KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Here in Kalamazoo, there's a group of guys that meet on Sundays. They network, talk to each other — it is a healing space.
This Black History Month, we're highlighting the Kalamazoo Black Golf Association.
"I want to offer something we haven't been able to give before," Anthony White said.
White is the director of the Kalamazoo Black Golf Association. The group started just a couple years ago in 2024 and has grown to about 50 members.
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"It's the concept and the essence of the cultural values of a barber shop or a vulnerable space. A place where guys can go talk about life. We can talk about marriage, kids, family. Maybe there's some negatives we need to talk about too. It feels good to vent. The nature aspect," White said.
This is about more than the sport.
"I would say we're like long lost brothers and cousins at a family reunion. It's very community oriented, and as our parents used to tell us, it takes a village. We're trying to create that village," Kyle Presley, the Rules Committee Chairman, said.
It's about creating a space for Black men on the course that didn't always exist in this way.
The National Golf Foundation says data shows more people of color are playing, and the Kalamazoo Black Golf Association says they're proud to be part of that increase.
"We're able to offer something that hasn't been in this area before. I've seen it in Detroit, we've seen it in Lansing," White said.
This group doesn't exclude anyone. Rather, they overtly include those who may not always have played the sport.
It's a piece of Kalamazoo's living Black history that's only getting started.
"Networking, just for me, I'm in sales. They tell you, some of the biggest deals get done on the golf course. In our instance, it's about how we can impact the community," Presley said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
