Historic Bowden course celebrates 75th anniversary

To say Bowden Golf Course has been through its fair share of history is an understatement.

From public integration to being deemed a nationally historic place, the moments all came together in one place Saturday, as the course celebrated its 75th anniversary.

"This is such a great course," event organizer and Macon Golf for Kids president Sam Macfie said. "It has meaning for a lot of different people for a lot of different people. A lot of golf courses have come and go, changed management and go, but this has stayed the test of time. This is significant because for anything to stay in business 75 years is remarkable."

In February, the municipal golf course was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, becoming the first public facility to become integrated, which occurred in June 1961.

For Walter Worthen Sr., the day was very special, as he is the only living member of the four black golfers who helped integrate Bowden. Worthen was a caddie at Bowden for many years, well before the facility became integrated, and would have to travel to courses in Atlanta just to play.

"I just wanted to play golf," Worthen said. "And so did my friends. People were good to us and were always respectful to us as we caddied for them. The fact of it is that when you come to the golf course, everybody respects everybody. You come out to the course, and a golfer respects a golfer.

"Some of the guys we would caddy for would let us hit balls when we would get out of sight of the clubhouse. Not everybody would, but some of them would. That is how I learned the game. From watching others play and every now and then being able to hit a few myself."

The only other clubhouse to be listed on the National Historic Register is Augusta National Golf Club.

As for the female aspect of playing rounds at Bowden, Alice B. Jackson, president of the women's association of golfers at the course, said, like Worthen, she used to travel to Atlanta to play with other black female golfers.

"My husband and I wanted to play golf, but we didn't know much about it at the time," Jackson said. "But Jim Hickman (the club pro at Bowden through the 1990s) was such a good guy in accepting black women. When I went to other courses (in the Macon area), they were a little prejudiced as far as towards black women, but many of the women I've played with at Bowden through the years have become close friends. I would have to say Bowden was a stepping stone and has a special place in my heart."

This story was originally published October 24, 2015 at 5:13 PM with the headline "Historic Bowden course celebrates 75th anniversary ."