CLUB FOCUS
By Julliana Bravo
When the founder of Five Boroughs Golf Club, Devin Keskinkaya, first picked up a golf club in 2022, he recalls being “quite embarrassed” with how bad he was. Despite his newness to the game, it sparked competitiveness in him, and it didn’t take long until he was hooked.
Keskinkaya attended high school right across from Dyker Beach Golf Course in Brooklyn. But it wasn’t until he took up his newfound hobby that he realized New York was filled with opportunities for golf – from simulators to 18-hole courses to pitch and putts. He found joy in an escape from the city, but something was still missing for him.
The first iteration of Five Boroughs Golf Club, an MGA “club without real estate,” in 2024 attempted to solve one of the biggest issues for Keskinkaya: accessibility. But instead of trying to set up the club at one of the city's courses, Keskinkaya leaned on his experience as an operations director for early-stage companies to create something unique: an outdoor simulator league in Central Park. He bought a portable net, turf mat, high density foam balls, and a simulator device.
“I was always praying that the parks department wouldn’t find me,” he laughs. But after a few weeks, he realized the idea wasn’t catching on. So, he pivoted.
Inspired by pick-up basketball and soccer he played as a kid; he wanted to bring the same vibe to golf. With two goals in mind, he wanted to make golf accessible for someone who might work full-time and make it inclusive for a beginner.
After many bike rides around Central Park, he came up with a new plan: create a year-long tournament for all New York golfers leading to the crowning of “Best Golfer in New York City.” He took the leap, creating a website and registering an LLC. After two viral posts on Instagram, Five Boroughs had 200 members within the first two months.
Five Boroughs had more members joining every month and a clear demand. But, up until that point, members were responsible for playing matches within the allotted time windows and uploading their scores to the group. Keskinkaya had an idea to hold an outing for him to meet some of the members. The feedback? Unanimously positive. For Keskinkaya, the main value of Five Boroughs was the competition element, but for his members, it was community.
That became the motivation to hold bi-weekly events. One of those events was at Flushing Meadows’ Pitch and Putt, where over 80 members and non-members alike showed up. “We had music going and sponsors … It was just a fun summer night,” Keskinkaya recalls.
That was one event that stuck with Thomas Schankler, who joined up last year after some time away from the game. He picked up the game in 2020 and, like Keskinkaya, wanted a community of golfers and the ability to compete at the level he was comfortable with. One of the appeals of Five Boroughs is being able to balance his full-time job and passion for the game.
Ever since member Jonathan Pinero struck a hole-in-one on only his sixth time playing, he’s been hooked. “When I first joined Five Boroughs, I wasn’t sure what to expect,” he says. “But I was hoping to get out, play in organized events, and meet some new people along the way.” Luckily for him, that’s exactly what’s happened since joining.
One of Pinero’s favorite memories being able to playing at Bally’s Golf Links at Ferry Point in the Bronx for the semifinal round of Five Borough’s Fall Classic tournament in 2024. “I played horrifically because I had broken my pinky a few days before … but it was still a cool experience,” he recalls.
Everyone in Five Boroughs has the golf bug, so it’s not hard to meet people who love the game. For Pinero, it’s a good balance between passionate golfers and a low-pressure environment.
Keskinkaya also recalls a story that sticks with him. After a few months, he realized that the messaging group where members can chat, ask questions, and get to know each other wasn't getting as much traction as it used to, causing him to wonder if members were really connecting with each other.
But then after speaking to a few members at events, he found that they formed their own group chats. Not only that, but people were carpooling, organizing golf trips together, and even reconnecting after years apart – as is the case with two former elementary school students from Boston who found each other at a Five Boroughs tournament.
“That made me so happy,” says Keskinkaya. “It was one of those moments I realized, This is working.”
Much to his delight, the original premise of Five Boroughs had become much stronger and deeper, and something that could usher change in New York City golf. “The goal of Five Boroughs is to be pillars of the New York City community by giving back,” says Keskinkaya, who’s donated to various city parks.
The new year will bring some changes to Five Boroughs when it comes to the schedule and format of play. This year, teams will compete in monthly match play events against fellow Five Borough members at various courses in New York City. The final tournament will be held at Bally’s, and the winning team will receive a cash prize. But the core of Five Boroughs – competition and community – will never change.