Georgia's Legacy of Change: Black Golfers Transforming the Sport

Across the state and the country, a new generation builds on a legacy of integration, driving inclusion and innovation in the game.

Christmas Eve may not be the ideal time to tee off in most states, but in Georgia, it marks a historic moment. Nearly 70 years ago, on December 24, 1955, Alfred “Tup” Holmes (pictured above courtesy of Alfred Tup Holmes Foundation) integrated Atlanta’s North Fulton Golf Course—his enduring gift to the people of the city.

Holmes’s desegregation of this prominent public course, co-designed by Bobby Jones and a former PGA tournament venue, was a watershed moment. It not only expanded access to golf in Georgia but also propelled the broader civil rights movement, both on and off the fairway.

The Trailblazer: Alfred “Tup” Holmes

"We want the use of the links any day," Holmes declared to reporters as Holmes v. City of Atlanta moved through the courts. "This is the only democratic way."

Days after the U.S. Supreme Court mandated the desegregation of public golf facilities, Holmes, alongside his brother, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and fellow golfers Charles T. Bell, T.D. Hawkins, and E.J. Peterson, teed off at North Fulton. They became the first Black players to legally compete on a public course in Georgia.

"The Alfred Tup Holmes Legacy Foundation will commemorate the 70th anniversary of this historic milestone with a series of events throughout the year," announced Hamilton Holmes Jr., Tup Holmes’s grandson and the foundation's President and CEO, who is pictured right courtesy of the Alfred Tup Holmes Foundation.

Holmes's legacy as a trailblazer is rooted in his own prowess as an amateur golfer at Tuskegee Institute and beyond. His fight for integration, fueled by his personal experience with the sport, solidified his place in Georgia golf history. In 1967, he became an “ancestor of the game,” and 45 years later, was posthumously inducted into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame in 2012.

Building on Holmes's foundation, a new generation of Black leaders is making their mark on the sport, finding their place on courses across the Peach State and opening doors for others. Like Holmes, many honed their skills and seized opportunities at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

The Teacher: Daryl Batey

Darryl Batey boasts nearly three decades of service to the PGA of America.
Photo courtesy: Darryl Batey

Daryl Batey leveraged his experience on the South Carolina State University golf team into a successful two-decade career as a golf professional. With over 25 years of service to the PGA of America, Batey received the Georgia PGA Section’s 2024 President’s Award, recognizing his dedication to promoting the game, creating opportunities, inspiring fellow professionals, and demonstrating exceptional expertise.

Batey also served as the head golf coach at Spelman College before the Atlanta HBCU de-emphasized intercollegiate athletics. His career includes positions at numerous Georgia clubs, including PGA Head Golf Professional at Charlie Yates Golf Course—a distinction held by only a small percentage of Black golfers in the U.S.

Although retired in 2021, Batey remains a sought-after golf instructor at Mystery Valley Golf Course in Lithonia and serves on the advisory board for the Women in Golf Foundation.

The Advocate: LaJean Waller Gould

The annual National Women’s Collegiate Golf Championship is the organization’s major fundraising event.
Photo courtesy: Women in Golf Foundation

As founder and president of the Women in Golf Foundation, LaJean Waller Gould has been a driving force behind the National Women’s Collegiate Golf Championship for 30 years. This tournament provides crucial opportunities for women’s golf programs at HBCUs.

A graduate of Fisk University and the University of Michigan, Gould established the foundation to introduce girls to the game and nurture their development into collegiate and lifelong players.

In 2024, Gould shared her journey as a communications professional and golf advocate alongside Nancy Lopez and seven-time PGA Tour winner Peter Jacobsen at the Chevron Championship. "Golf gives you what you put into it," Gould told the African American Golfer’s Digest, emphasizing the sport's inherent equity.

The National Women’s Collegiate Golf Championship, the foundation's largest annual fundraiser, saw Gwinnett County’s Jada Richardson lead Howard University to a commanding 40-stroke victory in 2024. This year’s championship will feature 54 holes of competition, along with career development seminars, panel discussions, and networking opportunities for golfers from Paine College, Savannah State, and other HBCUs.

The Entrepreneurs: Keyeria Miles and Lashonda Miles

Ladies Who Golf. Photo courtesy: Brandon Huntley

Keyeria Miles and her mother, Lashonda Miles, founders of Ladies Who Golf, exemplify the possibilities of golf entrepreneurship. Their Atlanta-based initiative introduces business and professional women of all ages and skill levels to the game, highlighting the networking and deal-making opportunities often found on the golf course.

Founded in 2023, Ladies Who Golf arose from the Miles’s recognition of the need for greater inclusivity in the sport, welcoming women from diverse financial and professional backgrounds. The idea took root during the pandemic-era golf boom, when Miles recalled a supervisor mentioning closing a deal on the golf course, citing the game's socially distanced nature.

Data from the National Golf Foundation indicates that golf has become younger, more diverse, and more welcoming to women since the pandemic. With over 680,000 Georgians playing at least one round in 2023, Ladies Who Golf aims to attract even more players by creating social experiences that celebrate the lives, joys, journeys, and diversity of women professionals.

Lashonda Miles (left) and Keyeria Miles (right)
Photo courtesy: Brandon Huntley

The Creatives: Earl Cooper and Olajuwon Ajanaku

Picture above:  Earl Cooper (left) and Olajuwon Ajanaku (right) |  Photo below: Ajanaku (left) and Cooper (right)
Photos courtesy: Eastside Golf

Last year, Ladies Who Golf posed a crucial question on Instagram—one that Earl Cooper, Olajuwon Ajanaku, and others like Gould and Batey have dedicated themselves to answering: “How can we grow the game of golf if we continue to measure a golfer’s worth by the size of their wallet instead of their passion for the sport?”

Ajanaku and Cooper, former Morehouse golf teammates, have been instrumental in transforming Eastside Golf into a leading American golf brand. Named after Ajanaku's childhood neighborhood in Atlanta, Eastside Golf infuses hip-hop culture and streetwear into its golf apparel.

Since its founding in June 2019, Eastside Golf has experienced meteoric growth. Their apparel has been embraced by retired athletes, business executives, and even former presidents.

Cooper and Ajanaku attribute the brand's success to their authenticity as individuals and former collegiate golfers. This genuine approach has positioned Eastside Golf as a disruptor in the golf apparel industry.

In 2024, Eastside Golf sponsored a collegiate tournament featuring eight programs—four women’s teams and four men’s teams. Like the National Women’s Collegiate Golf Championship, Howard University’s team, along with Florida A&M University, emerged victorious.

Following the inaugural tournament in November, Eastside Golf made headlines in December with the announcement that Nordstrom would carry their apparel.

“When you stay true to your vision, you attract like-minded partners,” Ajanaku said in a December 2024 statement. “By partnering with brands like Jordan Brand, Nike, Bridgestone Golf, Mercedes-Benz, and now Nordstrom, we are showing how Eastside’s approach to style is changing the conversation. We’re demonstrating to the world that golf isn’t just a sport—it’s a lifestyle with no boundaries.”

By staying true to their vision and infusing their authenticity into the game, Ajanaku and Cooper, along with the Mileses, Batey, and Gould, are carrying forward the legacy of advancing golf—just as Tup Holmes did 70 years ago.