In Atlanta, Ga., PGA Professional William Lewis has seen a lot in his 63 years. Lewis was born May 1, 1951 in Huntsville, Alabama, the oldest of seven children born to William and Marie Lewis.
Williams, Sr. died when William was a ten-year-old student at Calvary Hill Elementary School. His mother, Marie, struggled to care for her children, but the task was beyond her. William remembers pulling his little red Flyer wagon to the government disbursement center to get cheese, peanut butter, and other commodities for the family.
At the age of eleven, William began caddying at the Huntsville Country Club on the weekends to help support his family. There he formed a special bond with a golfer named Robert Lowery, President of a local bank.
“Mr. Lowery allowed William to hit balls with him, and to use his clubs, recalls William. Their relationship continued as William matriculated through Lee High School, as the first Black member of the golf team.
Upon completion of high school, William entered Alabama A&M College where he joined the golf team, continued caddying, refereeing, and carrying a paper route to help his mother.
Youth receiving instruction from golf professional William Lewis, PGA
RELATED ARTICLE: Atlanta Pro-Duffers Know How To Hook-A-Kid On Golf
When Bob Lowery learned that William was playing golf at Alabama A&M University he purchased for him a new set of clubs. His impressive college golf resume included being voted while a freshman the most outstanding athlete; in 1970 and 1972 he won the SIAC Golf Tournament. In 1971 and 1973 he finished second in the SIAC Golf Tournament. During his college career, he won dove 28 tournaments.
In his senior year of college, William visited John A White Golf Course in Atlanta, where his former caddy manager Elijah Walker was the Golf Professional. Elijah offered William a job as his assistant.
A great ball driver, William began to play on the North American Golf Association Tour, with such renowned golf professionals like Charlie Sifford, Jim Thorpe, Jim Dent, Calvin Peete, George “GG”Johnson, Lee Elder, et al. William’s skills had put him on par with PGA Tour players and given him the incentive to pursue Tour school.
In his first attempt, he missed the cut. He made the finals in 1978 and 1981 and then ran out of money. In the meantime, he continued to make a name for himself on the North American Golf Association Tour. He won the Atlanta Open and West Georgia Open in 1978 and the Greensboro Open in 1979 and 1981. He went on to win the Bogey Hills Invitation in 1981 and the Macon Open in 1982. He entered his first PGA Event when he qualified for the Southern Open in Columbus, Georgia in 1981. He missed the cut by two strokes.
In 1986, American Golf Company assumed management of Atlanta City Golf Courses. At that time, William could no longer travel away from his job causing him to curtail his competitive schedule.
He became a member of the Georgia PGA of America and began the process for Class A Status. He left Tup Homes to become the general manager of Brown’s Mill Golf Course in Atlanta, Georgia. After about two years, he moved to Rivers Edge Golf Course in 1995 and obtained his Class A Status the same year.
In 1997, there were only two open spots on the Inaugural PGA Bellsouth Classic. William qualified for one of them. But, at this point in his life the responsibility for a wife and two children curtailed him to enter. William wholeheartedly embraced his duties as husband and father, head golf professional and youth instructor.
William continued to play on the Georgia Section of the PGA as time permitted; however, as the need for steady sources of income grew to support his family he reduced his competitive golf travels and settled into his golf professional duties at his home base.
He endeavored to share his experiences with the youth. In 1998, he was named Junior Golf Teacher of the Year. In 1999, he joined the first Tee at John A White Golf Course as the Head Instructor of Golf. He was selected Junior Golf Teacher of the Year again in 2000 and was inducted into the Black Golfers Hall of Fame and into the Madison City Hall of Fame that same year.
He was inducted into the Huntsville Booster Club Hall of Fame in 2003. Over the course of his professional career, he won over twenty events. At one point, he held five course records: John A While (Atlanta) 18 holes-61; Tup Holmes (Atlanta) 18 holes-61; Fort McPherson (Atlanta) 18 holes-64; Jet Port (Alabama) 18 holes-65 and Tup Holmes (Atlanta) back nine-29. To date, three records remain (both Tup Holmes and John A White). The highlight of his career was realized when he played Augusta and shot 65.
As the Head Instructor of Golf at the First Tee at John A White, William touches the lives of many junior golfers in Southwest Atlanta and surrounding communities. Over the past six years, he has helped several young boys and girls qualify for high school golf teams and earn golf scholarships for college. William Lewis has also been the coach of the Morehouse College Golf Team for the past eight years.
He currently has over 21 players participating in golf scholarship programs in colleges and universities. Lewis relates with pride and enjoyment that becoming a college golf coach has always been his dream. Moreover, he states that “Teaching these players value and direction is very rewarding for me.”
