Celebrating Holmes & the Tup Holmes Memorial Golf Course

Alfred “Tup” Holmes’ contributions to golf and its desegregation have received recognition both during his lifetime and after, continuing his, and his family’s, legacy. Tup received the “27” Club Award from the influential Atlanta African American organization by the same name in 1956 for “outstanding community citizenship service” and his efforts towards racial equality.

After his death in 1967, Tup was inducted into the National Black Golf Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame in 2012. He was also honored by several Mayoral Proclamations. Mayor Sam Massell designated Sunday, October 22, 1973 as “Tup” Holmes Day to mark the Atlanta Golfers Foundation’s 4th Annual Charitable Pro-Am Senior Golf Tournament. On the occasion of the city’s sponsorship of the Alfred “ Tup” Holmes Memorial Junior Golf Tournament, Mayor Maynard Jackson declared August 21, 1979 as Alfred F. “Tup” Holmes Day. Mayor Andrew Young also proclaimed August, 20, 1983 as Alfred “Tup” Holmes Memorial Day to observe the rededication of Adams Park – one of Tup’s favorite courses – in his honor.

More recently, the Tiger Woods Foundation celebrated Tup’s contributions to golf’s desegregation with their “Sharing & Caring Award” and a “Tup” Holmes Memorial Scholarship Fund in 1998.

The Alfred Tup Holmes Memorial Golf Course

On Saturday, August 20, 1983, Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young rededicated and renamed Adams Park Golf Course as the Alfred “Tup” Holmes Memorial Golf Course. The course is owned by the city, and available for the enjoyment of any golfer – a fitting tribute to its namesake. The rededication came about after J.R. “Honey” Smith, an amateur golfer, and city Councilmember Jim Maddox worked to gather support to rename the course. The rededication marked the first time in Georgia that a public facility was named for an African American man, and just the fourth time a facility was so named in the United States.

Sources: The Holmes Family Archive, The 27 Club Records, Archives Division; Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History; Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System; National Black Golf Hall of Fame; Georgia Golf Hall of Fame; Atlanta Journal Constitution, 1973.