The Anecdote of Nine Holes in One City

The Cumberland Golf Club paved the way for the desegregation of all golf courses and other public recreational facilities in Nashville. The nine-hole golf course answered the demand of African Americans for access to public golfing facilities. Civil Rights luminaries Avon Williams and Z. A. Looby were against the construction of the Cumberland Golf Club. They felt the city needed to integrate its existing courses. In 1955, the U.S. Supreme Court deemed “separate but equal” as unconstitutional at all tax-supported facilities. In 1956, Nashville golf courses and other public recreational facilities were desegregated. In 1969, the Cumberland Golf Club became the Ted Rhodes Golf Course. It was renamed in honor of a renowned professional black golfer named Theodore “Ted” Rhodes.

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Resources:

http://www.nashville.gov/Parks-and-Recreation/Golf-Courses/Ted-Rhodes-Golf-Course.aspx

http://www.planmygolfevent.com/16436-TedRhodes_The_Legend_Tour/About_Ted_Rhodes.html