Kalamazoo Black Golf Association (KBGA)
Our
Story
In 2019, a group of dedicated fathers gathered on Sundays, engaging in grassroots discussions about starting their own golf league. These conversations about golf, life, and future aspirations planted the seed for what we are today.
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Established in 2020, initially as a social media page, our mission was to unite minority golfers of all ages by providing information, humor, and instruction around the great game of golf. Over the next few summers, we organized local tournaments with Squirrel Hollow and built a strong following through 2023. As we welcomed the new year, the Fatherhood Network supported us in launching our rebranding in 2024. This marked the beginning of the Kalamazoo Black Golf Association (KBGA) and the launch of our Summer Sundays league, hosted at the beautiful municipal course, Eastern Hills.
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Since then, we've been able to offer various events and benefits, including closest-to-the-pin prizes, weekly skins, discounted PGA lessons from our friends at Gull Lake View and Eastern Hills, team KBGA/Fatherhood Network golf polos, championship trophies, a league banquet, and countless great conversations, competition, and laughs throughout the summer.
Anthony White, Director of KBGA, (pictured on the right) rediscovered golf after being introduced to it as a teenager. Following his retirement from playing basketball, Anthony has found a new passion in the sport, using it to fuel his love for competition. Anthony hopes to introduce the game to minority youth in Kalamazoo while fostering intergenerational connections among adult golfers, inspiring meaningful conversations on the course.​
"This sport offers amazing life lessons and humbling scores, but we wouldn't have it any other way," says Anthony.
Kevin Lavender Jr., Public Relations expert for KBGA (pictured on the left), helps us network, expand our community reach, and market our brand. Although he was introduced to the game later in life, it was "Love at First Swing" for him.
Meet
the Team
Looking Ahead
The next big initiative for KBGA is the "Swing for Success" youth program, set to launch in Fall 2025. This program will provide both classroom and golf experiences, introducing the sport to BIPOC/multicultural 8th-10th graders in Kalamazoo County and offering beginner training and instruction.