Detroit and Oakland County leaders met to unveil a $5,000 bronze plaque at the entrance of a golf course that honors a Michigander for breaking the color barrier on the golf course.
Ben Davis was the first African American to join Michigan’s Professional Golfers Association in 1966. This membership had been previously barred for Blacks, but it is now mandatory for tournament participation. Davis became the first African American head pro of Rackham Golf Course in Huntington Woods, operated by the City of Detroit.
Dave Coulter, the Oakland County executive, told the audience that “he’s our Jackie Robinson in golf.”
Coulter and Michigan’s Lt. Governor appeared moments later. Garlin Gillchrist watched as Hank Berry, Huntington Woods Planning, Zoning and Preservation administrator, removed the canvas from the plaque at the entrance of Rackham Golf Course. The plaque was a tribute to both Davis and the course. Horace Rackham, a philanthropist, donated land to the course in 1923 after he bought 150 acres on the northwest corner between Woodward Avenue, then 10 Mile Road and the I-696 Freeway.
Rackham was incredibly wealthy because of his early investments in Ford Motor Co. He gave the land to Detroit, asking that part of it be added to the Detroit Zoo and the rest to become a public course. Not just any public golf course. Those that opened in the 1920s around the nation only welcomed whites. Rackham was, for many years, one of only a few integrated golf clubs in the country. The new plaque states this in bronze letters which no book burner will be able to incinerate. Joe Louis and Motown artists were among his students. . .”
Rackham is a state historic site, and the front and back of the sign honor Davis, while the front side celebrates the course. The entire facility, including the Arts and Crafts style clubhouse, is a historic state site.
Shaun Thomas of Detroit, who is a great-nephew to Ben Davis, was one of the people at the unveiling that had a strong connection. Thomas proudly received a proclamation from Gov. Gilchrist handed him a proclamation signed by Gov. Whitmer. Gilchrist said that his father had learned to swing a golf club at Rackham. Thomas worked as a teenager in the 1970s at the Detroit Zoo. Thomas said that Davis, who was then in his 60s, still taught golf at Rackham. “So we rode each morning together,” Thomas explained. Thomas remembered his great-uncle as a positive role model who never spoke about the struggles and tensions he faced.
On July 28, 2023 the crowd will be smiling after an historic marker honoring Ben Davis, a pioneer Black professional golfer. Davis’ great-nephew Shaun Thomas stands under the word “Golf”, flanked on the right by Donna Thomas and the left by U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens. Above the marker, Oakland County Commissioner Charlie Cavell is pictured.
Karen Peek was another person at the event to remember Davis from first hand. She is the director of Golf Operations for Golf Detroit. Signet Golf, based in Pinehurst, North Carolina, manages Rackham under a contract with the Detroit Recreation Department. According to her online CV, Peek was the very first Black member of Michigan’s Ladies Professional Golf Association. She told the audience that as a young girl, she had watched her aunt and mother take golf lessons with Davis. Peek said that her aunt and mom were “two the least athletic individuals you’d ever meet”, but the golf pro had been so friendly and patient with them, they “couldn’t wait” to get their next lesson. Davis’ attitude, she said, was “infinitely optimistic”.
According to Huntington Woods officials, the meticulously written history of Ben Davis Golf Course and Rackham Golf course as it is described on the plaque required both city staff as well as history enthusiasts to document. Louise Wibbelman, Huntington Woods’ vice chair of the Historic District Study Committee, explained that a detailed application was then submitted to the Michigan History Center, followed by an extended wait for a response.
Wibbelman explained that although Davis died 10 years ago at the age of 101, it has taken a long time to get state approval and then raise the $5,000 needed to install the Michigan Historic Marker.
She said that this year “the stars finally lined up.”
