When we talk about builders of the game, Alfred “Tup” Holmes stands in a class of his own.
He wasn’t just a golfer. He was a gate-opener.
At a time when access to golf was limited, Tup Holmes helped create opportunity where there was none. He played a key role in establishing and developing spaces where Black golfers could learn, compete, and grow in the game. Courses weren’t just fairways to him — they were foundations for community.
His work helped bring golf to Atlanta’s Black neighborhoods in a real way, making the game visible, reachable, and possible for the next generation. Through leadership, advocacy, and persistence, he helped ensure that golf was not reserved for a select few, but available to those who loved it enough to pursue it.
Tup Holmes helped shape the landscape of Black golf not just by playing, but by building.
Because sometimes the greatest legacy isn’t the scorecard — it’s the doors you open for others to walk through.
National Black Golf Hall of Fame
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We celebrate and honor exemplary achievements of Blacks in the golf industry.
We also recognize business and community leaders, regardless of race or ethnicity, who ensure Blacks are presented opportunities to participate in any facet of golf.
Jeff Dunovant sits down and talks about Rogers Park golf course, one of golfs sacred grounds for black golfers everywhere.
Rogers Park Golf Course opened in 1952, at a time when access to the game wasn’t equal. For many Black golfers in Florida, Rogers Park wasn’t just a place to play. It was a place to belong. It was where talent was sharpened, where young players learned discipline, etiquette, and excellence, and where community gathered around a shared love for the game.
Courses like this carried the weight of segregation, but they also carried hope. They produced competitors. They produced leaders. They produced men and women who refused to let barriers define their relationship with golf.
Rogers Park represents resilience. It represents opportunity created in spite of limitation. And it stands as proof that the history of golf in this country is deeper, richer, and more diverse than many people realize.
When we honor places like Rogers Park, we honor the generations who walked these fairways with pride, purpose, and perseverance.
This is Black golf history.
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