Black golfers

[Ranger Rick]

James Kampte plays on the Euro Tour. Not sure if he has won anything, don't think he has, but he is black.

[td10]

Aside from Tiger Woods and the guys on Big Break, who are the other notable black golfers? Tiger Woods sort of falls into two camps: Black and Asian. So does that mean professional golf doesn't have any notable black golfers? Perhaps Jim Thorpe and Kevin Hall could be tossed into the tally, but they are not neccessarily notable. Any rising stars from the collegiate ranks?

 

 

[rafal]

[quote name='td10' timestamp='1318885921' post='3684601']
Aside from Tiger Woods and the guys on Big Break, who are the other notable black golfers? Tiger Woods sort of falls into two camps: Black and Asian. So does that mean professional golf doesn't have any notable black golfers? Perhaps Jim Thorpe and Kevin Hall could be tossed into the tally, but they are not neccessarily notable. Any rising stars from the collegiate ranks?


[/quote]

Will Lowery from BB-Indian Wells is the only one I am aware of.

[pappaf2]

I don't know if he is notable but there is Joesph Bramlett who is on the PGA tour. He is a Stanford grad I think.

[pga43]

[quote name='pappaf2' timestamp='1318887101' post='3684673']
I don't know if he is notable but there is Joesph Bramlett who is on the PGA tour. He is a Stanford grad I think.
[/quote]

Exactly. Nice guy, good solid player just needs to get more starts. Playing this week here at Disney.


Greg

[MadGolfer76]

No mention of Charlie Sifford??? Also, a brief glance (not needed to remember Sifford's name, btw) yielded this site:

http://www.africanamericangolfersdigest.com/

No affiliation, but looks interesting.

[ladahl]

[url="http://www.usatoday.com/sports/golf/pga/2011-01-12-sony-open-black-golfer_N.htm"]http://www.usatoday.com/sports/golf/pga/2011-01-12-sony-open-black-golfer_N.htm[/url]

[quote name='BNich0622' timestamp='1318889465' post='3684845']
Joseph Bramlett. One of the final 30 I believe at Q-School last year and got his tour card. Stanford kid as so one else mentioned. Saw him in Hartford (Cromwell, CT) This summer. Seems pretty humble. Keeps to himself, always had headphones in when practicing when I saw him. Good talent, hope he can continue to progress and make a name for himself out on tour.
[/quote]

[BNich0622]

Joseph Bramlett. One of the final 30 I believe at Q-School last year and got his tour card. Stanford kid as so one else mentioned. Saw him in Hartford (Cromwell, CT) This summer. Seems pretty humble. Keeps to himself, always had headphones in when practicing when I saw him. Good talent, hope he can continue to progress and make a name for himself out on tour.

[hazebronso]

Give it about 5 more years and i predict a healthy infusion of more diversity on Tour .... i picked up the game 7yrs ago and at that time finding Black golfers on the course in my area was pretty tough. (I am Black by the way)

Now in 2011 there seems to be a lot more of us out there getting rounds under our belts, Tiger kinda opened the doors as far as popularity in the game is concerned.

I'm 30yrs old and just had my first son and i will definitely be putting a driver in his hands in the coming months - and i think there are a lot of dads of color doing the same.
If my son has a knack for athletics like his ol man i believe that the golfing is the way to go - i find that there is a general lack of "true athletes" in this sport and when a truly athletic kid gets involved the sky's the limit, case in point G.Woodland, Dustin Johnson and others.

Give it time and diversity in this sport may change the landscape as much as Baseball's was changed in the '40s.

[MadGolfer76]

Calvin Peete.

[Tmiller72]

Harold Varner won the NC State Am and the NC Match Play championships this year.

[Snufles]

The fact that we have this thread shows us that there is still a long way to go.


Fewer women on tour is even more surprising.


I'm liking this thread and hope it doesn't turn into another GWRX mess.

[MrParr1Noid]

Thread cleaned, posts deleted.

Guys, let's keep this on track.

Thank You

[ClarkGrswld4]

joseph bramlett is the whitest looking black man i ever saw

[MadGolfer76]

wow

[BetweenTheEars]

I wonder if a thread entitled "White golfers" would have been moved to the Heated section

[hbgpagolfpro]

[quote name='hazebronso' timestamp='1318889950' post='3684887']
Give it about 5 more years and i predict a healthy infusion of more diversity on Tour .... i picked up the game 7yrs ago and at that time finding Black golfers on the course in my area was pretty tough. (I am Black by the way)

Now in 2011 there seems to be a lot more of us out there getting rounds under our belts, Tiger kinda opened the doors as far as popularity in the game is concerned.

I'm 30yrs old and just had my first son and i will definitely be putting a driver in his hands in the coming months - and i think there are a lot of dads of color doing the same.
If my son has a knack for athletics like his ol man i believe that the golfing is the way to go - i find that there is a general lack of "true athletes" in this sport and when a truly athletic kid gets involved the sky's the limit, case in point G.Woodland, Dustin Johnson and others.

Give it time and diversity in this sport may change the landscape as much as Baseball's was changed in the '40s.
[/quote]

I think you underestimate how athletic most of these guys are. Most of these guys grow up just like everyone else...playing different sports until settling on golf for one reason or another. However, due to the nature of the sport, there is no need for the typical athletic training involved in other sports...therefore, golfers in general do not look like athletes. Tiger has taken this to a different level as far as training is concerned, but I am not sure it has improved his game at all.

Consider Jack Nicklaus...when he was growing up he played football, basketball and volleyball, and played all of those sports in intramural leagues at Ohio State. He continued to play basketball regularly until he was about 40. Rumor has it that he could actually dunk as well, even though he is under 6 feet tall.

