Back in the swing of things - Cleveland Mayor Bibb looks to revitalize historic Highland Park Golf Course

CLEVELAND — The saying goes, "A lot of business is handled on the golf course," but in the case of Highland Park Golf Course in Cleveland, history was made instead.

For Pasa Barnett, it's family history.

“My grandfather played here back in the day and then my father learned how to play,” said Barnett.

For James Chandler, it is history that he and other Black golfers helped create.

“When we first started having tournaments, it [Highland Park] was one of the few golf courses that we could bring a group of guys to,” said Chandler.

At the time, Black golfers were banned on most links and altogether in the Professional Golfer’s Association.

James and that group of guys that he mentioned were part of the National Negro Golf Association founded in the mid-60s. The association created a lane of its own at Highland Park, its own leagues and tournaments, helping to send Black students to college on golf scholarships.

“I was always to come to Highland and be able to play, but if I wanted to go to some of the other golf courses around here, because they were private. You didn't have the ability to get into that private country club,” said Chandler.

Even Charlie Sifford, who pressed the PGA to end its whites-only policy, eventually became the first black golfer to join the PGA and called Highland Park his home golf course.

Sifford, who lived in Northeast Ohio, was an honorary member of Cleveland’s NNGA.

“I wanted to prove that a Black man could play golf,” said Sifford in a 2015 interview, not long before he died.

What was blatant discrimination back in the 60s, is now inaccessibility for many Black golfers.

Well-manicured courses like country clubs aren't easy or cheap to get into.

Highland Park, which is owned by the City of Cleveland, is easy to access. However, a lot of people including NNGA President Randy Keller believe the property needs some renovations.

“It is a quality place to play, with the backing of city government and a few additional things, we’ll have a tremendous place for people to come and play golf,” said Keller.

According to Golf Digest of the nearly 29,000 members of the Professional Golfers Association, just 1% are Black.

The history of Highland Park isn’t lost on Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb who recently put a call out to companies who would like to lease, revitalize and manage the property.

Bibb told News 5 that he also first started golfing at Highland Park and believes it is a priority to preserve Highland Park’s history.

“Everyone deserves to have access to world-class amenities,” said Bibb. “We [the city] want to maintain ownership of this golf course but bring in a world-class operator to restore these facilities to make it a world-class golf course and make sure this course remains a source of pride.”

Bibb said the city subsidizes the property $800,000 dollars a year, and he wants to ensure that the property looks reflects that subsidy.

“We want to attract the next big PGA Tournament to Cleveland right here on Highland Park Golf Course, it shouldn’t just belong to Canterbury or Beechmont,” said Bibb.

“A lot of Clevelanders use this golf course, to the extent that we can keep it, that we can improve it in those areas and those nuances where it needs improvement, he [Bibb] will have a gem right here in the city,” said Keller.

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