LOOK BACK KAPPA HISTORY
T here are various the- ories about when and where golf originated. The prevailing opinion links golf’s birth to the 15th century in Edinburgh, Scot- land. The game’s popularity spread throughout 16th-century Europe and was embraced by the royals, who created golf courses and clubs for the elite. The game spread to other parts of the world with the establishment of golf clubs during the 18th and 19th centuries. Despite its widespread popularity, Black people and other minorities were restricted from partic- ipating in the sport since its inception. These segregation regulations remained until the early 20th century, particularly in the United States, where golf remained predominantly a country club sport, from which Black Americans were prohibited, except for serving as caddies. Although John Shippen was the first Black golf profes- sional and the first Black American to play in the U.S. Open (1896), it would take another 27 years before another Black person, Horace M. McDougal, would be credited with integrating the game on the collegiate level. McDou- gal’s efforts contributed to opening the door for other Black golfers to learn and competitively play the game. McDougal was born in 1896 and raised on the south side of Chicago, the sixth of seven children. It is unknown at what age McDougal was initially exposed to golf or how he was able to develop his skills, especially since barriers were erected that restricted Black people from playing on golf
Left: Horace H. McDougal, circa 1955. Right: Excerpt from The Chicago Defender , July 11, 1914.
“ HORACE M. MCDOUGAL, WOULD BE CREDITED WITH INTEGRATING THE GAME ON THE COLLEGIATE LEVEL. MCDOUGAL’S EFFORTS HELPED OPEN THE DOOR FOR OTHER BLACK GOLFERS TO LEARN AND COMPETE IN THE GAME. ”
courses. He likely first encountered the game by association with fellow White classmates, or as a caddy for White players at the Chicago Park District’s Jackson Park Golf Course. Opened in 1899, Jackson Park Golf Course, located along Chicago’s south side lakefront, was free of cost and was the first public golf course in the Midwest. A news account states that he learned golf while caddying at the Midlothian Country Club (located southwest of
Chicago). McDougal attended Cal- umet High School and, while there, became the first Chicago Black high school student to represent his school as a golfer, competing in the Western Interscholastic Prep Tournament in 1911 at Ravisloe Golf Club in Home- wood, Illinois (a southwest suburb of Chicago). Although he did not place as one of the finalists in this amateur competition, McDougal continued to hone his skills. In 1914, he was named
70 THE JOURNAL ♦ FALL 2025
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