On August 16, 2015 a street dedication ceremony was held for the recently rename 120th Street, to the now Charlie Sifford Drive, which is located in the unincorporated Athens area in Los Angeles, and at the entrance to Chester Washington Golf Course, honoring the great golf pioneer Mr. Charlie Sifford.
The dedication ceremony was held at the Chester Washington Golf Course, Sifford’s long time home course, which is known for the place to golf among, and with some of the Black Great Golf Pioneers.
This is the place where black golf greats, such as Charlie Sifford, Alton Duhon, Charlie Lee, Bill Wright, Frank Snow, Jerry Bruner, and many other great pioneers, would traditionally meet to play golf, discuss their trials and tribulations of a black man trying to gain entry into the professional golf association, and naturally trash talk on who’s the best player.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley -Thomas, convener of the event and master of ceremony, expressed his excitement and gratitude to Steve Bradford, former 2012-2014, Assembly Member of the 62nd District, for spearheading and convincing him that the Chester Washington Golf Course holds historical significance, and needs to be a star in the 62nd District. It was Bradford who convinced Ridley-Thomas that the golf course needs his attention.
In his speech, Supervisor Mark- Ridley Thomas said that he paid attention and has made every effort to make sure that the historical Chester Washington golf course has–and will continue to get–the same amenities that every other upscale golf course in the county system has. Me: Barbara Taylor, this blogger, I applaud Steven Bradford for his vision and passion for this project, and L.A County Supervisor, Mark Ridley-Thomas for his due diligence in making it happen.
Photo: Sifford at 2012 Southern California Golf association (SCGA) induction breakfast with (l-r) blogger Barbra Taylor and Sifford fan Helen Caraway.
“It’s important that we honor Mr. Sifford’s tremendous accomplishments so that all may be inspired by his courage and perseverance,” Ridley-Thomas said.
Sifford’s son, Charlie Sifford Jr. and his caddy, Jimmy Green, were both in attendance. Mark Ridley-Thomas presented the street sign to Charlie Jr. and gave him the opportunity to speak on what the occasion meant to him.
Sifford Jr. shyly expressed his gratitude for the honor and stated that his father would have loved having the street named for him, particularly given the stress he endured during his entire professional golf career.
Steve Bradford, pictured left, former Assemblyman 62nd District, was introduced and told of his experience in meeting Charlie Sifford and of having the chance to play golf with him at Los Verdes Golf course in a tournament. Bradford’s captivating story went like this: “I was a standby at the tournament and didn’t think I had a chance to get to play, so I took my time getting to the tournament location. When I finally got there, arriving late of course–knowing that I ain’t got a chance in hell to play– to my chagrin, I was paired to play with Sifford”. Shortly after I recovered from my self-imposed embarrassment of being late, Charlie Sifford, and I played a great game, bonded, and developed a lifelong friendship.
Rumor has it that Mark-Ridley- Thomas has joined Supervisor Don Knabe in authoring a motion, scheduled for June 2916, to also rename the portion of West 120th Street, behind the golf course (between Western and Van Ness Avenue). Not “if” but when this motion is approved it will add an addition 1/4 mile, that will bare the name Charlie Sifford Avenue. Hooray for L.A !!!
After the street renaming ceremony, I spoke with Tee Diva, Rose Mary Spriggs, member, treasurer, and editor of the club’s newsletter, and she shared with me that “The street renaming just happened to have coincided with the conclusion of the two-day Advocates Pro Tour Golf Tournament, at Chester Washington Golf Course. After the tournament, members of the Advocates, as well as the players and most of the attending crowd, there to watch the tournament, quickly diverted their attention from the golf tournament, to swiftly walking from the golf course down to 120th street to watch the unveiling and the renaming ceremony.
(Photo: Charlie Sifford (center) with friends during the 2012 breakfast inducting him into the Southern California Golf association (SCGA) Hall of Fame.
Rose Mary also added that “When Kenneth Bentley, Executive Director of the Advocates, was introduced he stated that “he was extremely happy, and honored that the street renaming coincided with the conclusion of the Advocated successful Golf Pro Tournament. Bentley also stated that by breaking the color barrier, Sifford made it possible for other minority golfers to play and compete in the world of golf. Sifford had a tremendous impact on the sport, by breaking the barrier for other golfers.”
The cord was pulled and the street sign was unveiled to a thundering round of applauds at 3:30 PM!! And so it is….
Until next time!
Barbara Taylor is a freelance writer who enjoys golf and is living the golf lifestyle! She is based in Los Angeles, California. | Email
