ATLANTA — The PGA Tour holds its championship at East Lake Golf Club, an exclusive club located in a racially mixed, low-income Atlanta neighborhood revitalized by public planning, corporate investments, and tens millions of dollars in philanthropy raised by the Tour and sponsors.
It’s a great effort to anchor one of the most prestigious events in professional golf at a location that is unique, right in the middle of an area with more Black residents than White.
Despite all the grassroots investment in the sport, more than 25 year after Tiger Woods’ first Masters win, the PGA Tour still has only a handful of people of color. The only American golfers of colour who have made it to East Lake are Tony Finau (Polynesian) and Colin Morikawa (Asian-American).
Kenyatta Ramsam, senior director of the Tour’s player development, said: “I believe we, as an Industry, thought Tiger brought the game to many people, so the game will grow and we’ll have more Black and Brown professionals.” “But there are so many factors that go into becoming a professional. I think it took some time for the industry to realize that we need to dig a little deeper.”
Last week, the depth of this tragedy was revealed at TPC Sugarloaf. This private club, which is surrounded by multi-million-dollar homes, is located in Atlanta’s suburbs, approximately 40 minutes away.
TPC Sugarloaf was the host of the APGA Tour’s top event on August 14 and 15. The A stands for “Advocates”, where 55 players battled it out for the biggest prize in the season, $55,000. The field, with a few notable exceptions, was made up of young Black players, some of whom are still advancing, while others are barely holding on to their dreams, who were at least a few steps away from joining the PGA Tour.
The odds are against them. The APGA hopes to be able to provide the same kind of support for golfers of colour that Woods was able to achieve in his years at the top.
Aaron Grimes said, “At the rate we are going, there will only be a few of us left,” who has played primarily on APGA Tour for the past couple seasons. “As long you don’t give up.”
It’s not easy to do, given the reality of golf’s mini-tours.
“Guys quit when they run out money”
Grimes began playing golf at a par-3 in Compton, California with his family. He became good enough to walk on at Cal State-Northridge and a junior university.
How do you make the transition from junior golf to tour life? Some junior players have a clear path. Some players find sponsors, or their families provide the money to cover all of the costs associated with travel, coaching and equipment.
In the end, it’s this barrier that many people — especially those in communities of colour — can’t get over when they’re trying to climb up. Grimes, 29, figured he would spend around $7,000 for a series of four APGA tournaments in late July and early august. He won just under $4,000 in prize cash.
Grimes stated that “there are players who have the talent but never having enough money is unheard-of at this level. Many guys quit because of lack of funds.” “I’m not from money. My parents have worked well past their 60s, and I could not ask them. To support my competition, I began caddying in a country club. “I always had to caddy when I ran out money.”
Financial realities show why the APGA should be considered a pitstop for players and not a destination. Ken Bentley, former Nestle executive who founded the APGA, remembered a conversation with Marcus Byrd, 26, from near Washington, D.C., the best player on the tour this year.
Bentley, a former college and pro tennis player, said: “I told you, ‘I do not want to see your back here in January next year.'” The APGA is a stopover, not a destination. “I want to see you there.”
Byrd was named Conference USA Golfer of the Year and among the top 100 Amateurs in the World when he left Middle Tennessee State. To raise the money for his start-up, he had to also work as a golf caddy. With its low entry fee, the APGA was an ideal place to begin playing.
He is now focusing his attention on the PGA Tour Q-School. It costs thousands of dollars to enter each stage, but it offers players the chance to gain membership on either the big tour or the Korn Ferry Tour.
Byrd stated, “I believe the reason why you don’t find a lot of Black players is because we haven’t had the opportunity to perform at the highest levels and to get the reps that we need like some of these other guys have. This goes from junior golf all the way to professional golf.” “I believe that will change in the next 5 to 10 years.”
The legacy of Arthur Ashe inspired APGA
Even though it’s difficult to pinpoint why the Tiger Effect did not result in a wave Black players rising up the ranks organically. The PGA Tour has now acknowledged that it failed to fully capitalize on this opportunity and build the networks necessary to promote diversity. The most notable Black player today is Harold Varner III, while Cameron Champ and Joseph Bramlett both have some success on PGA Tour.
Bentley’s background in tennis was a great help when he decided to start the APGA. Arthur Ashe, who had played in Richmond, Virginia had been through a system that Dr. Robert Johnson had established in Richmond for Black players. This infrastructure enabled Ashe to learn and compete both regionally and nationally, before he landed at UCLA in 1968 and became a star when he won his first U.S. Open.
Bentley explained, “I just wanted some tournaments. I thought that if you give guys a chance to compete they will improve.” “But I discovered that most of them had never been fitted with clubs. The local pros were teaching them at First Tee. “I quickly realized this wasn’t good enough.”
Bentley ran the tour for about a decade with very little staff and no funding. After a couple of years, one of Bentley’s connections helped get the APGA on the radar of the PGA Tour, which began sending him a check of $20,000 per year. The Tour was only interested in the APGA for several years.
One day, Bentley received a phone call from Tour executive Allison Keller asking him to make a presentation at the Tour headquarters that could either result in a significant expansion of their relationship or the end of the $20,000 checks.
The PGA Tour committed to a number of helpful measures by the end of the agreement, including the provision of coaching at TPC Sawgrass and assistance with the fitting of equipment for top players. The affiliation also allowed the APGA to bring top-level events to courses such as TPC Sugarloaf. This course previously hosted a PGA Tour tournament and can be compared with a professional golf test.
Ramsey stated, “In the end, we would like to see a tour that looks more American.” To achieve this, we must invest in developing the talent of these communities. If you invest in talent that isn’t the stereotypical golfer then they will go much further than before.
The APGA now looks very different from a few short years ago.
APGA golfers should ‘feel as if they belong’
There are now 18 events on the tour, totaling over $800,000. One of them is at Torrey Pines, which is televised, and also played alongside the Farmers Insurance Open, a PGA Tour event. APGA players have received sponsor exemptions to a few tournaments because of their connections with the PGA Tour. The APGA also offers the top five Black college players each year a tour membership as well as money to cover their Q-School fees for the following year.
The APGA has also expanded its corporate partnership with companies such as Cisco. This money is provided to select players to help them make ends meet, without the need to work a day job.
Andrew Walker, an ex-Michigan State golfer, said that many guys would not be playing without the APGA Tour and sponsorship. It’s a costly game. Last year I earned a little money, but I also spent some more.
Bentley sees a way for golfers who aren’t able to reach the highest levels of the sport to work in different sectors, such as teaching, course design, and equipment. This will diversify the game both on the corporate as well as the competitive side.
APGA’s ultimate goal is to have one of its alumni become a major star.
Willie Mack III is the most notable APGA alumnus at this time. He’s a 35-year old who has spent years slogging on the mini tours until he received his Korn Ferry Card this year. Mack III has made eight cut in 18 events. Tim O’Neal, a graduate of the APGA, is making an impact now on the PGA Tour Champions.
Someone will eventually break through to make the journey from APGA and East Lake, and maybe open up the floodgates like Tiger intended.
Bentley said, “Our guys seldom hear something so simple as ‘I believe in you.'” They don’t always believe, because no one has told them that they can. “We need to create more environments where our men can feel that they belong.”
