Canarsie residents no longer have to travel far to tee off. Thanks to the Canarsie Merchants Association (CMA), golf lessons are now offered right here in our community. Located at Seaview Avenue and East 108th Street, Professional Golfer Kelly Pierre of All Access Golf teaches beginners and helps pros sharpen their golf skills on Sunday mornings.
Pierre started All Access Golf after noticing limited access to the sport in the neighborhoods he came from. He fell in love with the game years ago and has been teaching inner-city youth and newcomers the great game of golf. Pierre also includes lessons on black history within golfing, emphasizing that teeing off was introduced by a black man, Dr. George Grant, in the 1800s. This historical aspect is shared in various programs Pierre produces.
Pierre connected with the CMA at Medgar Evers College. After meeting with CMA founder Norine Medas, she helped to secure funding to launch the golf program, with the help of Councilwoman Mercedes Narcisse. The free clinic ran from August until October 1st. The next clinic is scheduled for spring 2025.
The golf clinic isn’t the only venture sponsored by the CMA. From October until the end of the year, they are hosting pop-up shops in Canarsie, featuring various business vendors. Medas connected with Jenn “Smalls” Smalls of “The Small Business Suites” to curate the upcoming pop-up shops, which help small business owners network and find resources to build and grow their businesses. The next pop-up shop is scheduled for Saturday, October 21st. For more information, or if you are a business in the Canarsie area and want to register, visit the Canarsie Merchant’s website, cmainc.org. All small businesses are welcome, including home-based and brick-and-mortar establishments.