Over the last few years, Black History Month has taken on more importance and a deeper meaning. For golf, that means taking the time to look at the relationship between African Americans and the game we all love to play. For the most part, that relationship has been a toxic one.
Following the death of George Floyd and other African Americans at the hands of police officers – and the protests that came after – the PGA TOUR made what could be called a half-hearted attempt to celebrate the contributions of minority players. Players like Cameron Champ, Harold Varner III, Tony Finau, and (of course) Tiger Woods were lauded and celebrated. It was contemporary players who benefited from the inroads Woods had been making since 1997, low-hanging fruit.
The TOUR put out a statement about support for the African American community, but largely skimmed over the game’s ugly past in which people of color had been relegated to carrying the bags of white players and were kept off many of the country’s most exclusive courses.
But the problem isn’t just the TOUR itself. The golf media in the United States rarely scratches the surface when it comes to social justice and race relations in the game. They hit on the easy stories but fail to ask the tough, uncomfortable questions. Many reporters are happy to ask about playing tournaments in Saudi Arabia or slurs heard coming from the mouths of players on television, but few had the guts to ask players about Black Lives Matter or their thoughts on race in the United States.
This year, for Black History Month, dig a little deeper and learn more about the complicated story that is African Americans on the golf course. To get you started, I’ve found three books you should read; they’re listed below. Let us know what you think.
Kris Fay, Publisher NW Golf Adventures Magazine
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Forbidden Fairways – Calvin H. Sinnette
Forbidden Fairways is not just a history of the African Americans who have been playing golf for over 200 years but a tribute to them as well. From the unnamed South Carolina enslaved young man who first dared to hit a golf ball when his master wasn’t looking . . . to another young man named Tiger who dared to win the Masters while the whole world watched. It’s a sad story in places, uplifting in others. |
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Game of Privilege – Lane Demas
This groundbreaking history of African Americans and golf explores the role of race, class, and public space in golf course development, the stories of individual black golfers during the age of segregation, the legal battle to integrate public golf courses, and the little-known history of the United Golfers Association (UGA)–a black golf tour that operated from 1925 to 1975. |
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Uneven Lies – Pete McDaniel
A fast-moving heart-warming narrative on the history of African-Americans in golf. Beginning with the 1896 U.S. Open where blacks first played in national competition, to the invention of the golf tee by an African-American dentist in 1899, to the early clubs and facilities open to people of color, to the service roles that served as an introduction to the game. And much, much more. |