Dr. Charles “Charlie” Sifford (1922–2015) was a pioneering professional golfer whose courage and perseverance helped break the color barrier in the sport.
Dr Charlie Sifford
"Charles Sifford" Bronze by Emmanuel Gillespie erected in 2026.
Charles Luther Sifford was born near South Tryon Street on June 2, 1922. He began work at thirteen, caddying on Charlotte's whites-only golf courses for 60 cents a day. He often said he would give 50 cents to his mother and keep the remaining 10 cents to buy a cigar, which became his trademark look in later years.
He moved to Philadelphia when he was 17 years old, where he played against local black golfers. Sifford began golfing professionally in 1948. He competed in the golf tournaments that black golfers organized for themselves as they were excluded from the Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA). He became a member of the PGA Tour in 1961, thus becoming the first African American to join the Tour.
He tied for 21st place at the 1972 U.S. Open, his best finish in a major tournament. He competed in the PGA Seniors' Championship, then the leading tournament for golfers over fifty, winning the event in 1975. Sifford played in 422 PGA tournaments.
In 2004, he became the first African American inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. President Barack Obama awarded him the 2014 Presidential Medal of Freedom.
In 2011, Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation changed the name of Revolution Park Golf Course to Dr. Charles L. Sifford Golf Course at Revolution Park. Sifford died on February 3, 2015.
