The concept of playing a sport has been around for centuries, and leagues such as the NBA, WNBA, NFL, and MLB are some common organizations fans look forward to watching almost daily. Notable players like LeBron James, Angel Reese, and Jalen Hurts have all expressed how dedication, passion, and hard work go into staying in the game. However, those are not the only leagues worth recognizing.

The PGA of America (Professional Golfers’ Association of America) is comprised of more than 30,000 trained golf professionals dedicated to elevating the game, including Tiger Woods, Harold Varner III, and the legendary Renee Powell. According to Golf Digest, fewer than 1 percent of the PGA's members are Black, which is an unfortunate reality.

Although there is a certain lack of diversity, people like Sierra Balgar are on a mission to bring more inclusivity to the sport, so that Black women can not only tap in, but ultimately change the face of the game.

Raised in Harlem, New York, Balgar became dedicated to learning how to improve her swing as soon as she was introduced to golf by a friend. While the sport has sometimes been perceived as boring or too challenging, Balgar saw this moment as an opportunity to learn a new skill, build community, and have fun along the way. What began as a personal mission grew into Balgar spreading the word about the need for more Black women in these spaces and inspiring women from diverse backgrounds to embrace the historically suburban and white culture of golf. And that’s when City Girls Golf was born.

City Girls Golf is an organization that provides members with opportunities to connect, feel empowered, and excel on the course. It offers golf clinics in the DMV and New York tri-state areas, and hosts networking events to foster long-lasting relationships with the players.

In this exclusive interview, REVOLT spoke with the organization’s founder about their mission, the benefits members gain, and what’s next for the growing sports club. Get into the chat with Balgar below!

What inspired you to create City Girls Golf?

I was introduced to golf by a friend who challenged me to pick up a golf club and hit the ball. At that time, I didn't really have any care in the world for golf. I never understood why people played. I thought it was boring. But when I picked up the club and tried to hit the ball, I couldn't. I was just so embarrassed.

So, that sparked my interest in wanting to be able to hit the ball. It was like a challenge. I decided to start taking golf lessons, going to golf tournaments, and watching the game. I was doing all things golf. However, I was doing all these things alone. I realized I didn't really have a community. Golf is predominantly men... white men. And even when there were women's clinics, I never saw women of color or Black women. So, I was like, if I am experiencing this, there's a lot of other women experiencing the same thing when they're trying to learn golf.

What inspired the name of the organization?

We launched City Girls Golf because I'm from Harlem, New York and golf is more like a suburban sport. So, I named it City Girls Golf to empower women in the city to get more involved in the sport. I felt like the name would spark people's interest.

What kind of services does City Girls Golf provide?

We have our golf clinics. And they're pretty much like entry-level golf clinics. So, if you have never been to a golf course or picked up clubs, they're beginner friendly. We also have socials outside of golf, but we always try to keep them mainly golf-focused. Within the past year of doing this, I realized that people love golf. But our members ultimately love the community and building friendships and sisterhood.

It's great to see that the ladies have been able to grow relationships outside of us and become friends. That's the most amazing part of what we do. Not only are we bringing more women -- especially women of color -- to the game, we're actually building community and relationships that could last a lifetime.

What were some early challenges you faced while building the company?

I have never done anything like this in my life. So, when I launched City Girls Golf, I didn't really know it was going to go viral, and I didn't know a lot of people were going to be interested in something like this. I didn't even know the business of golf or the history. I just came right in and did it. And obviously, it worked, right?

Everything is going well, but with that comes a lot of different things. Since we are still a small company, it's me doing most of the work. We contract people, but it can be challenging when one person is handling such a big community. The goal for next year is to bring on a solid team, so I won't feel like I'm doing most of the groundwork and experiencing burnout.

For a first-time golfer, what are the basic rules of the sport?

My instructor always says that he loves having beginners -- someone who doesn't have any prior experience or anything. When you are a beginner, then he's able to mold them. The rules can be very technical, but the good thing is that once you come into the course, all you have to do is show up in your golf attire and come with an open mind. Don't freak out if you can't hit the ball on the first try. Have fun with it and be coachable.

What are some misconceptions about golf that you learned after diving in?

One thing about golf is that people think you have to know everything... [and] you have to be perfect. That’s not true. I don't feel you have to be this perfect golfer to want to play golf or [to be] on a course. I like golf for the social aspect of it. When I started my golf journey, I was always told that I couldn't play on the course because I wasn't trained properly or didn't know everything.

That hindered my growth in my skills. Ultimately, to learn how to play this game, you have to play on the course. So, in reality, a lot of people are just in the same lane as you. Not everyone is trying to be a professional golfer. Most people do it because they enjoy it and enjoy doing something different with their friends.

Is golf expensive?

Yes and no. It just depends on what type of experience you're seeking. Now, there's a bunch of public golf courses where you could get a range of balls for $10. You could play around a golf course for $50 to $100. You don't need a country club membership to play. There are a lot of indoor golf facilities now in the city, like Topgolf and different companies like that.

It's fun now. It's not so prestigious, and you don't have to be a certain way to enter the game. Golf is also a lot more accessible. The only reason people may feel it's not accessible is because you don't often see different demographics involved in the sport. If you don't see people that look like you playing, then it's like, “Why would I want to play?”

That’s why I feel we got so many women involved in our organization. They saw other women who looked like them.

What are City Girls Golf's goals for combating the lack of diversity in the sport?

The goal is to spread to more cities, honestly. There's a need every day, and people are calling and asking us to please bring this to their state. Expansion and giving women in other cities the opportunity to have a community like ours are our goals. Another goal of ours is to be louder in the golf industry.

We are little compared to who the real giants are. So, it's all about growing the brand and progressing into a household name. We want to align with other companies and organizations with similar missions. To do it in a way that is authentic to our audience and believe in who and what we stand for.

Tell us more about the outreach initiatives of City Girls Golf.

We would love to start doing more for kids within our community. Since we have a really big community of powerful women, there's still so much work to do. We could start doing more impactful work, whether it's volunteering or giving back to charities and nonprofits. We are working on that.

Are there any partnerships or collaborations you are looking forward to this year?

We have a few right now that are most notable. We have the Urban Golf Weekend, a very fun and exciting time in Miami, where different business professionals, especially young Black business professionals, get together and enjoy the Miami environment.

We have our next partnership with Baddies in Tech, a tech company that empowers minority women and gets them involved in the tech industry. We're partnering with them and giving their ladies a golf clinic. Moving forward, we would love to partner with companies like Nike, Adidas, and other golf companies, like Callaway or TaylorMade.