EOTO #4 Reflection

My fellow casements presented positive and negative events most of them during the 1950s and 1960s that affected our generations in the years to come. Most of the events that were brought forth by both sides I had never studied in history classes during middle school and high school. However one of them really stood out to me. The Masters, Segregated Country Clubs, and Agusta National Club by Alex were very intriguing to learn about. Until recently in many golf clubs, African Americans would be permitted to come under the guise that the club was “invitation only.” Those invitations were only sent out to the white Americans and never to African-Americans to other minorities. What comes as surprising is that the first two cases against golf courses segregation happened in northern states.

The PGA Championship has actually been held at a golf club that doesn't allow African-Americans to golf there which I thought was crazy. (Shoal Creek Club) Club Founder Hall Thompson prompted widespread outrage when he defiantly declared the club would not be pressured to accept African-American members. Thompson is quoted as saying, “we have the right to associate or not to associate with whomever we choose. The country club is our home and we pick and choose who we want. I also didnt know that one of the most famous golf clubs the Even Agusta National Golf Club permitted African Americans from golfing at their club not too long ago. How bizarre! It wasn't until 1975 that the club extended an invitation to its first black competitor Lee Elder. Even after that, it didn't extend an invitation to its first black member until 1990, and then it's finally offered membership to women in 2012. Of the estimated 300 members of Augusta National, there are only maybe eight black members today. One of the most interesting topics I learned about in this class this semester.