Golf and Slavery: Its Intersection in the South

Golf is a game with a rich history of class consciousness. A game played by masters and their servants or caddies. Wealthy early golfers did not just have a single caddie to carry their bag and clubs but a forecaddie as well to spot where their golf ball landed. This is where we get the warning cry ‘fore’ from, as caddies and then players loudly announce the impending arrival of a struck golf ball. Golf originated in Scotland and then, England, but soon emigrated, as a pastime, to the new world in America and Australia. Games like golf were, in the 19C and early 20C, for those with the necessary wealth to indulge in recreational activities. The masters of these colonial times were partial to the odd spot of golf. Golf and slavery: Its intersection in the South of the United States of America was not altogether uncommon.