Representation on the green: Black siblings on teeing off for the first time
'Because I'd never seen someone who looks like me play golf, the nerves were there,' says Precious Iziomon
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On an overcast day, Precious Iziomon stepped onto the tee box and took a practice swing.
"This is going to be good. I feel it in my bones," she said, teeing off.
THWACK. The ball landed deep in the rough.
"Ok, so I didn't feel it in my bones," joked the Carleton University student and standup comedian.
The 20-year-old says she sometimes feels nervous before going on stage at the comedy club, and experienced similar jitters before golfing for the first time.
"Because I had never seen someone who looks like me play golf, the nerves were there," she explained.
Though he's the family athlete, younger brother Joel Iziomon says he felt the same apprehension. Inspired by diverse players like defenceman P. K. Subban, the 17-year-old has long played hockey.
But when it comes to golf, "there was not a diverse Canadian professional athlete to ignite a passion for the game for Joel," explained Joel's mother, Kofo Iziomon.
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That's in part why the siblings decided to take up golf and capture their first round on camera for CBC Ottawa's Creator Network.
The resulting video, Black 2 Golf, was shot and directed by their mother.
First swing
At first, it was a struggle to find a Black coach.
"No one in our social circle plays golf, so I reached out on Facebook groups trying to find someone," said Kofo, explaining that it was important for her children to learn from a racialized person.
She connected with Vincent Harris, who's originally from Jamaica. He took up golf after retiring from government five years ago. He says his first exposure to the sport was through colleagues.
"In the mid 90s, there were just mostly white men that were playing golf seriously," Harris recalled, adding he now sees more diversity on the golf course.
His goal for the siblings was to make them comfortable being on the course, in part because he missed out on teaching his own son.
"I wasn't around enough for my son to get interested in sports. Golf was something he took up on his own later in life. So when those kids wanted to try it out themselves, I thought it would be an opportunity to pick up on something that I missed out on," said Harris.
Diversity in sport
Golf organizations recognize the sport has a reputation for homogeneity among players.
"It's probably a fair assumption that historically, golf has not been the most diverse sport," said Laura Wilson, director of diversity, equity and inclusion and safe sport at Golf Canada.
In 2020, the organization launched a program to teach golf and life skills to diverse and low-income youth, hoping to overcome challenges like cost of equipment and access to golf courses.
But, Wilson is quick to point out free programs are not enough to get people interested in the game.
"If you don't see yourself represented in the sport, it doesn't matter if the program is free," Wilson said.
"[For it to make a difference] you need to realize that golf is a sport for you, no matter who you are, what your background is, and really see that you belong," she said, adding the organization is also working to attract women and people with disabilities.
From behind the camera, Kofo says the experience had an unexpected outcome.
"Watching my children have that instruction, get that experience with Vincent ... it just gave me that extra push to go and get lessons."
"Even for an adult, it's just the power of representation. It's very empowering," she said, adding the family is considering taking up snowboarding next.
From rink to green
Back on the course, the siblings say the game brought both challenges and rewards.
Despite his eight years of hockey, Joel said he didn't feel like a golf "natural."
"In hockey it's always about getting pumped up, you're rushing back and forth on the ice," he said. "In golf, I had to have more patience, and a calmer mindset before hitting that ball."
As he heads to university, he hopes his new skills might help him extend his social network.
Precious says she found real satisfaction finally hitting that ball.
But, for her, it was also important to show the swing mishaps and bogeys along the way, capturing them on camera to help other people of colour feel comfortable on the course.
"If someone Black or racialized is thinking about playing golf, I would say go for it!" she said. "It gives you a feeling of power, like you're on the top of the world."
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