For the last seven years, Earl Cooper has dedicated his time to building something special.
Alongside business partner Olajuwon Ajanaku, they built a brand. A movement. A vision for what golf can become when more people feel welcome to be part of it.
Today, he's building something even more meaningful. A family.
This Father's Day feels different for the Eastside Golf co-founder. Last year, Earl and his partner welcomed their first child, a son, introducing him to a role that matters more than the title of “Founder.” He’s now a father.
As he thinks about the kind of dad he wants to be, his mind often goes back to the man who shaped him.
"My dad is my hero," Earl says. "The impact that he had on me is something I think about all the time."
One of Earl's earliest memories is his father signing him up for golf at six years old. The funny part? His dad wasn't really a golfer.
"He didn't know anything about golf," Earl laughs. "He's still not what I would consider a serious golfer."
But that was never the point. What mattered was showing up.
His father drove him to practices and tournaments. He encouraged him to stick with it. Most importantly, he recognized that his son simply wanted to spend time with him.
"My dad knew that if he was doing it, I would want to do it," Earl says. "So he started playing because he knew his son would want to play more."
Looking back now, Earl realizes those rounds represented something much larger than golf. Presence. Example. Connection.
And now, as a father himself, those same lessons are beginning to take on new meaning.
"When I look at my son, that's what I want to create," Earl says. "I want to create an environment where because I'm playing, he wants to play. He can look at it as spending time with me."
It's a perspective that feels remarkably aligned with the mission Eastside Golf has carried from day one.
The brand has always talked about normalizing the game for the next generation. Making golf feel less intimidating. Less exclusive. More familiar.
Now Earl sees that idea through an entirely new lens: "My son's only eight months old and he's already out here at Pebble Beach," he says. "Growing up around golf, it's just going to be normal. It's not going to be this weird thing where somebody asks, 'Do you play golf?' It's just going to be part of life."
That's what access can look like. Not necessarily elite instruction, trophies or rankings. Just being around the game. Seeing it. Experiencing it. Understanding that you belong there.
Simply put, exposure.
"It's not about him becoming a Tour player," he says. "It's not about competitive junior golf, or even playing in college like I did."
What he wants is the same thing his father, perhaps unknowingly, gave him decades ago.
"I just want him to love golf."
The game gets passed down. The memories get shared and made along the way. And at the same time, so do the lessons and values that the game embodies.
This Father's Day, Earl isn't just reflecting on the father who helped shape him. He's embracing the opportunity to become that person for someone else.
A Founder. A Father.
Both are building something that lasts.
