Detroit (AP) - As a fan, Shaun Horne is all about Detroit's professional sports team. But when it comes to the game, the junior high school stared at a game.

“I only play golf,” Horn said after turning a simulator on the simulator in the gym in the West Side of Detroit.

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Hugs golf makes the rarity between the 16-year-old Detroit peer, especially black high school students.

The city’s coaches and community groups are taking ambitious steps to spread the popularity of the game to students, noting that only 50 of the more than 14,000 high school students in the Detroit School District played golf on the school team.

In Detroit, the biggest challenge was exposing the black youth to the game, who was black, Horn’s coaching team at Renaissance high school. Opportunities for support from local companies and nonprofits, providing equipment and even university scholarships.

“When you go to high school, you often go to elementary school, we hear narratives about basketball players, football games and these things,” Hawkins said. “For our community, there isn’t really that much golf.”

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Who's playing?

In Detroit, an increasing number of Black young advocates work with some of the city’s largest businesses and community organizations. At least two nonprofits offer plans to teach children how to play golf.

Rocket Classic has turned to local charities toward the annual PGA event in Detroit. Of these, $800,000 has been provided for programs that teach children how to play games. A program provides college scholarships for high school students, and 700 children and teenagers participate in the program for the first T-shirt in Greater Detroit each year.

“Golf is the reason we brought them there, but when we were there, we were teaching them life skills,” said Carl Bentley, CEO of Greater Detroit’s First T-shirt, who has donated the golf simulator to the school district. "Learn how to say 'Yes, sir, yes, madam' - shake hands correctly, how to start a conversation. We're teaching them life skills, and then we start doing and swaying and things like that."

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According to the National Golf Foundation, about 25% of the 28.1 million Americans who play golf in their courses in 2024 are black, Asian or Hispanic. There is greater interest when considering those who play on TV in writing or follow professional golf coverage on TV or follow professional golf coverage.

But Hawkins said his experience as a coach shows that black high school students are not in that audience.

“You haven’t heard kids talking about the latest golf shoes or cool golf outfits,” Hawkins said. “You don’t necessarily get a badge of honor, walk into high school, and have the latest golf shirt.”

Lack of money is an obstacle

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Golf and equipment can be expensive and sometimes too high for struggling families to make ends meet.

According to the census, Detroit has less than 80% of blacks, with median income of about $39,500 in 2023, compared with $69,100 in statewide. The city's poverty level is about 32%. Statewide, that number is about 13.5%.

A good set of golf clubs can cost hundreds of dollars or more. The junior hit 18 holes and used a shopping cart on two public golf courses in Detroit is $28.

PGA brought its first event to Detroit in 2019, and Manchester City native Dan Gilbert's Rockets have been its sponsor. Trina Scott, vice president of citizenship and community affairs at the Gilbert family office, said the company worked with partners to bring the game to Detroit’s youth and pay some fees.

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“How do we attract black and brown youth to visit (golf)?” Scott said. “One way to do this is to make it accessible (and) remove obstacles – being able to have the right clothes to go to the golf course, being able to have the club you need, being able to have the skills to be confident in the course.”

From grill to golf course

Mike Schuchard has about twelve players in his Detroit Cass Tech Golf Team. That's twice the number last season, but only two are considered "college level".

That's not enough to compete with some suburban schools with strong golf programs.

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The first-year golf coach said he is working to recruit students who are already interested in others.

"These schools are full of great athletes, but have not been introduced to the game yet," Schuchard said.

Ahmari Flowers, senior captain of the Cass Technical Golf team, agreed. After a freshman year, he started playing the sport.

"I'm athletic and golf, just like I'm easy," Fros said. “For a person who exercises, it’s still a sport, a lot of physical exercises, all you have to do is control that athletic ability and use it to your advantage.”