Country Clubs & Golf Courses

Highland Park Golf Course

Highland Park Golf Course is located at 3550 Green Road in Highland Hills. It operates on a large parcel of land called Cooley Farms in Warrensville Township. The course opened in 1913, and since its establishment, it has had a rich history of hosting Black golf clubs and players, most notably, Cleveland’s oldest Black golf club, the Forest City Golf Association. Being a trailblazer in diversity, it along with Seneca Golf Course were the only two courses in Cuyahoga County that welcomed Black golfers on its greens as late as the 1950s.

Operating as the sole public golf course of the east side of Cleveland, Highland Park Golf Course played host to tournaments held by The Forest City Golf Association and the Sixth City Golf Club. These tournaments brought some of the best Black golfers from all over the country to the greens at Highland Park.

The Forest City Golf Association was the main golf club that operated at the Highland Park Golf Course and its establishment in 1936 made it the oldest Black golf club in the state of Ohio. By 1943 the club had over 100 members in its ranks and was made up of very accomplished golfers. The club was founded by Dr. Veo Beck, a well-respected physician and golf lover in Cleveland. Dr. Beck’s role in expanding African Americans’ interest in golf cannot be overstated. His actions with the community off the greens show this well. Dr. Beck and his club hosted free golf lessons to those who wanted to learn the sport, providing free equipment and knowledge for anyone that showed. His willingness to spread the game to his community was one of the many ways that Dr. Beck and his golf association helped diversify the game of golf, and certainly made a positive difference for Black youth in Cleveland by getting them involved in the golfing community in their city.

Forest City Golf Association president Dr. Veo Beck | Call & Post, September 25, 1954

The Sixth City Golf Club, established in 1946, also helped increase interest and opportunities for Black golfers. While it was seen as a “baby” compared to the Forest City Golf Association, its membership grew over the following years and helped bring other nationally recognized golfers to Highland Park.

The Highland Park Golf Course stands as an enduring landmark in the history of Black golfers. Even many decades after the days of Dr. Veo Beck and his club, the course remains host to many minority youth tournaments. In 1990 Highland Park Golf Course was the host of the National Minority Golf Scholarship Tournament. These tournaments helped fund scholarships which enabled Black students to go to college and follow their love of golf. Highland Park also was the home of tournaments for Black women golfers, which shows the course’s commitment to promoting golf inclusivity for everyone.

The opportunities that Highland Park Golf Course afforded Black golfers were invaluable to the growth of the game and expanding it to all racial groups. Headlined by the Forest City Golf Association and the Sixth City Golf Club, the legacy of the clubs and the tournaments that they held can still be felt today, with countless Black golfers teeing off at Highland Park every season.

Resources

  • Demas, Lane. Game of Privilege: An African American History of Golf. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2017.
  • “Forest City Golf Club is Distinctive.” Call & Post. July 31, 1943.
  • “Forest City Golf Club Promotes Central Class.” Call & Post. January 31, 1948.
  • “Golfers Try For Ohio Crown: 75 of Best in Nation Tee Off at Highland This Week.” Call & Post. July 11, 1942.
  • Jackson, William. “Cleveland Golf Clubs Planning Tournaments: Sixth City, Forest City Clubs Top Promoters.” Call & Post. June 2, 1956.
  • “National Minority College Golf Tees Off at Highland May 18-21.” Call & Post. May 16, 1991.
  • Polk, Anita. “National Minority Golf Tournament Headed for Cleveland.” Call & Post. April 26, 1990.
3550 Green Rd, Highland Hills, OH

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