Jim Beatty, president of Jim Beatty Golf Ventures and founder of the African American Golf EXPO announced today that Dr. Michael Cooper of Tampa, Fla., has been selected as the 2026 recipient of the Jerry Tarde Courage Award and that Stanley Mosk, former Attorney General and Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court will be posthumously recognized as the first Jerry Tarde Legacy Award recipient for his work in eliminating the PGA of America Caucasian only by-law which prohibited non-white golfers from becoming members and competing in its tournaments. The rule was officially removed in 1961.
The awards will be presented to Dr. Cooper and Mr. Mosk’s family at the African American Golf EXPO in Orlando during the PGA Show in January. Previous recipients include Tim Finchem, former Commissioner of the PGA Tour, Jim Awtrey, first CEO of the PGA of America, and Steve Mona, former president of the World Golf Foundation.
Michael W. Cooper, Ph.D., an educator and social change agent is best known as an advocate for diversity and inclusion in golf. For the past four decades he has been a passionate and trusted voice, helping to connect minority communities and golf industry leaders. Recently, he was the USGA Senior Advisor for the HBCU Initiative.
Prior to the USGA, he has served as the:
- Director of Diversity for the World Golf Foundation, where he authored the Golf Industry Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Report in 2010
- Tour Tournament Director for the Advocates Professional Golf Association (APGA) and current Advisory Board Member
- National Golf Player Development Foundation (NGPDF), Advisory Board
- Chairman for the Golf 2020 and We Are Golf ,Diversity Task Force,
- Lead spokesperson, presenter, and diversity advocate at golf industry tradeshows and conferences
- Co-Chairman, “Make Golf Your Thing” Grassroots Grants Program, which has awarded $3M to 318 grassroot organizations since 2021.
- Southeast Regional Director for First Tee national office.
- Founder and Executive Director for Urban Junior Golf, a Tampa Bay community youth program serving underserved and underrepresented communities. .
Dr. Cooper has served as an adjunct faculty member at Springfield College-Tampa Bay campus.
Cooper has been inducted into the African American Golfers Hall of Fame and the National Black Golf Hall of Fame. The native Chicagoan currently resides in Tampa with his wife, Melodie.
The award will be presented on Thursday Jan. 22 from 12 -1,during the African American Golf EXPO and Forum collocated with the PGA Show. Those interested in attending or sponsoring the awards ceremony should contact Jim Beatty at jbeatty138@aol.com or jim@jimbeattygolfventures.golf. Attendance at the awards ceremony is by invitation only.
Those wishing to attend the EXPO workshops and other networking sessions should register at https://aagolfexpo.com/registration
About The Jerry Tarde Courage and Legacy Awards
The Jerry Tarde Courage Award is given annually by the African American Golf Expo to an industry leader for commitment to people of color in golf. Named after longtime activist, EXPO supporter and industry leader Jerry Tarde, chairman and editor-in-chief of Golf Digest. The Courage Award was inaugurated at the 2023 African American Golf EXPO and Forum. The Legacy Award was initiated to recognize individuals whose historical work for inclusion has made an important impact on the game.
About the African American Golf EXPO and Forum
The African American Golf EXPO and Forum was founded in 2021 and is an annual event dedicated to promoting inclusion in the business, industry, jobs, careers and culture of golf. As of 2025,the EXPO is collocated with the PGA Show. The EXPO connects and empowers underrepresented voices and advances economic opportunity in the golf industry. Now in its 6th year, the EXPO has attracted several thousand people and has had an estimated economic impact of over 3 million dollars. The EXPO is free and open to everyone. People are encouraged to attend workshops, increase personal networks, view exhibits, see new products and services as well as learn about the outstanding community and grassroots work conducted throughout America to promote the game and industry of golf.
