The Negro Golf League accouterment line, a accessory of NICH Enterprises, LLC, presents 5 vignettes from Black Golf History in account of Black History Month, 2006. Black Americans history in the bold of golf is addition affiliate in the adventuresome adventure of a appropriate people, abounding of celebration as able-bodied as, tragedies. The adventure of African-Americans in the bold of golf is one of backbone and persistence. Clearly, it is a celebration of an actual will.
Columbia, MD -- The Negro Golf League accouterment line, a accessory of NICH Enterprises, LLC, presents 5 vignettes from Black Golf History in account of Black History Month, 2006. Pete McDaniel’s “Uneven Lies” and Dr. Calvin Sinnette’s “Forbidden Fairways” are the sources of the belief that follow. Each book chronicles the affluent history of Black America’s captivation with the bold of golf. This history is addition affiliate in the adventuresome adventure of a appropriate people, abounding of celebration as able-bodied as, tragedies. The 5 belief that chase are alone a few of the ones begin in these two books.
Afrrican-American’s affiliation to the bold of golf goes aback to the backward 1800’s with John Shippen and George Grant, through the 1910’s and 20’s with Walter Speedy and Robert Hawkins, through the 1930’s and 40’s with Ted Rhodes and Howard “ Butch” Wheeler, through the 1950’s and 60’s with Charlie Sifford and Ann Gregory, through the 1970’s and 80’s with Lee Elder, Renee Powell and Jim Thorpe and through the 1990’s and ‘00’s with the brief career of Tiger Woods. The adventure of African-Americans in the bold of golf is one of backbone and persistence. Clearly, it is a celebration of an actual will.
So, here’s a few things America care to know, but “DidJa Know?”
A History of Blacks in Golf alternation presented by the Negro Golf League
#1. The conception of The Langston Golf Course, Benning Road, NE, Washington, DC. Things accept afflicted decidedly for Black golfers back the night of August 6, 1936, if the Wake Robin Golf Club of Washington, D.C., captivated its aboriginal meeting. At 79 R Street NW, the home of Helen Webb Harris, a abecedary and wife of a arresting Washington physician, 13 women met to anatomy a golf club. Each was affiliated to a affiliate of Washington's all-black, all-male Royal Golf Club, and they were annoyed of blockage home on weekends while their husbands played golf.
At the time, all but one of the District's accessible courses, the Lincoln Memorial, were off banned to atramentous golfers of either sex. In 1938, the Wake Robin Club pushed the action of desegregating the District of Columbia's accessible courses. The accumulation formed with the Royal Golf Club to abstract a petition, which was beatific to Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes. To allay the petitioners, Ickes accustomed the architecture of a nine-hole advance on the website of an abandoned debris dump. Thus was complete Langston Golf Course, complete in the adumbration of Spingarn High School in NE Washington, DC.
#2. Dr George Grant, artist of the board golf tee
“George Franklin Grant was complete in Oswego, New York in 1847, the son of above slaves. George Grant acclaimed himself at an aboriginal age if he accelerating from Harvard Dental School, one of the aboriginal two African Americans to alum from the School, area he after taught.
Dr. Grant was an ardent golfer admitting not a awful accomplished one.
However, Dr. Grant begin the prevailing adjustment of teeing up a affray by avidity clammy beach into a ablution pad, both inconsistent and tiresome. Using his ability of science, he absitively to advance the bold of golf by creating a apparatus that would acquiesce the golfer an easier way to drive their golf affray from the tee box on to the fairway. The cone-shaped golf tee Dr. Grant invented accustomed U.S. apparent No. 638,920 on December 12, 1899. Dr. Grant’s apparatus was the world's aboriginal apparent for a golf tee. However, he never pursued any basic accretion from his invention.
#3.The United States Colored Golfers Association, architect of the aboriginal and alone civic atramentous pro golf tour. “The United Golfers Association was started during the summer of 1925 at a affair captivated in the 12th ST YMCA off U St., NW in Washington, DC. Under the administration of Walter Speedy, a arresting able golfer and activist from Chicago, Illinois and Robert Hawkins, a agent from the Boston, Massachusetts area, the UGA was formed to abode the needs and apropos of the African-American golfing community.
On Labor Day weekend, 1926, the United States Colored Golf Association sponsored a new golf tournament. It was proudly billed as the aboriginal Negro National Open. Professional Black golfers from all over the country aggregate at the Mapledale Country Club in Stow, Massachusetts, to attempt for a civic title. For the aboriginal time, atramentous golf professionals could attempt for an clearly accustomed civic championship at a time if they were not accustomed to attempt in white tournaments. The Negro National Open was played every year until 1976.”
The United Golfers Association, the accumulation who formed the National Black Pro Golf Tour in 1926. For the record, the National Black Pro Golf bout lasted until 1976.
#4. Joseph Bartholomew, New Orleans-based Golf Club and Golf Course Designer
Joseph Manuel Bartholomew, Sr. was complete in August, 1985. Starting out as a caddie, he accomplished himself the game. Later, he played adjoin golfing greats Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen, and defeated Scotsman Freddie McLeod, champ of the 1908 US Open, afterwards Freddie became the club pro at the Audubon Golf Club. McLeod assassin Joe as his abettor at the club.
While alive for McLeod, Joe abstruse the art of golf club making, greens keeping, agriculture and golf advance maintenance. As a result, Joe was assassin to architecture and body the Metarie Golf Course, the New Orleans City Park #2 and the Pontchartrain Park Golf Course, now alleged the Joseph Bartholomew G.C. in New Orleans. In his day, Joe Bartholomew was one of the wealthiest atramentous men in the city-limits of New Orleans.
Unfortunately, due to the allegory accustomed of the time, Joe Bartholomew was never able to play golf on any of the courses he designed
#5. Renee Powell, one of alone three African-Americans to play on the LPGA tour.
In 1967, Renee Powell became the additional atramentous changeable to authorize for the Ladies Professional Golf Association or LPGA Tour. Renee began arena at the age of three with two clubs, a doodle and a disciplinarian her ancestor had cut down for her use. During her boyish years, she won a amount of United Golfers Association events. While accessory Ohio State University, she became the aboriginal African-American to captain the golf aggregation of a above bookish institution. After abutting the LPGA in 1967, Renee played abounding time for twelve years until comestible an arm abrasion in 1979.
For seven years, Renee was the arch golf able at the Seneca Golf Course in Broadview Heights, Ohio. When her father, Bill Powell, retired as arch able at the family-owned, Clearview Golf Course in East Canton, Ohio, she accommodated from Seneca to crop accept the arch golf pro role at Clearview.
Contact:
Lyals Battle
410-381-7391
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