Seattle Parks and Recreation after hearing from members of the Beacon Hill Council, Fir State Golf Club (Fir State), and Friends of Bill Wright renamed Jefferson Golf Course to Bill Wright Golf Complex.
HOW: The idea of honoring the late Bill Wright, a local Seattle resident, was first formally presented at a Beacon Hill Council meeting in October 2021. Members of the Beacon Hill Council and Fir State garnered community support and urged Seattle Parks and Recreation to rename the golf course where Bill Wright worked so tirelessly to open doors into the game of golf for Black people. At this public course on Beacon Hill, Bill and his family, including Fir State Golf Club, spent decades improving access and resources for golfers of color to learn, practice, and play this great game. Because of Bill’s quiet excellence and his family’s leadership, the community rallied to help open the doors of golf to Blacks in Seattle and ultimately, this support propelled him to become the nation’s best amateur golfer in 1959. Accordingly, renaming Jefferson Park Golf Course to the Bill Wright Golf Complex is an appropriate gesture to pay homage to struggle and sacrifices of Bill Wright and his family, and the important role that community organizations like Fir State Golf Club play in securing equity and inclusion in our society to make the world a better place for everyone.
WHY: Bill Wright broke the color barrier in the game of golf as the first African American to win a United State Golf Association (USGA) event, at the 1959 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship. Bill was a graduate of Franklin High School and went on to play college golf at the Western Washington University, winning the 1960 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Men's Golf Championship individual title. He was an original junior member and lifetime member of Fir State Golf Club, based at Jefferson Park Golf Course. He was inducted into the Pacific Northwest Golf Association Hall of Fame in 2013 and will be appropriately honored by renaming his home course, the Bill Wright Golf Complex.
The Renaming Story: In April of 2024, Seattle Parks and Recreation Department(SPR) made history by renaming the Jefferson Park Golf Course to Bill Wright Golf Complex. AP-Diaz, Superintendent of SPR stated, “we have convened.. I just wanted you to know we are indeed doing that to honor this great man.” This gesture stands not only as a testament to the progress our community has made since 1947, but also as a reminder of how far we have to go in the fight against racial discrimination for equity and inclusion in our society, overall. The renaming is a well-earned honor for Bill Wright and his family, and also a celebration of the community’s journey toward equity and inclusion. It stands as a monument to the idea that the exclusionary practices of the past have no place in Seattle or anywhere else in our great nation. The Beacon Hill Neighborhood Council and the Friends of Bill Wright were instrumental in the efforts to rename the Jefferson Park Golf Course. Their collaboration reflected the community’s recognition of the importance of acknowledging, confronting and rectifying the insidious wrongs of the past. This effort grew from a notion mentioned at a Beacon Hill Council meeting in 2021 to this momentous renaming after a groundswell of community support beyond the golfing community to become the Friends of Bill Wright organization. Fir State Golf Club played a crucial role in uniting the community, as the club was chartered in 1947 to challenge the status quo and foster a sense of belonging for minorities in Seattle. According to current club president, Berdell Knowles, Jr., “For 77 years, Fir State Golf Club has persisted because of its founders mission to open doors and to promote an inclusive society. I hope this successful campaign to rename Bill Wright Golf Complex ignites us all to support clubs and organizations like Fir State here in Seattle and elsewhere to address the discriminatory wrongs of the past with equitable and inclusive rights.” For African American athletes, the aspiration to join the Professional Golf Association (PGA) was not merely about having the talent and developing golf skills, but also a battle against the entrenched prejudices of the time. Bill Wright, a south Seattle resident, fought against the PGA’s “Caucasian-only” clause, which effectively barred non-white players from participating in PGA-sanctioned events. Golf courses were segregated, and opportunities for black golfers to play, let alone compete, were severely limited. Public golf courses, like Jefferson Park Golf Course, upheld the discriminatory practices of the day. In 1961, the Wright family brought a lawsuit against the City of Seattle to challenge the exclusionary policies that prevented Bill Wright from obtaining a handicap, a requirement to compete in amateur golf tournaments. Then, in 1959, Bill Wright competed in and won the USGA Public Links Tournament in Denver, CO, becoming the first African American to win the Public Links tournament! Bill went on to attend Western Washington University and win the NAIA golf championship in 1961, once again the first African American to do so.
Conclusion The renaming of Jefferson Golf Course to the Bill Wright Golf Complex in 2024 commemorates a legacy of courage, determination, and unity. It is a recognition of the discrimination minority golfers face, and a celebration of a community rallying to overcome those challenges. The legacies of Bill Wright and Fir State Golf Club continue to inspire and remind us that the fairways of golf, much like the broader avenues of society, should be open to all.
Beacon Hill Council, Fir State Golf Club, and Friends of Bill Wright will celebrate the 65th Anniversary of Bill Wright’s USGA Public Links win at the Bill Wright Club House from 11-1:00 PM, on July 13th. The renaming celebration will be on October 10th, 2024 at Bill Wright ClubHouse on Bill Wright Day.
Please come on October 19th, 10-2:00 to celebrate the newly named Bill Wright Club House and Golf Complex!