From the Palos Verdes Golf Club to Alondra Park Golf Course in Lawndale, there are multiple options for avid golfers around the South Bay.
That’s why Redondo Beach’s Jacob Safar developed Grassy, a social platform for golfers to connect and share their experiences in the South Bay and beyond.
“There’s nothing really like it that existed prior where you can see everywhere you’ve been and it be your passport into the golf world,” Safar said. “This is how I can connect with the golf community.”
The Grassy app was partly inspired by the social networking site Letterboxd, which has attracted millions of movie lovers to share and review films.
Grassy takes a similar approach — but for the golfing enthusiast.
“They rate it, and they put their photos and videos about their experience and share that with the Grassy community,” Safar said of its users, “and then other people can comment on it.
“Right now, the only place you see golf reviews is on Yelp, so there’s no real place for people to do this,” Safar added. “I think that’s how people really are finding it organically.”
Safar grew up golfing in San Diego with Torrey Pines Golf Course in his backyard.
He played on high school teams, but not in college because, he said, “there wasn’t really that much good golf in Berkeley.”
He took a hiatus from playing while in college, but soon “fell back in love with it” while working in the software industry.
“I’m good at iterating pretty fast and making software products pretty fast, so I whipped up basically this Beli (a restaurant social media app) for golf within two weeks, and had to push it out to all my friends,” Safar said. “It was strange, because I built many different software products prior to Grassy, and none of them have ever like they caught attention or connected with people. It must be difficult when there’s so much out there.”
But the idea caught on.
“My whole life was very golf-centric, and I felt like this actually makes sense for something for me to pursue and build,” Safar said. “Getting all that feedback from friends and family about this a product they can understand and connect with pushed me to keep building it out.”
Safar went to Alondra Park and started passing out golf tees as a way to spread the word and, he said, it “started growing it from there, and more and more people connected with it.”
Safar has personally rated 13 golf courses on Grassy, but so far, the top person on the app has rated 155 courses around the world.
“I’m passing out tees and some teenager comes up and goes ‘Grassy guy,’” Safar said. “It feels like you’re building the community in the South Bay.”
For more information, visit grassy.golf, or download from the Apple App Store.
Good Neighbor Laundromat and Cafe will celebrate its grand opening with a block party on Sunday, May 17, 2026. Pictured is owner Kiana Barnet and husband Matt Barnet. (photo courtesy of Kiana Barnet)
A soft serve sundae is on the menu at Coucou, a French bistro, which opened its latest location in Manhattan Beach on April 29. (Photo courtesy of Coucou)
The Little Cup opened at the Portofino Hotel & Marina in April. (Photo courtesy of Portofino Hotel and Marina)
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Good Neighbor Laundromat and Cafe will celebrate its grand opening with a block party on Sunday, May 17, 2026. Pictured is owner Kiana Barnet and husband Matt Barnet. (photo courtesy of Kiana Barnet)
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Good Neighbor block party May 17
Good Neighbor Laundromat and Cafe will celebrate its grand opening with a block party at 10 a.m. May 17.
Good Neighbor, 113-117 Hermosa Ave., will host the block party with neighbors Mickey’s Deli, Proudly Serving, Yellow Jersey and Bolt.
“As the last laundromat in Hermosa Beach, a key priority has been preserving that core service for the neighborhood,” owner Kiana Barnet said in an email, while updating the space to better reflect how people use it today – through improved equipment, digital payments and a more welcoming environment.”
Good Neighbor will also have a specialty coffee and matcha shop “to make it feel more like a place people can spend time, not just pass through,” Barnet said.
The north bound side of Hermosa Avenue will be blocked from Second Street to the public right-of-way next to Mickey’s Deli, Barnet said.
Launchpad celebrates new headquarters
Launchpad Build AI celebrated the opening of a larger headquarters, 1330 E. Franklin Ave., in El Segundo on April 30.
The company, which “addresses labor shortages and improves competitiveness by combining proprietary AI-first technology with advanced robotics to help firms manage the optimal integration of humans and robots,” according to its website, was joined by partners Squandra Ventures and Booz Allen Ventures.
Also joining the celebration was El Segundo Chamber of Commerce representatives and El Segundo Mayor Chris Pimentel.
For more information, visit launchpad.build.
Little Cup opens in Redondo Beach
The Little Cup debuted at the Portofino Hotel & Marina, 260 Portofino Way, in April.
The coffee and pastry shop, located in the Redondo Beach hotel’s The Living Room, is open from 6 to 10 a.m. daily on the waterfront and is a neighborhood cafe with espresso drinks, housemate pastries, breakfast burritos and more.
During the evening, The Living Room transforms into a craft cocktail bar with wine and beer on a self-serve tap.
For more information, visit hotelportofino.com or call 310-421-4195.
Coucou opens Manhattan Beach location
Coucou, a French bistro, opened its latest location in Manhattan Beach on April 29.
Hayley and Jesse Feldman are opening their third location following Venice (2023) and West Hollywood (2024).
Favorite dishes from their other locations — including the L’Haute Dog, the Burger Américaine and the soft serve sundae — are on the menu.
Coucou is at 1131 Manhattan Ave., a block from the Manhattan Beach Pier.
For more information, visit coucou.la.
Redondo Chamber hosts ‘Fifty Shades of Pink’ brunch
The Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce will hosts th “Fifty Shades of Pink: Empower, Connect, Inspire” women’s brunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 21 at the California Surf Club Restaurant and Social Club.
“This special gathering,” says the chamber’s website, “brings together professional women, entrepreneurs and community leaders for a morning of meaningful conversation, inspiration, and empowerment.”
A “shade of pink” dress code is encouraged.
Tickets are $60.
To register, visit redondochamber.org.
‘State of Business’ in the South Bay
The Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce will host the “State of Business” event at Sunrider International, 1625 Abalone Ave., at 8 a.m. May 20.
The event will bring together “top business leaders and innovators to discuss key issues shaping the local economy,” according to the chamber.
Registration and breakfast will begin at 8 a.m, followed by the program at 8:30 a.m.
For more information, visit torrancechamber.com.
The Business Beat column appears monthly. If you have beach cities business tips, contact Hixon at mhixon@scng.com.