Rogers Park Golf Course in Tampa, Fla., is fortunate to have Adrian Stills is its Head Golf Professional. Stills’ expertise gives the community at large the many benefits of his knowledge as a golf pro. For the history books, Stills was the first African American to complete Q-School.
Trying to answer a basic question of why there are not more African Americans on the PGA Tour, Stills is part of a consortium of businessmen, who are working with The Advocates Pro Golf Tour, pushing to make a difference in getting more Black golfers out on the professional tour.
30 years ago, there were at least 6 African Americans on the tour each season. Today only Tiger woods and Harold Varner III are the only ones on the Tour. The reasoning seems to be that cost and opportunity are the strongest barriers for African Americans.
“We want this game to look like America”, says Ken Bentley, Executive Director of the Advocates Pro Golf Tour. To develop the next generation of players on tour, Bentley hopes to move forward a player development model supported by the PGA of America.
The mission of the Advocates Pro Tour is to bring greater diversity to the game of golf by developing African Americans and other minorities for careers in golf. This will be accomplished through professional tournaments, career fairs, and mentoring sessions.
