To understand the gravitational pull toward golf, let's consider the sport as a sequence of problems. Aaron Singleton, an expert player at Dads Link Golf Club, is playing particularly well today at the Palos Verdes Golf Course, having made two consecutive birdies. But even in shots flying into grassy oblivion, he smiles.
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“Golf is 18 different holes. 18 different opportunities to solve a problem,” he says. “Every hole presents a different problem. Every shot is a different problem.” According to Singleton, this wisdom that players inherit on the golf course (especially resilience and patience) translates into fatherhood.
Singleton, who has a 3-year-old son, is part of a growing group of fathers involved with Dads Link Golf Club. The club is part of the region golf boom; Southern California Golf Association. It is estimated to have one of the largest memberships in the country, with more than 200,000 golfers.
Ian Davis, founder of Dads Link and Golf Club, watches his round.
Ian Davis is the founder of Dads Link Golf Club in Los Angeles. Each month, invite fathers to enjoy golf together to focus on camaraderie, fatherhood and their well-being.
“This has grown in ways I couldn't have imagined,” says Davis, who works as a wellness coach with an emphasis on mindfulness and meditation. He founded the club in 2023 on the East Coast before moving it to Los Angeles in January 2024, where the club hosts an annual Father's Day tournament and several golf clinics.
On the practice field, Davis guides the group through “a grounding practice” that involves stretching and deep breathing. Member Ose Akhile, a personal trainer, follows up with stretches and other warm-up exercises. For many men, golf has become a rediscovered hobby. Singleton returned to the sport after playing it as a teenager. “I really want to improve,” he says.
Darius Ingram, a club member and father of a 3-year-old daughter, says reconnecting with the game has allowed him to prioritize his own well-being.
“I used to play golf recreationally. Now I do it for mental stability,” he says.
Ian Davis greets Ose Akhile while Darius Ingram stands nearby.
Ian Monteilh, who is new to the group and has two daughters, ages 11 and 15, says the outing provides the camaraderie that was missing in his life.
“It's a community I didn't have. I'm lucky to be surrounded by like-minded men with no pressure,” he says. “Even if we have a tough day on a golf course, there's camaraderie.”
Golf, once considered a predominantly white sport, is now being reshaped by a new generation of black players and other players of color, including many of the fathers of Dads Link Golf Club. In 2024, 25% of golfers on courses nationwide were Black, Asian and Latino, marking the most diverse era in the history of the sport, according to the National Golf Foundation.
“It's a lot less pretentious: more diverse, more access for all types of people,” says Ingram, who has noticed a shift in golf culture in recent years. Despite Tiger Woods' storied career as one of the sport's most impactful athletes, Black men continue to be underrepresented in major tournaments.
Darius Ingram reacts by just missing a putt on the 18th green as Ian Davis looks on.
Ingram attributes black men's interest in golf in part to renewed interest from other professional athletes. Star athletes like Michael Jordan and Steph Curry, who are also parents, are expert golfers.
“There are a lot of people who take up their main sport and play golf when they retire,” Ingram says.
Ose Akhile smiles before taking the first blow.
rappers like it schoolboy q and DJ Khalid have also taken an interest in the sport, which adds to their prestige.
The benefits of the groups are evident, explains Akhile, who has three daughters aged 6, 7 and 9.
“I'm outside: fresh air, sunshine, a break for my family. I can relax,” he says. He describes himself as a “Caribbean baby” and explains that the ocean waves have a hypnotic effect on him. As golfers make their way around the Palos Verdes course, the ocean stretches beyond them.
“Nature helps relieve stress a lot. There's a lot of green grass and quiet here. I love my daughter, but it's hard to hear her scream, 'Dad!' every three seconds,” says Singleton. During the game, he remains calm as a squirrel approaches him. “Nature and I are one with each other,” he says. Behind him, a baby coyote wanders into the fog.
Singleton adds that in the chaos of parenthood, friendships occasionally fall by the wayside.
“There's a lot to do. Everyone separated. It's beneficial to have a group text, a fellowship like this, where you can hear someone going through the same thing as you,” Singleton says.
Akile agrees. “These are probably the only ones who understand the stressors and pressures of my day-to-day life,” he says.
Ose Akhile, Darius Ingram, Ian Monteilh, Ian Davis, Aaron Singleton and other members of Dads Link and Golf have breakfast together.
After finishing nine holes, the men enjoy some breakfast burritos. They joke that they'll start ranking Los Angeles-area golf courses based on the quality of their breakfast burritos. Meanwhile, Davis leads the group through a conversation about fatherhood. Each month choose one parent to be the center of attention. This morning that's Ingram. He talks about being a father and his relationship with golf.
“I'm not as good as I want to be, so there's frustration in that,” Ingram says, referring to the challenges of parenting. He adds that to “correct the things” he doesn't like about himself, he focuses on how his efforts could result in his daughter becoming a better version of him. The men offer encouragement as birds fly overhead. The sun breaks through the fog.
Monteilh looks up and jokes: “The only birdies I saw today were in the sky.”
