It’s bigger than golf!
This spring, at Sligo Creek Golf Course in Silver Spring, Maryland, something beautiful took place—Black children and their parents/caregivers came together, not just to learn the game of golf, but to begin a journey of healing, connection, and joy. The 2nd annual “Skip Day,” hosted by Bison Impact Group (BIG), a Maryland based non-profit the focuses on using golf as an entryway to relational wellness, turned a day away from school into a day of purpose, play, and possibility.
With Because of Them We Can sponsoring custom backpacks filled with goodies to jumpstart each child’s golf journey, BIG welcomed 40 participants and 20 volunteers to the green. But this wasn’t just a golf outing. It was a deeply intentional community experience. Held during April—Child Abuse Prevention and Sexual Assault Awareness Month—“Skip Day” used golf as a powerful tool for violence prevention and relational wellness.
“Our nonprofit, Bison Impact Group, Inc (BIG), leverages golf to support violence prevention through community-based wellness programming,” founder Russ Green told Because Of Them We Can. “I love Black women and I love golf.” That simple yet profound inspiration led to the group’s founding in 2020 and official nonprofit status in 2022.
For Green, the mission is personal. “Having been abused in childhood and becoming abusive as an adult, I understand the work necessary to heal and unlearn harmful, aggressive, controlling and manipulative behaviors, and learn and practice healthy relational skills.”
Children ages 7–18 teamed up with their caregivers for swing, chip, and putt instruction led by volunteer coaches from Soulful Sundays and Queens on the Greens. After lessons, families took to the course for a five-hole game, followed by a meal of their choice and a Healthy Behaviors Workshop designed to help children identify harmful behaviors and strengthen their sense of safety and self-worth.
At the heart of the day was connection.
“I hope children had a fun, memorable experience playing golf with their loved ones and learned valuable life skills and tools to build and maintain healthy relationships,” said Green.
Thanks to community support, BIG raised $12,000, donating $8,000 to partner schools Howard University’s Interpersonal Violence Prevention Program (IVPP) and Spelman College’s Violence Prevention and Intervention Program (VP&I). The funding directly supports student survivors and sustains educational programming aimed at preventing intimate partner violence.
Why golf? “Black children need safe spaces to gather in community,” Green explained. “Golf is a transformative game that helps manage adversity, overcome challenges, and learn that sometimes when you’ve made a poor choice, or didn’t get the outcome you wanted, there’s opportunity to make your next choice a better one.”
But Skip Day is just one part of BIG’s growing impact. Their “Soulful Sundays” program invites Black families out every Sunday morning through November 23 for clinics and community play at Langston Golf Course in D.C. and Sligo Creek in Maryland. No equipment or experience is required. “It’s a safe space for ashy swings,” Russ jokes, but the meaning runs deep.
BIG is on a mission to raise $25,000 for both Howard and Spelman by the end of the year and is already gearing up for its 6th Annual HBCU Golf Tournament on Friday, October 10, 2025, at Needwood Golf Course in Derwood, Maryland.
Their message is clear: Black people have always belonged in golf and our presence in the sport is both a matter of equity and finding new ways to build community.
“Less than 3% of golfers are Black. Which is a direct result of white supremacy and systemic racism,” Green emphasized. “Golf courses comprise 2M acres of this nation, with 70% public golf courses. Which means that we’re already paying for it, so it’s ours to enjoy. Black people have been playing golf for over a century, we’re not new to this—this movement is our reclamation of the game.”
Through every swing, every step, and every Sunday morning, Bison Impact Group is nurturing a new generation of Black golfers—and a future grounded in love, healing, and power.
To get involved, support, or sign up, visit bisonimpactgroup.org.
Cover photo: Maryland Nonprofit Hosts 2nd Annual “Skip Day” to Promote Wellness & Anti-violence for Black Families/Photo credit: Stellar Life Photography/Bison Impact Group