Medcalf: Meet the Roseville couple determined to bring people together through golf

For Thomas Jackson, the arrival of Tiger Woods on the golf scene in the 1990s didn’t inspire him to buy a set of clubs and walk onto a golf course with his friends. The Chicago native never believed he belonged.

But then the pandemic happened. And Jackson and his friends turned to golf to get outside. While he did not develop a love for the game, he did gain newfound respect for its power to create bonds and community —and possibly another outlet for marginalized folks in the Twin Cities and beyond.

“We got out there really just connecting and messing around,” Jackson said. “And we just had a ball, man. It was the first time, I think, in 10 years since having kids, being past the intramural sports and high school sports era, that I was outside having fun, laughing, connecting with my boys. And we did that for about two summers. And the disconnect was that the wintertime would hit and we really couldn’t get that same vibe. … We just didn’t grow up in that [golf] culture. It didn’t really mean anything to us.”

As his appreciation for the game grew, Jackson, a chemical engineer with a background in product development, and his wife, Mercedes, a corporate finance attorney, decided to launch PAR365 two years ago in Roseville. The 8,500-square-foot indoor golf simulator also includes a lounge and an art gallery.

“I think, just judging from my experience playing golf, there were some people I had met that I thought were dope people that I just wouldn’t cross paths with,” Jackson said. “You could tell right away that we don’t have the same background, we don’t believe the same things. One of the things that inspired us to do the business was this idea of ‘Can we take this thing that has so much potential and continue to create connection and community and experiences and network-building in a way that really just hadn’t been done?’”

Each week, Jackson hosts golfers of all backgrounds and skill sets. He said he’s not the avid golfer some might presume he is, but he does hope his venture can appeal to both experienced golfers and those who are new to the sport.

Jackson said he never imagined he would get into the growing golf-simulator business, especially because of the sport’s history.

“My father wasn’t allowed to play golf,” he said.

That sense of exclusivity Jackson and so many Black folks have felt about the sport that Woods would dominate for two decades was not imagined. Some golf courses, even into the 1990s, excluded the participation of African Americans. In 1993, an official with Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania — the site of a PGA championship event — told the Washington Post the club did not have any Black members because its policy did not allow the acceptance of Black members.

“There is no written policy,” said the official, who is familiar with the membership of the club. “We do not have any Blacks as members, and I don’t think any have ever applied. It’s rather understood that’s not acceptable.”

And now, Jackson and his wife are among a handful of Black golf-simulator owners in America. He said he credits his Yale-educated wife’s work ethic for the venture.

“I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone smarter,” he said.

I love golf. For all the wrong reasons.

I’m usually the worst golfer among my friends whenever we play. I’ve taken lessons. I’ve watched YouTube videos. I’ve adjusted my grip a dozen times and my tee shots still sail somewhere into the woods. I should hate the sport. But I don’t.

I’ve played on muddy, messy courses. I’ve played on exclusive courses with scenic terrain, too. I was bad at all of them but I still enjoyed it.

Because I now understand the relaxation, camaraderie and connection that happens on golf courses, experiences that have largely been reserved for white golfers throughout history. That’s why I always encourage my BIPOC friends to buy a cheap set of golf clubs and learn the game. If nothing else, it’s two-plus hours of nature, calm and conversation on these sculpted courses often hidden from the general public.

Those traits inspired PAR365. For Jackson and his wife, they knew golf had potential that many communities could not access. Plus, the fun Jackson and his friends had in the spring and summer on Twin Cities courses would end once the cold arrived.

Now, they have their business and a goal: to turn PAR365 into a Twin Cities hub for golf, fun and the opportunity to create new bonds with nothing more than a few clubs.

“We thought we’d be able to create not only a business and a brand, but an experience for people that was markedly different than what they thought,” he said. “People who were avid golfers, who had golfed their whole lives, who had come from that background, come from a golf family, would feel that connection at PAR365 and say, ‘Hey, this is different, but I think this is dope.’ And people who had never golfed before would be like, ‘I always thought golfers were like this, but it could be [a good experience, too].’”