Move over, Tiger Woods. The ladies are stepping up and taking a swing at the game of champions.
A new generation of Black women is taking an interest in golf, a sport that has historically excluded people of color, especially women. To help level the playing field, Washington D.C. native Sierra Balgar started an organization to help more Black women get on the green in the nation’s capital and beyond.
“When I first started my golf journey, it was very lonely,” Balgar told DC News Now. “I didn’t have friends or family who played, and when I went to the range, there were only predominantly men. I would take lessons alone, I would do tournaments alone, and I noticed that I would not see women of color or women like me there. And I was like, okay, let me start an organization that empowers women of color to get involved in golf.”
Balgar founded City Girls Golf to create more opportunities for women of color to not only learn how to play the game but also to get involved in the golfing industry as a whole. City Girls Golf has quickly become the number one community for beginner golfers, offering clinics and training for golf as well as tennis. They also curate a community for Black women of all levels to socialize and network with weekly events, matches, and outings.
“It’s become a huge movement,” Balgar said. “Even though we’re based in the DMV (DC, Maryland, and Virginia), so many women are getting involved now in golf because they see what we’re doing here.”
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According to Forbes, 77 percent of golfers are men, and between equipment, uniforms, and lessons, learning the game could cost upwards of $20,000 per year. With such an extreme price tag and such a stark lack of diversity, it’s easy for women of color to feel like the game of golf just isn’t for them. But thanks to City Girls Golf, more Black women have been given to the sport and have created a community where they feel welcomed.
“Most of the ladies that attend our events it’s their first time ever being on a golf course, so to know that we’re playing a key role in that, it’s very satisfying and I love it,” Balgar said.
Cover Photo: City Girls Golf Is Empowering Black Women On and Off the Golf Course/ Photo credit: @CityGirlsGolf on Instagram