
The chipping and putting area at Pin Point will cover around 8,600 square feet. The facility will also have a sports bar, a pro shop and two large rooms available for event and party bookings. Pin Point will have the capacity to host groups of up to 570 people.
The pro shop will carry pickleball and golf gear, equipment and apparel. The sports bar will serve beer and wine and pre-packaged food.
Pickleball has been growing rapidly across the country. Other places in the Triangle offer pickleball, but not on this scale for an indoor facility. Pickles and Play, a recently opened indoor pickleball facility in Wake Forest, has seven indoor courts. Jaguar Bolera, a new eatertainment concept planned for Raleigh Iron Works, will have five courts.
In Brier Creek, plans call for a huge racquet facility for pickleball, tennis and padel. Sports equipment giant Wilson is planning to put its innovation hub at the site.
Pin Point is expected to open this summer. The concept is currently in the permitting phase, with construction expected to begin in the next four weeks, Leatham said. Once started, the buildout process should take about two months.
The south Raleigh location was chosen for its proximity to other towns, including Apex, Cary, Garner and Fuquay-Varina. The location is also near the site for Kane Realty Corp.'s huge Downtown South development, which could be transformative for the area.
The business will operate with a membership model, offering three types of monthly memberships – pickleball only, golf only or both pickleball and golf. Membership rates have not yet been determined, Leatham said.
Pre-sale for memberships is slated to begin May 1.
Drop-ins will be an option at the facility, but members will be the forefront of the business, Leatham said. Pin Point will likely have a membership cap of about 1,000 people for pickleball and 200 people for golf.
The Pin Point team is also looking at opening a facility location in Myrtle Beach, Leatham said. The team plans to open three to five facilities in the future, and then expand the brand through a franchise model.
So far, Pin Point has six full-time employees, Leatham said. When the facility is open, its payroll will likely have about 16 employees.
The group is also hoping to partner with local groups, like N.C. State’s club pickleball team and high school sports programs to grow the pickleball sport in the area.
