Common Course: Bunker Club is "Not Your Daddy's Club"

Have you ever seen someone from afar, and you're just like, "wow, that person looks super dope, they're doing dope stuff and I want in on it"? That's exactly what happened when I saw Hilary Lassoff and her brand/community Bunker Club. With a beyond badass, well-curated Instagram, filled with even cooler people, places, and things—Lassoff feels like this Willy Wonka type of character but instead of chocolate, she's creating the most delicious form of golf that's rooted in community.

What does that mean? Well, buckle up for another iteration of Common Course: Bunker Club edition.

The Genesis Moment

Unlike most golfers, who are introduced to their by male members of their family, Lassoff's entry into golf came when she was 13 years old. Her mom's boyfriend at the time took her to the range, and she knew loved it. Golf was hers. No one else in her family played it or related to what drew Lassoff to the game, and for a while that's how she liked it. "[Golf] didn't come from any family ties. Inadvertently, I kinda had to go alone into this thing and be a part of something that, I knew nothing about and it was such solitude and like calmness that I definitely needed and craved growing up."

Golf was her thing. While her mom and sister were off at the pool during vacations, Lassoff would ask her mom to book her a tee time at the nearest course. She'd join random groups or get paired up with different folks, from the CFO of the Miami Dolphins to the guy that owns Swiss Army Knife, it was her time to become whoever she wanted to be. Golf gave her that power.

Lassoff had no idea that years later she'd form this tight-knit group of people who use the Bunker frame work to harness their power.

Golf was my shield and my mask, hands down. It allowed me as a kid to show up in a place and be really good at something and it be my own," Lassoff said. "I could do it anywhere, with anyone, and I could show up and I could be this shiny object for people, and it made me feel so good—it was armor.

Not Your Daddy's Club

For decades golf has been perceived as this "old boy's club". That there's one kind of phenotype to make up a golfer. Though that stance is evolving, one caveat that remains is, often times, women's experiences in golf are anchored to men. Whether it's how we're introduced to the game, or why we stay in it, for others, they maybe only follow men's golf—no matter the case, it's likely that golf for women is someway rooted in their proximity to men.

Bunker Club offers an alternative, a space in golf that's "not your daddy's club".

A space and community built for the marginalized. A space for women, queer, and trans communities to experience connectedness to themselves, to others, and of course, to the game. No matter your race, gender, sexual orientation, or other identifiers, Bunker Club is a place for all to enjoy the best aspects of the game with a sense of healing and wellness in mind.

"It's about getting us one step closer like who we are without having to marginalize ourselves and continue to stay together—no labels, just people," Lassoff says. "It's finding that sweet spot of seeing people and their identities and allowing them to get closer to that. At Bunker you can come and go, and be who you want when you please. No questions."

For her—she wants her community and brand to just be about the people. No added pressure, just show up.

As free flowing as Lassoff prides Bunker on being, there's still the element of creating a sense of belonging. When creating a community, it's more than just getting people in the door—it's getting the stay, and for a while, and take ownership in being part of a whole.

Inclusively, Exclusive: The Members

"Golf is supposed to be this personalization for yourself, on your terms. This club can allow people the space to and use it to find and continue to find who they are and own it," Lassoff says.

For her and Bunker, the members, this family is what makes it worthwhile.

Folks from all walks of life, different backgrounds and industries, sharing bits of themselves to tailor the experience to make it so unique. From freelance creatives to professional violinists who perform with Beyoncé—the people who make up the Bunker DNA are some of the most fascinating individuals on the planet.

These are truly the coolest cats in town—you get FOMO just by looking at them all together. So how do you join and what do you get?

You can sign up to be a member here. Members of Bunker get access to: clinics and leagues, ways to connect and play with others in the community, tee times, special merch, equipment education, and off course community events.

Bunker's primary entry point is through weekly clinics. Lassoff has a cool set up with some folks at The City Golf, and indoor golf facility in Los Angeles, where she and some designated friends help coach newbies and returners on the basic skills and fundamentals on the game. And for Lassoff, these clinics are super special because around 50 percent of participants have never picked up a club before.

Launching this summer, are leagues—a chance for bunker members to go head-to-head with one another and apply what they've learned at clinics to the course (and learn how to book tee times, which can be intimidating as a newcomer).

The third tier of golf outings rests in these bigger more expansive trips. The first of its kind was called, Bunker Safari, and was held back in January where Lassoff and teaching pro Liz Breed took a group to Soule Park Golf in Ojai for three days.

It was three days of golf, giggles, and even some self-barrier breaking moments with a psychologist to aide some of the stroke feelings that golf can evoke. Frustrations, self-doubt, so many things are entangled with our game and Lassoff knows, if she's going to expose people to the ins and outs of it then she better prepare them in every way she can.

Building and Growing (With Your Buddies)

But she can't prepare this gaggle of baddies alone. She needs help, especially with upcoming leagues. A large element of leagues is keeping track of scoring (you have to have a winner, duh!). Unless you have a system in place, scoring can be tricky—enter a new partnership with the social and scoring app, Fairgame.

Fairgame is an app that connects golfers with golfers, and for an easy way to track your scores while you play. For Lassoff, this partnership was kind of a no brainer.

"The community aspect of it is like so lit. I love what they're doing. It feels very just curated and good for golf and good for what we want to do," Lassoff says.

"I want to create these leagues for the girls because, you know, obviously they're practicing and they're playing, and they want to be in golf but they need to have set tee times. So it's a way to bring the group together both physically and socially, because they can follow each other and play each other even on different courses."

But the party doesn't stop there. Lassoff wants more. More togetherness. More people. More trips. She wants Bunker to be more than just LA, because essentially is a network—a common space for like-minded people who are just looking for some belonging.

For people who want to shed their armor and build it back up to be stronger, and transparent. It's about creating a solution to us longing for belonging. It's as easy as just taking up space, and Lassoff wants Bunker to fill the world.