DR. MICHAEL COOPER
Blog: March 2012
Maintain The Momentum
In March 2010 a group of 30 men and women held roundtable discussions at Springfield College, Tampa Bay campus. Included were individuals from the PGA of America, USGA, World Golf Foundation, The First Tee, the Advocates USA, golf course managers, select golf professionals and avid amateur golfers.
Participants were divided into three groups, and topics of discussion were how to increase employment opportunities for females and Blacks, competitive play, and more educational involvement. In addition, the entire group discussed strategies to better preserve the rich history of contributions from Black Americans related to the game of golf, and its industry.
These roundtable discussions came on the eve of the Mid Winter Golf Classic weekend at Rogers Park Golf Course, which featured the first Advocates Invitational Pro Tour event, the Mid Winter Amateur Golf Classic, and the National Black Golf Hall of Fame (NBGHF) dinner and induction ceremony.
Two prominent leaders in golf were inducted into the NBGHF that year, along with Winston Lakes Golf Club in Winston Salem, NC. The two individuals were Barbara Douglas, the only Black female to chair the USGA Women’s Committee, and John Merchant, the lone Black to serve on the USGA Executive Committee. Both were once the Executive Director for the National Minority Golf Foundation; now defunct.
During his acceptance speech, John Merchant, a retired Attorney, eloquently stated that the leaders in golf needed to follow the example of Major League Baseball and create space for Black history in the World Golf Hall of Fame. Adam Schupak, who was a lead columnist for Golf Week at the time, echoed Merchant’s statements, and followed up with a great piece on Adrian Stills, who at that time held the distinction for being the last Black to qualify for the PGA Tour through Q-school.
After the weekend, those within our inner circle knew something different, yet significant, had just occurred. We were confident that another window of opportunity for change had been cracked open, and that we (now) had a duty to maintain this momentum through our grass roots networks.
Fast forward two short years, and one would be hard pressed to argue that change is near. Steve Mona, the CEO for the World Golf Foundation, was the keynote speaker at the 2011 NBGHF ceremony. There, he announced that the World Golf Hall of Fame would indeed create an exhibit to showcase Black contributors and tell our story. We have no doubt this decision was influenced by John Merchant.
Joe Barrow and The First Tee have continued their exemplary work, and reported they have introduced the game to over a four million youngsters through chapter work and school partnerships. Many of these youngsters are Black.
The PGA of American honored John Shippen, Bill Spiller, and Teddy Rhodes. And this past month, the USGA Museum celebrated Black History Month with artifacts and exhibits from Black pioneers. These are just a few of the stories over the past two years from the lead golf organizations. Impressive!
I am equally impressed, if not more, by local heroes doing unbelievable work with no fanfare and little to no financial support. These are the Ken Bentley’s of the world, who initiated the Advocates Pro Tour. Howard Bankhead in Huntsville. Chris Arceneaux in New York. Gladys Lee and the Roaring Lambs, and Dr. Tommy Dorsey in Orlando. The Western Golf Association clubs, and those in the Midwest District Golf Association. There are hundreds more. Change agents going about their work for all the right reasons.
My message is that we must maintain the momentum for change from the top golf organizations, to the grass roots level. It’s going to take an all out blitz from every direction to get golf up to speed with America regarding diversity and equal opportunity. Maintain the momentum my friends!
Please share your thoughts by contacting me at urbangolf@aol.com, and stay tuned for future blogs.
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ABOUT MICHAEL COOPER, PH.D.
Dr. Michael Cooper is the Director of Southeast Region Affairs for The First Tee. He also teaches Social Change and Leadership at Springfield College – Tampa, FL campus.
