The Changing Culture of Golf

Professional golf wasn’t integrated for over 60 years — not until 1961, when a PGA clause stating only white players could play for the Tour was eliminated.

The Masters — golf’s most prestigious tournament — didn’t feature a Black player until 1975, when Lee Elder teed off at Augusta National Golf Club at the age of 40. 

Tiger Woods continued to move the needle as the first Black player to win the Masters in 1997, in addition to being the tournament’s youngest winner ever at 21-years-old. 

In the 25 years since then, we’ve seen milestones like Hideki Matsuyama winning his own green jacket in 2021 and Michelle Wie West qualifying for an LPGA event at age 12 back in the early 2000s.

Here are some more people and places pushing golf even further forward.

Steph Takes a Swing

Four-time NBA champion, two-time NBA MVP, and eight-time NBA All-Star Stephen Curry is helping those underrepresented in the sport reach their full potential.

In April, the NBA superstar announced the launch of UNDERRATED Golf, which will select 24 boys and girls to compete in a tour championship that will end with the “Curry Cup.” 

• UNDERRATED Golf will provide all-expense-paid meals, travel, and hotel accommodations.
• It will also give players access to elite PGA Tour courses.

The reigning NBA Finals MVP has a track record of investments aimed at facilitating diversity in golf. In 2019, Curry made a seven-figure donation to fund a men’s and women’s golf program at Howard University, one of the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

A Sport Fore Everyone

Golf has also caught on with another member of the NBA fraternity, former Sixth Man of the Year J.R. Smith. The two-time NBA champion — who was drafted out of high school in 2004 — is currently an athlete on North Carolina A&T’s men’s golf team. 

Smith was named NC A&T’s 2021-22 Academic Athlete of the Year and has since secured an NIL deal with athleisure giant Lululemon as a brand ambassador. 

On a similar note, Los Angeles rapper ScHoolboy Q’s love and appreciation of the sport caught the attention of Nike. 

The company — which shuttered its golf equipment business in 2016 after failing to turn a profit in 20 years after revenue fell to $706 million in 2016, down from $769 million in FY2015 —  featured ScHoolboy Q in an advertising campaign about Tiger Woods and his impact on golf.

• ScHoolboy Q brought his talents to the 2022 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February, where he competed with a handicap of 11 while being paired with pro golfer Daniel Berger.
• Rapper Macklemore also participated in the event with pro Lanto Griffin. The Grammy-winning “Thrift Shop” artist recently launched Bogey Boys, a golf-focused lifestyle and apparel brand. 
• Even 21 Savage, another Grammy Award winner, has picked up clubs and hit the course. (He needs a lot of practice.)

Video game publisher 2K — a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive — is also moving representation of diverse players and fans to the forefront. 2K’s “PGA Tour 2K23” gaming title will feature Woods on its cover and will have Michael Jordan as a playable character when it hits the market on Oct. 14. 

The commercial 2K rolled out this week promoting the release starred ScHoolboy Q, WWE superstar Mike “The Miz” Mizanin, golf media personality Tisha Alyn, “Happy Gilmore” actor Christopher McDonald, 100 Thieves CEO Nadeshot, and Woods.

Creating Opportunity

The nonprofit Advocates Professional Golf Association (APGA) aims to prepare minority golfers to compete at the highest level. 

Established in 2010, the APGA has hosted and operated pro golf tournaments across the country while offering player development and mentoring programs. 

“Having programs and being hands-on, you’ll see a positive outcome for these kids with the life-changing experiences that they get,” APGA player Kamaiu Johnson, who was awarded an opportunity to play in last year’s PGA Farmers Insurance Open, told Front Office Sports.

• The APGA Tour will host 18 professional tournaments in 2022. 
• More than $800,000 is collectively up for grabs, in addition to $30,000 available through the Lexus Cup Bonus pool. The recent Cisco Invitational Baltusrol had a $125,000 purse. 
• The APGA Tour also gives players a chance to earn a special exemption to participate in PGA Tour events such as the Ascension Charity Classic and the Farmers Insurance Open.

The organization secured support for its mission in May through a deal with Cisco, which is also supporting five members of the APGA Tour individually too.

The sponsored team consists of Kevin Hall, Aaron Beverly, Troy Taylor, Olajuwon Ajanaku, and Kamaiu Johnson — who won the 2022 Master APGA Tour Championship on Aug. 9, taking home $50,000 with a one-shot victory at TPC San Antonio. 

“For me, it has been life-changing to have Cisco involved,” Beverly told Front Office Sports. “I was working at a golf course full-time, five-to-six days a week, 10 hours a day to provide a way to play. Since Cisco came along, I was able to quit that job and just focus on playing golf.”

Whether it’s through the APGA, donations from athletes like Curry, or “PGA Tour 2K23” getting as much marketing love as “NBA 2K23” — the landscape of golf is undoubtedly changing.