Dr. Charles L Sifford Golf Course at Revolution Park – Played March 2020
- Rankings: None of the four lists
- Location: 1225 Remount Road, Charlotte, North Carolina
- Year: 1937
- Original Architect: Corps of Engineers
- Additional Work By: Clyde Johnston
- Course Access: Public
- Walking Rules: Carts Available
Score Card Information:
- Back: 2,936 yards, Par 35, 68.0 Rating/121 Slope
- Middle: 2,745 yards, Par 35, 66.4 Rating/112 Slope (Men’s), 71.6 Rating/121 Slope (Women’s)
- Forward: 2,260 yards, Par 35, 62.4 Rating/97 Slope (Men’s), 65.6 Rating/110 Slope (Women’s)
After we played Monroe Country Club in the morning, most of the Refuge crew headed towards downtown Charlotte to play Dr. Charles L. Sifford Golf Course at Revolution Park.
The fun nine-hole track sits minutes from uptown Charlotte and provides great practice facilities for all to enjoy the game. Additionally, the course is partnered with the First Tee. It’s good to know that more kids can learn great core values while learning golf. From being the first municipal course in Charlotte that shamefully barred people of color, to being a First Tee partner is a great transformation. There is obviously more to do, but it is a step in the right direction.
The plaques below are seen around the course. As the first one below mentions, they detail the life of Dr. Charles L Sifford. He was a true trailblazer in golf for African Americans. The stories below do not shy away from the shamefulness of segregation in both golf and America.
Dr. Sifford, according to his World Golf Hall of Fame page, was the first African American to play on the PGA Tour. He earned his card at 39 and helped lead to the PGA of American dropping their “Caucasians Only” policy. It’s sad that it took that long but I am truly thankful Dr. Sifford persevered. Tiger Woods has continuously thanked Sifford for paving the way for minorities in the game. He even refers to him as his Grampa, showing how much he reveres him.
With rampant racial issues still persisting in America, it is important for people to see and know these stories. If we do not learn from history we are bound to repeat it.
In addition to discussing Sifford’s life, the plaques detail the history of the course. The one below lets us know how this site was the first municipal golf course in Charlotte. We also get the first core value of the First Tee, perseverance.
I was focusing on enjoying the course and the rest of the group from our No Laying Up meet up, so I didn’t get that many pictures. I can say that the nine holes have plenty of elevation change and interest to make for a fun round. The course is a great amenity to have so close to downtown. If anything, it hopefully gets more people into the game.
Below is the view from the first tee.
Below is the driveable fifth hole. You can see the green behind the trees on the right.
I couldn’t have asked for a better day. We were all doing elbow bumps and staying away from each other. Playing here on March 14th before the US had really changed with all the COVID-19 fallout now seems truly surreal.
I am so glad I got a chance to get together with friends and make new ones. I hope we can all get back to some sort of normal life soon.