Detroit nonprofit growing the game of golf one swing at a time

The Rocket Classic may have just played its final round in Detroit, but that doesn't mean golf is leaving the Motor City. 

Golf can feel largely out of reach, but one Detroit nonprofit is trying to change that, one swing at a time. 

It's something Alan Jones, co-founder of Golfing Around Detroit, has lived through: being excluded from a work event because he had never picked up a golf club. 

"Our whole mission is to impact mental health through the game of golf," Jone said. "Golf has barriers, and people who golfed historically tend to try to keep people out.

"It was an actual impact because I don't know how to golf, I'm missing out on a work opportunity."

That impact sparked an interest, and Jones learned to play the game that once made him feel left out. It's now the game Jones is using to bring people together. 

"We can expose people to something that they didn't even maybe know existed or that they didn't know that they could be a part of," he said. 

Jones founded Golfing Around Detroit with Ashton Cade in January. 

"Our group chat jumped from five to 35 in just a month. So, it was like, 'Man, we're on to something,'" Jones said. 

The group started with golf clinics for men, and then expanded to women. Now, families can learn the game together at family clinics, like a recent one at Rouge Park Golf Course.

For Jones and Cade, what started as learning a game later in life has now become a way to help others find their place on the course and their peace. 

"We don't lose. We find a way, we will succeed. You put us in an environment, we're going to figure it out, and we're going to be okay," Jones said. 

Golfing Around Detroit is hosting its inaugural golf scramble on Aug. 29.