On Saturday, May 16, more than 400 people gathered at Cobbs Creek Golf Campus in West Philadelphia for Eastside Golf’s Community Day in partnership with Mercedes-Benz USA.
It builds upon the long-lasting Eastside x Mercedes relationship, which stems from a shared commitment to purpose and excellence. The duo established its collaborative energy by hosting Community Days in Augusta and now brings that aura to Philly for the first time.
From the start, the day carried an open invitation feel, which is fitting given the history of Cobbs Creek.
Founded in 1916 – the same year the PGA of America was established – Cobbs was among the few golf courses in the country that welcomed everyone from the beginning. Decades later, Charlie Sifford – often referred to as golf’s Jackie Robinson – arrived in Philadelphia and honed his game at Cobbs, finding people from all walks of life sharing the same space through golf.
Today, that spirit still feels present.
With course restoration well underway and new facilities already open to the public, the campus feels less like a golf project and more like community infrastructure. Visitors can experience a world-class practice facility, a Tiger Woods-designed 9-hole short course, The Little Horse Tavern and the TGR Learning Lab – which is already creating opportunities for thousands of young people through education and career readiness programming.
Eastside Golf Community Day fit naturally into that vision.
People showed up with golf bags, or without them. Families moved between the range, the practice green, local food vendors and tours of the TGR Learning Lab. Music carried throughout the property and conversations started naturally between people who arrived for completely different reasons.
The lower level of the range became home base for the afternoon. Eastside created a mix of experiences and open access space so people could move through the day however they wanted. Some guests came ready to hit balls all afternoon. Others found themselves taking their first swings.
In the afternoon, attendees turned their attention to the 9-hole short course and a special Celebrity Match featuring Eastside Founders Olajuwon Ajanaku and Earl Cooper alongside Philadelphia Eagles legend Brandon Graham.
The star of the show, however, was Isaiah Scott.
An honor student and PGA Reach Scholarship recipient, the high school freshman is a member of the golf team at Boys’ Latin of Philadelphia Charter School and rounded out the foursome. After only picking up the game in 2025, he is already standing out as a leader on the team – fueled by the hours of practice he’s put in at Cobbs Creek.
Through support from attendees, $3,000 was raised for Boys’ Latin – a school committed to preparing young men for success in college and beyond through academic rigor, brotherhood and character development.
Stories kept stacking as Ajanaku made a hole-in-one on the 8th hole, sending the crowd into disbelief.
People stopped what they were doing. Phones came out. Participants gathered around trying to confirm what they had just witnessed.
Amazingly, it wasn’t the only ace of the day.
Attendee Alex McIntosh also carded a hole-in-one and was rewarded with tickets to Sunday’s final round of the PGA Championship at nearby Aronimink thanks to support from the Golf Association of Philadelphia.
On the instruction side, Craig Bowem, head coach of the Delaware State Golf Team and 40 year golf-industry veteran, helped lead programming and clinics throughout the day, making sure access to golf looked and felt approachable.
Radio personality and The Breakfast Club co-host Jess Hilarious worked on her swing in the range and played the short course with her husband, Chris, while engaging with attendees and keeping energy moving across the property.
On the business side, more than $20,000 in revenue was generated for Cobbs Creek through golf shop sales of Eastside merchandise and restaurant traffic.
Somehow, the day managed to feel both big and personal at the same time.
At one point, Cooper was parking cars before everyone serenaded his mother by singing “Happy Birthday.”
It felt less like an event and more like a party with your people.
From the ballers to the pop pops. From the baddies to the grannies – and everyone in between – the Philadelphia community showed up and made the day feel unmistakably Eastside.
The real story was seeing people treat the space like it belonged to them – because it does – even though golf wasn’t always the center of attention.
People were.
For a few hours in West Philadelphia, golf looked like the vision Cobbs Creek has embraced since 1916 and Eastside has carried forward throughout its journey: A picture of what’s possible when barriers come down and the invitation feels real.
