Keeping the Legacy Alive

I am honored and blessed to be part of an excellent family legacy. My grandfather Theodore “Ted”s Rhodes is a golf pioneer and trailblazer and paved the way for African Americans to play the great game of golf. He loved the game of golf and was very passionate about honing his skills and competing at a high level. He believed the game of golf should be open to all races. He is the 1st African American professional golfer in the modern era to play in the US Open (1948). He was honored at the 2022 US Open and was featured in the USGA Museum. He won over 150 golf tournaments during his career. He mentored and coached many influential people, such as boxer Joe Louis, professional golfer Lee Elder (1st African American to play in the Masters), tennis player Althea Gibson, and many others.  During Tiger Woods’s 1st Masters win in 1997, he credited Ted along with several other golf pioneers for paving the way for him to play golf. Tiger studied Ted’s game and learned about him from his father Earl Woods. There is a golf course in his hometown of Nashville, TN that bears his name (Ted Rhodes Golf Course). He was granted posthumous membership to the PGA in 2009. He is ranked #3 best dressed golfer on GQ’s Golf’s Fashion Masters list.

The Legacy Continues through the Ted Rhodes Foundation that was founded by my mother Peggy Rhodes-White (CEO) in 1993 to keep my grandfather’s legacy alive and move the game of golf forward by creating opportunities for diverse youth to be introduced to golf and ultimately work in the golf industry. I am the President and one key initiative of the Foundation is to keep Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCU) golf programs alive by providing financial support on an annual basis. The solid partnership with Fisk University in Nashville, TN is great and the financial support has been a tremendous help to sustain this golf program. The Foundation has given HBCU scholarships to students playing on the golf team. Also, the Foundation supports junior golf programs and has great partnerships with several First Tee chapters (Greater Chicago, NW Indiana, Tennessee) and hosts a junior golf tour and golf clinics for kids 5-18 years old, provides financial support, and communication and leadership training. We host golf clinics and tournaments/outings for adults.  We are keeping the legacy alive…