Woods inspires black Nashvillians to take swing at golf

By Kevin Jones
Diversity Institute Fellow

07.30.02

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Japho Hardin, a 52-year-old lifetime resident of Nashville, got turned onto golf by watching a tournament during a TV commercial break of a football game 15 years ago.

Five years later, as he was playing golf at a local course, he happened to overhear two golfers as they were walking to the next tee. “Those black folks can never be good golfers,” one of the men said. “They can’t think.”

At the time, Hardin had been struggling with his golf game and was considering giving the sport up for good. He just couldn’t seem to get his shots where he wanted them to go, he said. But when he heard those comments, he found a renewed passion for the game.

“I wanted to prove that blacks can excel in whatever they put their minds to,” said Hardin, who works for the Nashville Water Department.

And it is Tiger Woods’ domination of the sport today that has cemented his and other Nashville minorities’ belief that golf is indeed a game for all people. While some observers have argued that Woods’ dominance takes the fun out of watching golf, others – especially minorities – contend that he fills a need and is good for the sport.

Nashville resident Nathaniel Goodman believes that Woods, whose father is African-American, is a blessing to golf and the world, sent by God to show that blacks are capable of doing anything. Goodman, 59, works at the Nashville International Airport and has been playing golf for over 35 years.

Woods recently failed in his quest to become the only golfer to ever win all four professional majors in the same calendar year.

But the fact that the goal was within his reach leads some of his biggest supporters to believe that the best is yet to come.

Just ask Butch Bowers, a native of Nashville, who happens to be a black professional golfer.

Bowers has played golf since he was very young and appreciates the talent that Woods brings to the field every time that he enters a tournament.

“The difference between good golfers and great golfers is that they can still be in the hunt after playing a poor round” said Bowers. “That’s what Tiger has.”

Bowers believes that not only is Woods good for the game, he is good for sports as a whole.

“He has elevated the game ... everybody wants to learn about golf,” said Bower.

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Articles, photos by 2002 Diversity Institute Fellows
Collection page for articles written by 2002 Diversity Institute Fellows.  07.23.02