Old South Golf
Arnold Palmer walks up to the tee, quickly glances at the gallery, and begins his pre-swing routine. It is the 1960's and this is the 18th hole of one of the most prestigious golf tournaments in the world, The Players Championship. Approximately 450 yards stands between hundreds of dollars in prize money and a trophy. Palmer, who is white, notices the many glares from the white on lookers. People line both sides of the hole in anticipation of Palmer either meeting the challenge or cracking under pressure. The announcers, also white, watch in anticipation along with the television cameras and thousand of white viewers. Now, it is 2000 and Tiger Woods walks to the 18th hole of The Players Championship. One major difference is that Tiger Woods is not white. Tiger Woods is biracial, and the gallery he looks at contains more minority spectators than Arnold Palmer would have looked at in his day. Same pressure, different crowd, and a different day in time. Golf began in Scotland in the 1800's. The first person to play golf in America was a white male. As the game grew the courses established were private clubs and were generally for the rich. These rich men kept these clubs private for other rich men. Ev
A major reason for the participation in these sports versus golf is the lower cost. The game of golf has been primarily for the rich white man. The cost of golf equipment is outrageous. A right-handed man could spend approximately $2,000 dollars on a bag, clubs, shoes, and even more for specialty apparel. A higher percentage of America's poor are black which results in a lower level of interest for black children than white children. For example, 42 percent of African American children live in poverty rates versus only a 16 percent poverty rate for white children (79). Poor children can afford basketball shoes easier than golf equipment because of the lower cost. Country clubs and the dominance of white participants in the game of golf result in a black outcasts. Some country clubs segregated their play until recently. Poor children both black and white cannot afford to get involved in golf at a young age. Tiger Woods has came quite a long way with the game of golf. His effect on the game of golf is similar to the movie "Happy Gilmore". Happy Gilmore was a hockey player and did not fit the golfing stereotype. This results in very untraditional fans. Woods causes minorities to become more interested in golf. Golf is seen as a game that requires much technique, skill, and a strong mind
Some common words found in the essay are:
Golf Scotland, Institutional Racism, Tiger Woods, African American, Happy Gilmore, Championship Approximately, Arnold Palmer, game golf, Players Championship, tiger woods, Publishing Co, Patricia Hill, golf predominately white, players championship, idea black, lower cost, country clubs, white game, golf equipment, strong mind, poor children, predominately white game,
Approximate Word count = 882
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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