May 22, 2021
“Think of the impact that Tiger Woods has had on golf… however, the numbers on the diversity scorecard are under par, according to the National Golf Foundation of 107 million Americans who play the game recreationally, 3% are Black and the number drops to only 1.5% when it comes to competitive golf, ” says Vern Glenn reporting for CBS KPIX Evening News in San Francisco.
“We have to get our kids, African American kids, involved at a much lower age, age 6-17, and the lower is better, got to get them involved in golf and on a track that leads them to junior golf, elite junior golf and collegiate golf,” says James Beatty, Executive Editor, African American Golfer’s Digest.
There are only four full-time PGA players of African heritage: Tiger Woods, Joseph Bramlett, Cameron Champ and Harold Varner III. The LPGA has only one, Mariah Stackhouse.
RELATED: ATTEND THE AFRICAN AMERICAN GOLF EXPO & FORUM!
“The PGA, they wants to be more diverse, more inclusive, and get into communities that have not been exposed to golf,” says Sheri Sam, Managing Director, Northern California PGA Foundation.
Recently, 7 women of color qualified for the 76th U.S. Women’s Open and two of them are African American. Despite some efforts to make golf more accessible to people of different races and economic backgrounds, there’s still a long way to go.
