Building a community golf green in my front yard

Engaging with our community is something that seems more approachable to me as I started feeling like home is actually “home”, and others in our neighborhood seemed to be craving connection like us. My wife and I moved into the Magnolia Neighborhood of Seattle the summer of 2020 in the height of the pandemic with our 1 yr old daughter and french bulldog. A typical nightly family outing consisted of strapping our daughter into the front pack, leashing up our dog Penny and walking the neighborhood to get out of the house after a long day in front of our computers working from home. With no end insight to this daily reality, and feeling the need to “cross to the opposite side of the street when a neighbor was passing by”, we never really felt like part of the community for many years. Did we miss the opportunity to engage with our neighbors and start strengthening our roots here? That was definitely in question…..BUT, a lot has changed (THANK GOODNESS) since then! 

We’ve been able to meet our neighbors, create new friendships, start to really enjoy our community, and mainly feel like we are actually part of it! Also, (I believe a tangential outcome) was that I finally decided it was ok to honor the things that actually make me tick and motivated each day. Sitting behind a desk wasn’t filling my glass, especially after over 3 years of working from home, so I also decided to make a big change in my career! 

WIthin the last year I decided to start a new business designing and building artificial golf greens, lawns, and other athletic spaces for residents and commercial uses. Why? (TLDR) I love golf and pretty much every other sport, and creating and elevating outdoor spaces through the application of turf and landscaping design for other families and outdoor/sport enthusiasts to enjoy just seemed right for me. It’s hard to explain quickly, but I finally feel like I am doing something that respects my time and interests and reflects what I truly love to do. Being outside and having fun while doing it. 

For those that have experienced turf at home, on a playfield, in a playground or for a golf green, I think they would agree that turf is fun! And, it functions perfectly during our wet seasons and our perfect NW summers! It is an all year round surface that never really needs attention or maintenance, and is always ready to enjoy.

So, in my ongoing effort to better engage with my community, motivate my daughter to get into golf 🤞, and my new found goals to drive awareness for my business I had the idea to build a golf green in the parking strip outside of our home this summer. I think most people (especially my family and friends) were wondering why I would spend the time and money to build it, but I thought it was a great way to showcase my skill sets as well as build a great new community space for our neighbors. 

The results and feedback from neighbors are still coming in, but at this point it's pretty darn apparent that the community also thinks it was a creative and fun project that neighbors and guests are enjoying. There are a ton of examples of how rewarding it’s been for me to see the response of the community to the greens, but to do it justice you’d have to swing by at any given moment to see the tons of kiddos on the greens stopping to putt to and from their way to school, couples stopping to putt on their weekend or nightly walks through the neighborhood, and witness how it’s become a social gathering spot for my family and new and old neighbors alike. 

The social engagement and interest I’ve received from the community from my “golf green project” has been incredibly rewarding, and personally reinforces that my decision to leave the tech industry after over a decade in the space was the right move for me. I love how it can quickly elevate a space to something “wondrous”, so I started Wunderland Turf to help others with their outdoor spaces and support my goals for making the outdoors more accessible and fun for homeowners, families and pet owners alike. 

If interested, text or call if you’d like to discuss anything directly - I love brainstorming with clients and connecting with this community :)

Best, 

Bryan Kaleiwahea