In any event, it would be nice to see more diversity out on the golf courses. I have a long range goal of developing programs in the urban areas where kids just don't get introduced to the game. The road blocks are still very high for those kids to excel due to the cost of playing golf. That will be the big issue going forward.

[swbyps]

Well..There's me!

[hitsalittle]

Wow is right - two posts deleted from one thread for me - gotta be a record. Wonder if this will make the grade?

[tbowles411]

This worries me that this thread had to be cleaned up. I shudder to think what was said before it was...

[PedronNiall]

I believe I do qualify At least I hope to be notable someday. We shall see.

[lkangsterl]

tiger is actually blasian

[MadGolfer76]

[quote name='tbowles411' timestamp='1318907096' post='3686545']
This worries me that this thread had to be cleaned up. I shudder to think what was said before it was...
[/quote]

Believe it or not, nothing bad at all this time. That is why a bunch of us are left scratching our heads.

[dlygrisse]

Well, Vijay has dark skin and IMO is a black golfer......however if you are talking about African Americans there just aren't as many as there were during the 1970's when you had players like Calvin Peete, Jim Thorpe, Jim Dent a before them Charlie Sifford and some others. It is somewhat ironic that in the age of Tiger there are fewer black golfers on tour, however I would bet that there are probably more blacks playing golf nation wide.....but I could be wrong.

In those days many blacks came up through the caddy ranks, now the golf cart has replaced the caddy and people of lower socioeconomic standing will have a harder time getting in to a game that was once dominated by both ex caddys and country club kids. IMO the good news is you see more public course players getting into the game as well as people from countries in Asia and other parts of the world. A;though in some countries you get players like Angel Cabrerra.....who I believe came up through the caddy ranks.

I am sure, and hope someday this discussion will not need to take place, however the great thing about golf is that you have to earn your way on tour, there are no guaranteed contracts, you either shoot the score you need to shoot or you go home. So someday some black players will make it to the top, and when they do, we will know for sure that they earned it....and that will be a good thing. However right now it is really a game of numbers, if you think about how many white people and people of other races work thier butt off and don't make it, not seeing a large number of blacks at the top is not that surprising, however you would think sooner not later someone will make it on tour.

Please everyone....keep this thread respectful and I hope my comments are perceived that way as well.

[swbyps]

^^^ Wow.....I guess it is possible for us to have a mature conversation on Golfwrx. Nice post!

[KDMullins]

[quote name='Snufles' timestamp='1318894089' post='3685287']
The fact that we have this thread shows us that there is still a long way to go.


[b]Fewer women on tour is even more surprising.
[/b]

I'm liking this thread and hope it doesn't turn into another GWRX mess.
[/quote]

Really? What tour(s) are you referring to?

[henricogolfer]

Great topic. I am white, but played basketball and golf into college. (d3, I'm no Bo Jackson) It was always crazy to me the contrast between the two sports when it came to racial make up, especially as the talent level improved.


I agree that if golf can take stronger hold in areas that it has normally not been well established you will see more minorities rise to the top of the sport. (First Tee is great, but can't do it alone) I also see some of the stigma washing away when I hear my black freinds say things like "man I wish I would have started this game sooner". Hopefully that means their children will be involved from a young age, the possibilities are exciting.

[mshills]

It's only a matter of time until you see more, IMO.

 

I live in Atlanta, which is by and large, a hub for middle, upper-middle, and the downright wealthy black community. Moved here before the Tiger era, and one thing I've noticed over the years I've lived here is an influx of young black golfers in junior clinics and practicing at a couple of the ranges I frequent. Golf is so much more accessible than it used to be, and it's really a numbers game. Some of the kids I've seen can really play. As more black kids are introduced to the game, and finally, at long last, find it "cool," it's bound that here and there will be more with real talent who will break through into the professional game.

 

One thing I seldom see, however, are young black girls playing golf. I have seen Mariah Stackhouse play - one of the more accomplished juniors in recent memory in GA, and SHE CAN FLAT OUT GOLF HER BALL! Google her and check out her results. She is the real thing.

 

One of my earliest memories of golf is asking Calvin Peete for his autograph at The Memorial Tournament. I was probably 6 or 7 years old and I remember him being really kind. I followed his career throughout the 1980s and I am still waiting for him to miss a fairway.

[oldpalchamp]

Wow, no one has mentioned Lee Elder, the first African American golfer to play in the Masters. Lee was from the Washington D.C. area and did lots for young minority golfers in the community. He actually purchased and ran a golf course across from RFK stadium (Langston GC) to keep it open so that people in that area would have a place to play.

[swbyps]

[quote name='henricogolfer' timestamp='1318943375' post='3687593']
Great topic. I am white, but played basketball and golf into college. (d3, I'm no Bo Jackson) It was always crazy to me the contrast between the two sports when it came to racial make up, especially as the talent level improved.


I agree that if golf can take stronger hold in areas that it has normally not been well established you will see more minorities rise to the top of the sport. (First Tee is great, but can't do it alone) I also see some of the stigma washing away when I hear my black freinds say things like[b] "man I wish I would have started this game sooner"[/b]. Hopefully that means their children will be involved from a young age, the possibilities are exciting.
[/quote]

Interesting you say this. Im black, and of my black friends growing up, I was the only one who played golf. Not only that, but it was seldom that I ever even saw another black kid playing. All the kids I played golf with were white. I grew up playing because my dad played. He played because my grandfather worked at a course for 40 something years. My best friend started playing 6 or 7 years ago and he said those exact words to me that you mentioned above.."Man I wish I would have started this game sooner. How come you didnt tell me about golf when we were in high school". The funny thing is, it never even crossed my mind to mention playing golf to any of my black friends. It just wasnt something that black kids did.