We survived January. Now on to the second month of the year. February rings in the celebration of Black History Month. Golf has a tough history in racial equality. February is a time to learn and celebrate the history of Black golfers. I hope that we take the lessons and the history and work to make golf an inclusive sport that celebrates Black history all year round.
Black golf course superintendents make up about
7 percent of all superintendents. The low rate of Black golf course superintends should not be a surprise because of the approximately 24 million golfers, only 3 percent are black according to Dr. Michael W. Cooper. I recommend reading the research of Dr. Cooper that looks at diversity and inclusion of minorities and women in golf and how increase participation.
Racial segregation has deep roots in golf. Many Black golfers and superintendents were barred from playing courses and on the PGA Tour. Joseph Bartholomew is an early pioneer in golf course management and golf course design. Bartholomew is the first African American man to build a public golf course in 1922, which is ironic because he was regularly barred from playing the courses he designed due to segregation.
Bartholomew was the greenskeeper at the Audubon Golf Course in Louisiana where he got his start caddying at the course as a child. Debert Cook of the African American Golfer's Digest wrote a wonderful piece on
Joseph Bartholomew in 1997. Bartholomew was rarely paid or recognized for his contributions to golf. Let's celebrate his accomplishments this February.
Joseph Bartholomew
Golf course management runs deep in the Powell family. William "Bill" Powell created and maintained Clearview Golf Club in Canton, Ohio. Bill returned home from World War II and encountered racial discrimination. Bill had trouble securing a loan to start his golf course and was even denied a GI Loan. Help came from two Black physicians and his brother provided the funds to create his golf course. With his wife Marcella, they created 9 holes. The two lacked the typical golf equipment and did most of the work by hand. The course opened in 1948 and has since expanded to 18 holes. Bill was a proud GCSAA member. Bill maintained his GCSAA membership until is death in 2009. Bill was the first African American to own, operate, and manage a golf course in the United States. The Powell tradition continues with Bill's children Lawrence (Larry) and Renee.
Larry is the superintendent at Clearwater and for over 45 years been a member of GCSAA. Renee helps run the course and is the PGA/LPGA Professional. Renee is a strong golfer who made it to the LPGA where she was only the second African American women to compete. In 2019 the Powell family was recognized by GCSAA with the
Old Tom Morris Award. Clearwater Golf Club is on the National Register of Historic places.
The Powell Family
Golf course management has a limited Black history. In preparation to write this blog post I did a little research and there is little information. Unfortunately, this is not surprising with low participation rates of Black golfers. As we move through February, let's continue to celebrate Black History Month and Black men and women in the golf industry. I encourage you to think of ways to increase and promote diversity in the game.
Learn more about golf Black history through the years. King Wolf Creative created a great mini documentary on Black History of American Golf in 2021.
Check it out! 
