African American Golf History  

The Year of 1941 in African American Golf History 

Joe Louis Open  The first Joe Louis Open is held in August 1941. Founded and hosted by heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis, the host site for this inaugural three-day event was Rackham Golf Course in Detroit, Michigan. The Joe Louis Open became the premiere golf event for African Americans and was noted for its big money purse, usually from $1000 to $2000. After the inaugural event in 1941, Joe Louis Open was not held from 1942 to 1944 (during World War II). Competition resumed in 1945. It was an inaugural event through 1951. 

Paris Brown  She became the first woman to hold an executive office in the United Golfers Association (UGA). Brown was elected vice president of UGA. She also served as assistant tournament director for UGA, and in 1954, she was elected UGA's national tournament director. Paris Brown served, in 1942, as president of Wake Robin Golf Club, the first African American female golf club established in the United States.

Did you know...

Robert "Pat" Ball won the 1941 UGA National Championship professional division for the fourth time. Ball's three previous victories were in 1927, 1929, and 1934. 

Learn more about African American Golf History in "A Missing Link In History: The Journey of African Americans in Golf" and "African American Golf History Brain-Aerobics Activity Books".

Clyde Martin captures first place at the inaugural

Harold Ickes, United States Secretary of the Interior, issues a desegregation order to public golf courses in the Nation's Capital, Washington, D.C. 

Read an extensive African American Golf History timeline from 1879–2011 in the book: "A Missing Link In History".

"A Missing Link In History: The Journey of African Americans in Golf"