Ted Rhodes

Theodore Rhodes (November 9, 1913 – July 4, 1969) was an American professional golfer in the mid-twentieth century, a time when African American golfers were a rarity. Rhodes helped break golf's color barrier. A native of Nashville, Tennessee, he dominated the Negro UGA circuit, winning around 150 tournaments from the late 1940s to 1960, including four National Negro Open titles. He qualified for high-profile PGA tournaments but was denied admission because of that organization’s “Caucasian-only” clause. His perseverance in fighting such discrimination benefited future generations of minority golfers. An example is Tiger Woods who, during his historic first Masters victory speech, mentioned Rhodes as one of the pioneers who paved the way for him to compete in major golf events. After Rhodes' death in 1969 (age 55), the Ted Rhodes Foundation was established to promote youth golf and support golf teams at historically black colleges and universities(HBCUs). Rhodes' home course in Nashville was re-named in his honor. He was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame and the Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame.

Early life Rhodes was born in Nashville, Tennessee, the son of Frank and Della Anderson Rhodes. He was a self-taught golfer, learning the game in his teenage years while working as a caddie at Nashville's Belle Meade Country Club and Richland Country Club. Rhodes practiced the game at a local baseball field called Sunset Park using sticks with homemade flags as pins. He served in the United States Navy in World War II. When his tour of duty concluded, Rhodes was discharged in Chicago, where he met entertainer Billy Eckstine and heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis. He taught both men to play the game of golf, and served as Louis' personal instructor, valet and playing partner. However, the majority of his competitive play took place on the Negro league United Golf Association sanctioned tournaments. In 1948, it was held at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles. His participation established him as one of the first African American professional golfers.

Discrimination

Rhodes and fellow African American Bill Spiller were among the top winners in the Los Angeles Open; in fact, Spiller was in the spotlight after tying Ben Hogan with a 68 in the first round. The fact of Spiller being a Negro was avoided in press accounts of that opening round. however, after a couple of practice rounds at Richmond, they were told that they were disqualified because the rules there were different.

Legacy Rhodes returned to his native Nashville in the 1960s where he mentored several black PGA players including Lee Elder and Charlie Sifford. He provided golf lessons to Althea Gibson, former U.S. and Wimbledon tennis champion. In 2009, the PGA of America granted posthumous membership to Rhodes, Spiller, and John Shippen. The PGA also has granted posthumous honorary membership to boxer Joe Louis. During his first Masters win speech, Tiger Woods mentioned Rhodes as one of the pioneers that paved the way for him to play golf. In 1998, Rhodes was inducted into the Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame and in 2010, into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. He was named to the National Black Golf Hall of Fame in 1986.

The Ted Rhodes Foundation was created in 1993, a non-profit entity that supports golf teams at historically black colleges and universities, such as Nashville's Fisk University. Among other functions, it supports urban junior golf programs, such as First Tee of Tennessee. The foundation is run by Rhodes's granddaughter Tiffany White.