The History of African American's in Golf is a strange and winding tale of racism, discrimination and segregation.

Golf has always had an air of mystique and the general population's perception saw it as the game of the rich and famous.

Well African Americans have excelled in every aspect of life and of course golf is no exception.

But the institutional segregation of courses, associations and country clubs made it impossible for African Americans to display their talents and just as important to earn a living.

Until resent history African Americans were stuck in the roles of caddies and country club staff. Oh, but times are a changing.........

The first American-born professional golfer was John Shippen, an African-American who qualified for, and was in position to win, the 1896 U.S. Open.

The Scottish and English pros who dominated golf at the end of the last century at first refused to compete with Shippen and Shinnecock Indian Oscar Bunn, but the USGA, in a show of the kind of fairness that would virtually vanish from golf's governing bodies over the next several decades, told them that Shippen and Bunn would play, even if they were the only contestants.