Joe Louis

On the golf course the name Joe Louis may not ring a bell with you at first, but he had a significant impact on the game for blacks.

From his introduction to the game in 1935 and his groundbreaking entry in the San Diego Open in 1952, to First Tee, which now carries on his legacy in underfunded communities.

Joe Louis was the first African American to play professional golf in the history of the PGA Tour, today the most popular golf tour in the world. In 1952, it was the only professional sports league in the United States that had not let African Americans play.

Although what some may not know, or may be confused about, is that Joe Louis was also widely known as Joe Louis Barrow.

The same person, but with the extra name, was also one of the greatest boxers in the history of the sport. He was the world heavyweight champion for over a decade before moving onto the golf scene.

Despite his boxing career, he had always loved golf and had been playing it right alongside boxing for all these years. He was introduced to the sport just after his first year of boxing, which helped relax his mind after the matches.

The San Diego Open is where it first started on January 17, 1952—the official date of when an African American first played on the PGA Tour. As you can imagine, there were some large hurdles that had to be overcome in order to make this happen.

Louis had to fight against the PGA Tour alongside two other African American golfers, Bill Spiller and Eural Clark. At the time, the PGA had rules in its organization that prevented African Americans from playing in the event.

Spiller and Clark were denied entry, but Louis was allowed to play, some argue because of his popularity. At age 37, Louis posted a 76 on day one of the tournament, but was cut the second day after finishing the round with an 82.

Louis passed away in 1981, but his son Joe Louis Barrow Jr. would go on to serve as the CEO of First Tee, founded in 1997, for nearly two decades.

The popular organization now works on a daily basis to make golf a more widely available sport to all classes, races, etc. It specifically helps underfunded communities and African Americans get started in the sport.

Golf is typically known as being an expensive sport, but First Tee introduces the sport to children who previously would not have had the opportunity to play.

First Tee is a fitting organization to carry on Joe Louis’s impact, because it is exactly what he served to do during his career: stand up for those less fortunate and help them get opportunities that they may have never had access to before.

All in all, Joe Louis Barrow had an immense impact on the game of golf which has changed the sport forever.

​Without him we wouldn’t have ever seen the greatness of Tiger Woods and the organization First Tee.

Next time you think of golf, think of Joe Louis Barrow.