Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
The distinct sound of a golf club hitting the ball can be faintly heard over a DJ blaring hip-hop and Afrobeats as friends, new and old, enjoy themselves at the Langston Golf Course & Driving Range in Northeast Washington, D.C., on a crisp October night.
About 250 people attended the Social Golf Association’s Range Night event, which invites everyone, from golf enthusiasts to total beginners, to set aside all of the issues plaguing the nation’s capital for one evening and release some pent-up stress by hitting golf balls, enjoying tasty cuisine from Black-owned food trucks and making new connections.
The Black-led social group has hosted several events at the historic Langston Golf Course, one of the few public golf courses that allowed Black Americans to play in the Jim Crow era. The golf course has provided the organization with a safe space for Black golfers.
Several attendees were directly affected by the U.S. government shutdown and say the event helped them grapple with the stress caused by the Trump administration’s reduction-in-force plans.
