Shoal Creek
Encyclopedia
Shoal Creek Golf and Country Club, located in Shelby County
, east of Hoover, Alabama
, USA, (Birmingham
metro area) is an invitation-only private golf club which opened in 1977. The course was designed by professional golfer Jack Nicklaus
and is rated as the top golf course in the state. In fact, Shoal Creek has consistently listed as one of America's top courses, most recently being ranked #50 in Golf Digest and #70 in Golf Week.
, USGA
, and NCAA
events, including many tour championships like the 1984 and 1990 PGA Championship
, the 1986 U.S. Amateur, and the 2008 U.S. Junior Amateur. In addition, the course has been the site of USGA qualifiers for the U.S. Amateur, U.S. Mid-Amateur and U.S. Junior Amateur as well as the Southern Golf Association Championship. Other tournaments hosted there include the 1978 Southeastern Conference
Championship, the 1992-1996 Jerry Pate
Intercollegiate Tournament, the 1992 Women's Alabama Golf Association Junior Championship, the 2001 Birmingham Golf Association Junior Championship, and its own Shoal Creek Senior Invitational since 1998.
commented that the club would not be pressured to accept African-American members, stating "this is our home, and we pick and choose who we want." These comments, made prior to the 1990 PGA Championship, made the tournament front-page news as civil rights groups such as the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
threatened to protest the event and sponsors pulled advertising from the tournament. The PGA considered moving the tournament away from Shoal Creek, but in the end reached a compromise with the club: local insurance executive Louis Willie was invited to become an honorary member with full membership to come after the waiting-list period of any membership application. This incident forced everyone associated with golf--clubs, the PGA, and the USGA--to look at minority access in the sport. The PGA and USGA changed rules regarding course selection, requiring clubs that hosted events to meet inclusive membership requirements.
Since this incident, Shoal Creek did not host any major golf event until 2008, when the club hosted the U.S. Junior Amateur. In regards to membership, Shoal Creek has welcomed some African-Americans, women, and Jews as members.
In September of 2009, Condoleezza Rice
, the former United States Secretary of State
under President George W. Bush
became a full member of Shoal Creek. Rice is originally from the Birmingham, Alabama
area. In addition to joining Shoal Creek, Rice became a member of Greystone Golf and Country Club.
Shelby County, Alabama
Shelby County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama and a part of the Birmingham–Hoover–Cullman Combined Statistical Area. It is named in honor of Isaac Shelby, Governor of Kentucky. The county seat of Shelby County is Columbiana. As of 2010 U.S. Census the population was 195,085. Shelby...
, east of Hoover, Alabama
Hoover, Alabama
Hoover is a city in Jefferson and Shelby Counties in north central Alabama, in the United States. The largest suburb of Birmingham, the population of the city was 62,742 as of the 2000 census and 81,619 in the 2010 census. Hoover is part of the Birmingham-Hoover, AL MSA and is also included in the...
, USA, (Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
metro area) is an invitation-only private golf club which opened in 1977. The course was designed by professional golfer Jack Nicklaus
Jack Nicklaus
Jack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a...
and is rated as the top golf course in the state. In fact, Shoal Creek has consistently listed as one of America's top courses, most recently being ranked #50 in Golf Digest and #70 in Golf Week.
Tournaments
Shoal Creek has played host to numerous PGAProfessional Golfers' Association of America
Founded in 1916, the Professional Golfers' Association of America is headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and is made up of more than 28,000 men and women golf professional members...
, USGA
United States Golf Association
The United States Golf Association is the United States' national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the Rules of Golf. The USGA also provides a national handicap system...
, and NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
events, including many tour championships like the 1984 and 1990 PGA Championship
PGA Championship
The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...
, the 1986 U.S. Amateur, and the 2008 U.S. Junior Amateur. In addition, the course has been the site of USGA qualifiers for the U.S. Amateur, U.S. Mid-Amateur and U.S. Junior Amateur as well as the Southern Golf Association Championship. Other tournaments hosted there include the 1978 Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
Championship, the 1992-1996 Jerry Pate
Jerry Pate
Jerome Kendrick "Jerry" Pate is an American golfer.Jerry Pate was born in Macon, Georgia. He attended the University of Alabama, where he played on the golf team. Pate had a distinguished amateur career. He won the U.S. Amateur in 1974, and the following year he was a member of victorious U.S....
Intercollegiate Tournament, the 1992 Women's Alabama Golf Association Junior Championship, the 2001 Birmingham Golf Association Junior Championship, and its own Shoal Creek Senior Invitational since 1998.
Controversy
Up until 1990, Shoal Creek had no African-American members, similar to other clubs across the nation. A firestorm began when club founder Hall ThompsonHall Thompson
Hall Thompson was an American businessman and developer from Birmingham, Alabama who established the Shoal Creek Golf and Country Club in 1977 as an invitation-only private golf club...
commented that the club would not be pressured to accept African-American members, stating "this is our home, and we pick and choose who we want." These comments, made prior to the 1990 PGA Championship, made the tournament front-page news as civil rights groups such as the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference is an African-American civil rights organization. SCLC was closely associated with its first president, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr...
threatened to protest the event and sponsors pulled advertising from the tournament. The PGA considered moving the tournament away from Shoal Creek, but in the end reached a compromise with the club: local insurance executive Louis Willie was invited to become an honorary member with full membership to come after the waiting-list period of any membership application. This incident forced everyone associated with golf--clubs, the PGA, and the USGA--to look at minority access in the sport. The PGA and USGA changed rules regarding course selection, requiring clubs that hosted events to meet inclusive membership requirements.
Since this incident, Shoal Creek did not host any major golf event until 2008, when the club hosted the U.S. Junior Amateur. In regards to membership, Shoal Creek has welcomed some African-Americans, women, and Jews as members.
In September of 2009, Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...
, the former United States Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
under President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
became a full member of Shoal Creek. Rice is originally from the Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
area. In addition to joining Shoal Creek, Rice became a member of Greystone Golf and Country Club.