Overview:
The first annual South Dallas Golf Classic will take place at Luna Vista Golf Course on April 4th, with the aim of uniting families, local business owners, and neighborhood leaders to support Start Within Impact Forever (SWIFT). The event will feature a four-man scramble, with non-golfers also able to participate, and will include raffles, sponsor activations, and access to financial professionals. The tournament is part of a larger plan to empower individuals with the tools and resources they need to achieve success, and is open to golfers and non-golfers alike.
Community building and financial literacy will take center stage at the Luna Vista Golf Course during the first annual South Dallas Golf Classic. The tournament aims to unite families, local business owners, and neighborhood leaders. With the theme “Swinging for Community, Culture & Change,” the event will directly support Start Within Impact Forever (SWIFT). SWIFT is a 501(c)(3) organization championing education, the arts, workforce development, and economic empowerment.
Dallas Weekly recently spoke with one of the tournament’s key individuals, Corey “Flex” Artis II, to discuss the importance of the event and what he and his fellow organizers hope will last long after the event is over.
“A lot of conversations, business deals, connections, and valuable relationships typically take place on the golf course,” Artis said. “At the same time, there are underprivileged and underserved communities that may not be as introduced to golf or have the same opportunities as other communities.”
More Than Par For The Course
The concept grew out of conversations with co-founder Van Childress as they discussed life planning. Those meetings kept circling back to their shared views on financial literacy, protecting families, and building something that can outlast a single generation. Childress and Artis believe families are stronger when they have clearer financial guidance and protection planning.
“For golfers or non-golfers, this is for everyone within the community,” he said.
The setup is meant to reflect that approach. The competition is listed as a four-man scramble, with non-golfers also able to be part of the experience. It is an experience, Artis said, that cannot be replicated anywhere quite like it can on a golf course.
“People go to Topgolf and Topgolf is fun, but it’s something different about being on a course,” he said. “It’s a different aura. It’s a different energy.”
Being on the green and playing through gives people time not only to be outside, but also to let conversation happen naturally.
“When you’re golfing, it’s hours,” Artis said. “You’re out there and you don’t even have to force a conversation at all. Conversations just come about. Typically, people who go golfing or attend golf events, they’re all open to connect and have conversation, and there’s no real pressure there at all.”
Crafting an Empire
The tournament also fits into the larger work Artis has been building under the Flexaveli name. He described Flexaveli as encompassing events, media, consulting, and community-building, and explained the name as “Focus your Life on Excellence And Value to Excel Your Life Infinitely.”
In the context of the South Dallas Golf Classic, he described the event as one stop within a broader plan.
“My biggest thing is to bring the right people together and empower those individuals with the tribe that they’re looking for and the resources that they’re looking for,” Artis said. “What I’m looking to do is to be able to equip people with the tools and the resources and the relationships and connections that they need for them to achieve whatever success looks like within their life.”
Artis also serves as the chairman of SWIFT and helps navigate young people and give them an opportunity to explore different industries including cybersecurity, healthcare, and construction trades. “Our focus is economic development at its core,” Artis said. “We serve youth and young adults between the ages of 12 and 24.”
Artis also pointed to the support from Granite REIT, Artist Insurance Group in partnership with FinFit Life, Trailblazers Mastermind Club, and Flexaveli, describing the goal as more than putting logos on signs. The aim, he said, is to connect people to real guidance and real relationships.
“There’s a lot of stuff on social media where people may be talking about different things financially,” Artis said. “Some may be good, some may be bad. To be able to have the opportunity to speak to people in real life, ask real questions in real time, without being charged, there’s no fee to receive this information that’s going to be given.”
What to Expect on the Green
The day will include a traditional 18-hole round, but it will also feature raffles, sponsor activations, and access to financial professionals. The organizers’ vision is for the event to also serve as a meeting ground, where sport, culture, business, and community development share the same stretch of grass.
“The South Dallas Golf Classic is a stop on that tour,” Artis said, referring to the Flexaveli Culture, Community and Capital Tour. His tour has already begun, including a stop in Austin for his Fourth Annual Lake House Party during SXSW. “It’s part of a bigger vision.”
The South Dallas Golf Classic will be held on Saturday, April 4, at Luna Vista Golf Course, 11223 Luna Road in Dallas. Golfer registration is $150 and includes green fees, cart, range balls, breakfast, lunch, and access to contests and activations. Organizers are also advertising a $10,000 hole-in-one challenge, with non-golfers welcome to attend for free. More details and registration are available at SouthDallasGolfClassic.com.