Soba Golf: Golf, Community & Sobriety
Published 13 January 2025
In January, Soba Golf, the first sober golf community with a focus on wellness, was launched in the US. Dispersed across local and international chapters, the initiative invites the sober and the sober curious to socialise, participate in golf-centred events and increase their mindfulness, focus and discipline.
With sobriety and sober curiosity on the rise across the world, sports participation and spectatorship have experienced a fitting rebrand. Similarly, as wellness and slower living take hold, golf has gained millennial and Gen Z fans looking to make friends, try something new and challenge themselves.
Soba Golf was conceptualised by Corey Davis, an American golfer and tech leader who has been sober for 14 years. According to Davis, golf has transformed his physical and mental health, and he “wanted to create something where others could find that same sense of peace and progress, whether through sobriety, personal growth, or simply by enjoying the game”.
The initiative offers four key benefits to participants. Firstly, community is enacted both online and offline through a Discord group and in-person golf events. The initiative also has retreats in the works, which will blend golfing with wellness activities, such as meditation, mindset coaching and fitness. Furthermore, Soba Golf provides participants with resources, like a podcast and articles focusing on golf, wellness and sobriety. Finally, it offers a welcoming and supportive atmosphere for those at all stages of sobriety.