Reeling from criticism that many of its most prestigious tournaments are held at private, all-white clubs, golf faces a moral problem so powerful that the social and political vacuum in which the game has long existed has probably been changed forever.
Last month’s statement by
Hall W. Thompson, founder of Shoal Creek Country Club near Birmingham, Ala., site of the 1990 Professional Golfers Association Championship, asserted that “we do not discriminate in all other matters except of Blacks,” was so bluntly stated that the repercussions caused the sport to come under intense attack over a situation that had been relatively ignored for years.
“To cooperate with evil is to affirm it,” said the Rev. Joseph Lowery, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, in his indictment of the PGA of America for holding its championship at the club. “This honest man, Mr. Thompson, exposed the sophisticated layer of deception and hypocrisy that veils the racism that still exists in our society today.”
But what laid the organizational foundation for shaken golf is that the potential problem goes well beyond Shoal Creek. A Charlotte Observer investigation found that at least 17 clubs that host PGA Tour events have all-white members. And a United States Golf Association official conservatively estimates that three out of four U.S. private clubs have membership practices similar to Shoal Creek’s.
The question – some say an ultimatum – that now faces golf’s governing bodies is simple: Should private clubs that appear to exclude blacks and members of other minority groups be allowed to organize tournaments from which they will profit both income and prestige?
According to black groups who have seized on this question as evidence of institutionalized racism, the answer is a resounding no.
“Golf is deceptive because it only looks like plush clubhouses and green fairways,” Lowery said. ”It looks very decent. But this blatant admission that we don’t want black people has revealed a hidden agenda that is truly no longer hidden.
For some gaming executives, the revelation of this issue is almost a relief.
“Shoal Creek’s problems are not new or limited to Alabama,” said Grant Spaeth, president of the USGA, which has often held its championships, including the U.S. Open, in clubs composed only whites. “As distressing as this firestorm is, I conclude without doubt that open debate and decision-making are long overdue, and we have an opportunity to resolve matters fully and fairly .”
Spaeth added that the Shoal Creek controversy has caused the USGA to plan a thorough reevaluation of how it will approach the membership policies and practices of its potential future championship venues.
But the signs are that the transition will be jarring. Black leaders are pressing for advantage in an arena in which they have never had a voice before. Although Birmingham Mayor Richard Arrington, who is black, said Shoal Creek members assured him the club would have black members within a year, Lowery plans to picket and protest in Shoal Creek when players begin arriving next Monday for the PGA.
“Nothing has changed our mind about the need for a witness there,” said Lowery, who also called on companies to boycott the broadcast of the Masters next April on the Augusta National course in Georgia (the Augusta club also has a non-white membership). “Over the years, this issue has been something that has been on all of our minds as black leaders, but it has not been a high priority. This thing chose us. But now that He has chosen us, we must answer it.
The response shakes golf’s highly regarded core, which finds itself in the midst of an unprecedented wave of participant-level popularity. Professional golf has long prided itself on its clean image, its significant donations to charities, the commitment of tourism professionals and the absence of drug and gambling scandals, which have hit many other sports.
But responding to suspicions of institutional racism is not part of the marketing equation. Four companies withdrew plans to advertise during the PGA broadcast, costing ABC nearly $2 million. One sponsor, who asked not to be identified, said the PGA’s climate was not “ecologically correct” for advertising.
These actions have caused fear at the highest levels of the game, particularly on the PGA Tour, which has a television package worth more than $20 million with all three networks. The tour announced Friday that it would introduce a new set of criteria to evaluate clubs likely to host its tournaments.
“We’re saying if we haven’t been sufficiently responsive to the situation in the past, we will be responsive now,” said Tim Finchem, deputy commissioner and chief operating officer of the PGA Tour. “We have to protect the tour.”
The PGA Tour’s action, which followed a July 14 decision by the PGA of America, stands in stark contrast to a tradition of benign neglect when it comes to race.
Despite difficulties since 1948, the PGA of America did not obtain a “Caucasian only” clause in its bylaws until 1961. That same year, the organization chose to move the site of the 1962 tournament from California to Pennsylvania to avoid legal proceedings. battle that reportedly took place in California over the PGA’s refusal to make Charles Sifford, a black golfer, a full member.
Those days are clearly over. Through their planned actions announced in the wake of the Shoal Creek controversy, major golf organizations are demonstrating the social consciousness needed to achieve peace in a climate less tolerant of blatant exclusionary policies.
“I see what’s happening as part of a continuum,” said Spaeth, who cited statistics showing that the fastest-growing group of golfers in America were playing on public, not private, courses. “Public golf is the way golf will be played in this country. What I see changing is the life of private clubs.
When the current controversy subsides, Lowery believes more blacks will be accepted into private clubs, leading to a further breakdown of racial barriers.
“I’m glad this all happened,” Lowery said. “This opens up another frontier that we haven’t been able to exploit before. The golf course is where decisions are made at a high financial level. It’s the good old boys’ circle and it needs to be open.
Meanwhile, golf organizations have learned that if they aren’t careful, there could be a Shoal Creek every week.
