Pickle x Pin: GR West Side business combines golf, pickleball

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Construction is set to start soon on a new concept that will bring year-round golf and pickleball to Grand Rapids’ West Side.

Zachary Verhulst and Blaine Westerlund were college roommates and both studied architecture at Lawrence Tech in Southfield. After graduating, they ended up working together, and when Verhulst left to start his own firm, Pure Architects, Westerlund followed.

“I’ve pretty much been there the whole ride,” Westerlund said.

The growing firm recently moved from downtown to the city’s West Side, above the Shade Shop along Leonard Street near US-131 — minutes away from where Verhulst grew up.

About a year and a half ago, they started talking about a new concept, a sports facility that combines golf and pickleball. They found a historic building at 662 Leonard Street., just down the road from the Pure Architects office. The 100-year-old building has been everything from a mechanic’s shop and a car painting business to a limousine shop and a bakery.

“We came and took a look at it and we started developing these grand ideas and grand thoughts about what it could be,” Westerlund said. “It just rolled from there.”

Pickle x Pin will offer a bar and a pro shop. There will be three private VX golf simulators, which will have an actuator that allows players to practice their uphill or downhill swings. It’s an AI based simulator that helps calculate your swing and aim, Verhulst said.

In the back will be three indoor pickleball courts, with surfacing designed to prevent injuries.

The goal is to offer both recreation and a place to improve. The two said they’ll have an LPGA pro on staff that can help with training, and they plan on building partnerships to help kids in the area get into both golf and pickleball.

“As golfers in West Michigan, you have to take like six months off and then you lose your groove,” Westerlund said. “I think there’s really good opportunity to learn and get better.”

The business will be membership based — they haven’t set the rates yet but want the pricing to be “accessible” — and there will be opportunities for the public to come in.

There’s a lot of work that needs to be done before Pickle x Pin opens. The team needs to put in a new roof, flooring, mechanical, electrical and plumbing. Construction is set to start in about a month, and they’re aiming to open in late October or early November.

“It’s going to be … a completely different space once it’s done,” Westerlund said.

Instead of putting in a kitchen and offering food, they plan on partnering with neighboring restaurants to offer food to customers.

“We already have one of the best barbecue shops in the city, we have one of the best pizza shops and brewery in the city. We have Long Road (Distillers) here, Brann’s is here,” Verhulst said. “There’s just like a lot of really great amenities on Leonard Street that we can just be a hub, help those folks and serve their food in this place.”

They said they want to continue to create community along Leonard Street and to create partnerships with other businesses and organizations.

“I grew up here, five minutes from here,” Verhulst said. “I’ve driven past this place thousands of times. And so I think it’s just a desire to build community where we are.”

Westerlund said they are excited to revitalize the building. In their work at the architecture firm, turning historical buildings into something new that “fits within the fabric of the community” is the team’s sweet spot.

“This project is rooted in an ability to build something special for everybody,” Verhulst said. “We have real desires to create spaces that don’t exist on the West Side. So right now there’s a ton of opportunities to play golf inside or play pickleball everywhere else. … Bringing an opportunity for people on the West Side to access this with their friends after work or during the day is pretty important to us.”

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.