“I was simply trying to capture my essence in a logo and convey how I felt on the golf course,” Ajanaku explained. After a brief professional golf career post-college that faltered due to inadequate sponsorship, he expressed a desire to stay true to himself while enjoying the sport he loves.

The brand offers polo shirts with its name in oversized script, pastel bucket hats, and golf shoes featuring the Swingman logo instead of the iconic Jordan Jumpman—courtesy of a sought-after Jordan Golf partnership. Cooper and Ajanaku aim to reshape people’s perceptions of golfers by merging fashion with golf culture.

“Oftentimes in golf, we worship exclusivity,” said Cooper, referring to how the game is generally relegated to private country clubs with membership fees that by default exclude many people.

“Our brand is for the masses.”

In 2024, Cooper said, Eastside Golf surpassed $10 million in revenue, up from $1 million in 2020. But it’s not all about bringing in money. Eastside Golf, Cooper said, has donated thousands to their alma mater, Morehouse College, where they graduated 15 years ago. They also sponsor college golfers, have signed Joseph Bramlett — one of the four Black PGA Tour-status golfers — and employ a diverse staff of nearly two dozen people. They can tally a range of celebrity ambassadors, including music producer DJ Khaled and actor Anthony Anderson, and brand partnerships with Beats by Dre and the Atlanta Braves, among others, plus a Sprite commercial and brick-and-mortar stores in Detroit and Tokyo.

But much of Eastside Golf’s work is about reaching everyday golfers, too.

“One of the reasons why I play golf is a little soft act of rebellion, showing that we’re here, we can play it athletically and mentally,” said Brittany Christian, a Black woman from Georgia who credits Eastside Golf with building bonds between Black golfers. “It means a lot.”

For the last two years, Eastside Golf has hosted “Community Days” in major cities like Dallas and Chicago, where it buys out an entire golf course for the day and offers free tee times, food and music — and of course, golf lessons. The events are open to everyone, but the overwhelming majority of attendees are African Americans.

“We’re here to show that golf is about accessibility, not only to the golf course itself, but to people,” Ajanaku said. “And that’s the strength of what golf is.”

At the most recent Community Day in early August, a crew of five preteen boys (and their dads) joined more than 300 players at the Charlie Yates Golf Course in Atlanta. Three out of the five shot up a hand when asked who was the best golfer.

Thirteen-year-old Jacob Smith, who’s been golfing since age 2, said golf teaches him lessons that he’s able to apply every day.

“You can always bounce back,” he said. “If you hit one bad shot, the next shot could always be great.”

Mason Madison, 11, who started golfing three years ago, said golf is “honestly more than fun. There’s also the part where you’ve got to put in the work to get better, so it could be funner.”

The energy around these events, for Ajanaku, is reminiscent of the environment where he first learned the game he’s still in love with today. It’s inclusive, diverse and open-minded — but historically, that’s far from the norm.

“The way golf is set up — and you look at how it was then and how it is now — it follows the pattern of racism in the United States,” said Ramona Harriet, a Black golf historian and the author of “A Missing Link in History: The Journey of African Americans in Golf.”

Black golfers in the U.S. were historically barred from the game in many spaces. After golf came to the U.S. from Scotland in the 1700s, it evolved into a sport for country clubs, where Black people were prohibited from membership. In the U.S., Black golfers were relegated to caddy roles through the 1980s, many using their expertise to help white players become champions. The PGA Tour maintained its “Caucasian-only” membership clause until 1961, while some private clubs remained whites-only as recently as the 1990s.

Even greens fees and strict dress codes have excluded some who want to play but can’t afford all of the accoutrements.

Despite the challenges, Black golfers have excelled. John Shippen became the first African American golfer to play in the U.S. Open in 1896. More than 60 years later, Charlie Sifford became the first Black member of what eventually became the PGA Tour in 1961. Two years later, Althea Gibson — most known for her prowess on the tennis court — became the first Black woman to compete in the U.S. Open for golf. And Tiger Woods — arguably the best golfer of all time — has blown the game open for Black golfers over the last 30 years. Today, he’s tied for first in PGA Tour wins, second in major men’s championships and holds a litany of other records.

Woods inspired generations, including Ajanaku and Cooper, to dream of what is possible. Now, the duo hopes Eastside Golf does the same for others — and themselves. Ajanaku is currently working to get back to the professional level, this time for the long haul.

“I started this brand because I was tired of being told ‘No,’” said Ajanaku. “I got over 300 ‘Noes’ with pitching Olajuwon as a professional golfer and then also pitching Eastside Golf. So why not take the entrepreneur route and sponsor myself? And that’s when I created Eastside Golf.”

CORRECTION (Sept. 1, 2025, 2:06 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misstated the number of Black golfers who play on the LPGA Tour. Mariah Stackhouse is currently on the Tour.