With the weather warming up, more golfers are itching to get out on the course.
The game saw a resurgence last year, with the pandemic closing many businesses and cancelling events.
Wisconsin saw an increase of 20 percent in the number of rounds played last year, compared to the year before. And according to the 'National Golf Foundation', nationally, 25 million people played golf on a course last year, but only about five million were minorities.
One local group is trying to change that by increasing diversity in the game. 'We Black We Golf' is a social organization that started on Facebook.
Martin Marshall, Jr. started the group because he couldn't find anyone to play with after picking up the game at 42. He says golf just wasn't something in his community and that growing up, "everybody put a football into your hand, nobody put clubs in your hands."
'We Black We Golf' has grown to some 400 members since it started last year. The group put together an eight-week golf clinic at Gastrau's in Oak Creek. About 13 first-time golfers have signed up, including Ti-Mara Minefee-Tribble.
She and her husband thought it would be a fun sport to share with their teenage son.
Minefee-Tribble says she never tried golf before because she thought it was "something rich people play. I didn't see a lot of people who looked like me and it just seemed really intimidating. But when they sent the email out about this group, I thought 'why not?'"
She says now that she's tried it, it's fun and not intimidating, although she's surprised by how much the clothes cost.
Richard Badger is also with 'We Black We Golf.' He fell in love with the game nearly 20 years ago, when he found a set of clubs on sale for $40 at a Kmart store. He learned how to play by watching the Golf Channel religiously.
Badger says he loves everything about the game and that's why he wants more people to get involved.
Badger says, "oftentimes, being the only minority in the room is not necessarily a bad thing, especially if you are representing yourself well in that environment. I tell people all the time, if you're playing 18 holes of golf, and walking that golf course, you're walking 5-7 miles. If you're playing horribly, you can walk 8-10 miles!"
Badger adds that even though the group is named 'We Black We Golf', it is open to everyone who would like to learn more about the game. Members are working towards becoming a non-profit organization and have clinics planned for kids, this spring.
Learn more about 'We Black We Golf' on Facebook or on their website.
