Tiger Woods. Althea Gibson. Charlie Sifford. As famous golfers of color, they broke barriers that brought the sport to a growing audience of players and spectators. But one name most people may not know is Bill Wright. In 1959, Wright was the first Black golfer to win a sponsored national golf championship event. He also graduated from Franklin High School and was raised in the Central District.
Since 2009, the United States Golf Association (USGA) and local golf clubs have recognized Oct. 10 as Bill Wright Day.
Wright won the USGA U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship when he was 23.
An article in The New York Times wrote, "Wright's victory was a singular moment for Black golfers at a time when the PGA of America's bylaws still had a 'Caucasians-only' clause," which was abolished in 1961. Wright had played golf at Western Washington College of Education (now Western Washington University). He went on to compete in the 1966 U.S. Open and a number of U.S. Senior Opens.
But before Wright became a champion, South End residents in the 1940s had a problem: Golfers of color could play golf at municipal courses like then-Jefferson Park Golf Course on Beacon Hill (designed in 1915 by the Olmsted brothers), but they couldn't compete in major tournaments.
Bill's father, Bob, was also a golfer. In the 1940s, golfers of color went to Wenatchee and Portland to compete because they were limited to where they could participate in tournaments. They couldn't participate in Seattle because municipal courses wouldn't recognize golf clubs with members who were people of color.
Robert Woodard from Beacon Hill is the historian of Fir State Golf Club and one of the junior golf directors. Woodard said, "We were taxpayers. This was a city, public course … Men's and women's clubs were whites-only, and you had to have a membership to participate in certain tournaments."
In 1945, Bob, along with a group of 16 golfers of multiple races from southeast Seattle demanded that the city allow golf clubs with members of color to be able to compete. Fir State Golf Club was created and registered by this group when the city allowed community members of color to compete in municipal tournaments in 1947. Fir State was the first BIPOC golf club in the city. The club continued to be banned from King County public golf tournaments until 1952. Fir State is known as the oldest consecutively running Black golf club in the U.S. It hopes to teach golf skills to high school students, like those at Franklin, Garfield, and Rainier Beach, who want to become more competitive.
In 2021, Fir State approached the Beacon Hill Council to gather community support in urging Seattle Parks and Recreation to rename the then-Jefferson Park Golf Course to honor the South Seattle Black golf legend. Three years later, in November 2024, the golf course was renamed the Bill Wright Golf Complex at Jefferson Park.
The 123-acre site hosts an 18-hole golf course, a nine-hole course, and a driving range. Inside the clubhouse is a restaurant, banquet room, pro shop, and offices for First Tee, the youth program.
Bill Wright passed away in February of 2021. Along with the USGA, Fir State Golf Club and Jefferson Park recognize Oct. 10 as Bill Wright Day.
Joan Ann Lidell, who lives in Seward Park, had been a close friend of Bill Wright for decades. Lidell's late husband, Jim, was Bill's best friend growing up. Her son, Derek, was Bill's godson. Joan remembered that Bill was down-to-earth and "never boastful," she said. Derek mentioned that Bill had moved to Los Angeles trying to make it as a professional golfer, but he said Bill "didn't have the sponsorships to play." The Lidells said Bill taught golf to junior and adult golfers. He also managed a car dealership in Southern California while he pursued his passion, the game of golf.
Berdell Knowles came to Seattle about 12 years ago from Los Angeles, California. "I didn't expect to be able to continue [golfing] because of the weather in Seattle, but I was surprised that I play way more golf here than I ever did in L.A. The reasons are L.A. doesn't have enough golf courses for all the people living there. The Seattle area has an abundance of courses between Seattle, Everett, and Tacoma. Then there's Fir State. When you have a group of people who are positive, competitive, and skilled at golf, the way our membership is and the community is great, golf is our primary social hub."
