Ted Rhodes Foundation - Future Golfers of America - Growing the Champions of Tomorrow

The Ted Rhodes Foundation is named after African American golf pioneer and golf trailblazer Ted Rhodes. Ted was the 1st African American professional golfer in the modern era to play in the US Open (1948). He won over 150 golf tournaments during the course of his career. Tiger Woods mentioned Ted as one of the pioneers that paved the way for him to play golf. There is a golf course named after him in Nashville, TN. He was granted posthumous membership to the PGA in 2009.

Ted Rhodes’ vision was to make the game of golf open to all races. The Foundation is honoring his vision by creating pipelines of minority golfers by hosting educational events, golf clinics, and golf tournaments for youth and adults.

Our youth initiatives are part of our Future Golfers of America “Growing the Champions of Tomorrow” Program to expose youth in the urban areas to the great game of golf. We partner with urban youth golf programs, such as the First Tee Programs in Illinois, NW Indiana, Atlanta, North Florida, and Tennessee. We also provide Communication and Leadership training for the youth via the Toastmasters Youth Leadership Program. In addition to learning about golf, students learn how to craft speeches and deliver speeches in front of an audience. Also, students get leadership experience through this program. We believe it is important to teach the students golf skills and life skills which will help them learn more about the golf industry and potentially work in the golf industry (internships, etc.)to help move the game of golf forward by creating pipelines of talented students. We provide financial support to urban junior golf programs and Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) Golf Programs to keep these programs alive.

Our website is www.tedrhodes.org