A new pickleball facility, Baseline GVL, broke ground at 8 Gladys Drive in east Greenville April 10.
Baseline GVL is a 40,000-square-foot indoor pickleball arena with 16 courts. Each court is a standard 880-square-feet with seven to 14 feet between them. The complex will include courts, a food and beverage vendor with indoor-outdoor seating, and retail space. A food vendor has not yet been finalized.
Creative Builders is leading construction on the project in collaboration with JLM Renderhouse, SHLTR Architects and United Community. The site is just south of Haywood Mall.
“Today is not the start of a construction project, it’s the start of a vision becoming a reality, a vision that will shape the future of this community, enhance its growth and stand as a testament to the hard work dedication here,” said David Hughes of Creative Builders.
Partners Greg Shepherd, Danny Joyner and Dave Benore comprise the Baseline GVL team.
Chandler Benore, who is Dave Benore’s daughter-in-law, will serve as director of operations. She has been involved with racket sports throughout her life but got involved with the Upstate’s pickleball community in 2020. Recognizing a gap in the area for indoor pickleball, the team began to put the project in motion in 2022.
“When I first started playing pickleball, we only had maybe 20 or 30 dedicated pickleball courts in Greenville County,” Chandler Benore said. “And now we’re proud to say we have 200-plus public dedicated pickleball courts but we still don’t have any indoor facilities.”
The development will also include a pro shop in partnership with Gary Link, founder of Upstate Paddles and Pickleball.
Baseline GVL is expected to open this fall.