Robert Woodard was involved in many sports growing up on Beacon Hill, and he always liked to see how communities of color dressed vibrantly for golf when he would see them cross the street at the golf course on South Beacon Avenue. Later, he was challenged by friends to join the sport and became passionate about it as he learned what it takes to play golf well.
"Golf prepares you. When something happens, golf prepares you to work through it," said Woodard. "It takes focus and practice and precision because hitting a ball a hair off the mark translates to yards away [from where you want it to land]. It's the toughest sport there is."
Mertiss J. Thompson is the only Black master golf instructor in the state of Washington. He's been active in teaching golf throughout the region and around the world for decades. Thompson learned about golf at age 8, when he worked as a caddy at a country club in Arkansas. He said he got up at 5 a.m. to work and studied sportsmanship, along with how players spoke, dressed, and carried themselves.
He described golf in its simplest form as a four-hour meditation. "Golf is a game of the mind," said Thompson. He said he visualizes the arc of the ball to where he wants it to land before he hits it. "Imagination is everything," he reflected. "Without it, you limit yourself. It's a natural thing to do. Much of what we see created came from someone's imagination."
Rod Williams is a former student of Thompson. Williams said Thompson was his first golf teacher. Williams has been playing golf for two years.
Evan Johnsen is the vice president of programs and development at First Tee Greater Seattle. First Tee is an organization that offers golf lessons to young people, regardless of income.
"Golf presents all kinds of challenges for us, so learning to appreciate those, [to] look forward to them, set goals and dig deep to learn the grit you have — knowing you never do it alone helps us all be better," Johnsen said.
First Tee regional coordinator and Maple Valley resident Nina Day said, "The relationships you build and the opportunities I've had because of First Tee have been really cool."
Anjali Naidu, First Tee site coordinator, said, "Golf is mostly a white male sport. And it was cool seeing girls that look like me on the golf course when I was 10 years old."
Rainier Beach Community Club hosts free jazz jams every third Sunday of the month from 3 to 6 p.m. at Rainier Beach Community Club, 6038 S. Pilgrim St.
Ron Angeles and a five- to six-piece group will play jazz standards for the first portion of the event. Then the space opens to a jam session. Community is welcome to play in the session, watch, or dance.
Seattle University Crime and Justice Research Center is hosting a series of online discussions to meet the new police recruits and for the recruits to hear from the community about views on public safety in Seattle. One event in this series is Nov. 3, 5:30–7:30 p.m. You can register for the event at publicsafetysurvey.org.
Oct.9, 3–7:30 p.m.
Beacon Hill Library Branch
2821 Beacon Ave.
Columbia Branch
4721 Rainier Ave. S.
206-386-1908
Tuesdays, 4–7 p.m.
Wednesdays, 6–7:30 p.m. (Teen Tutoring)
Douglass-Truth Branch
2300 E. Yesler Way
206-684-4704
Tuesdays, 4:30–6:30 p.m.
Thursdays, 4:30–6:30 p.m.
NewHolly Branch
7058 32nd Ave. S.
206-386-1905
Thursdays 5:30–7 p.m.
Rainier Beach Branch
9125 Rainier Ave. S.
206-386-1906
Mondays, 4–5:45 p.m.
Wednesdays, 4:30–7:30 p.m.
South Park Branch
8604 8th Ave. S.
206-615-1688
Wednesdays, 3:30–5:30 p.m.
More Resources:
If students are unable to visit library locations during Homework Help hours, they can access virtual one-on-one tutoring in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese using their library card and pin number through Tutor.com.
Tutor.com can also help high school students in tutoring and offers support in writing college essays, prepping for ACT/SAT tests, and applying for financial aid. Tutor.com also offers other resources for student support.
Yuko Kodama is the News editor for the South Seattle Emerald. She is passionate about the critical role community media plays in our information landscape and loves stories that connect us to each other and our humanity. Her weekly "South End Life" column spotlights the stories of neighbors and community members that weave through the South End.
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