Player Profile: Calvin Peete

It's a real shame when you consider how much Calvin Peete accomplished and the magnitude of the struggle he endured on his way to the PGA Tour and throughout his tremendous career. Calvin Peete was considered the greatest African American player until Tiger Woods came along. Calvin Peete was born on July 18, 1943 and grew up in Detroit, Michigan. Early in his life he broke his right arm falling out of a tree, plaguing him throughout his Tour playing days. Leaving school at age 13, Calvin became a migrant worker, travelling throughout the east coast selling various goods and taking any odd job he could find. One day as fate would have it, Calvin's friends made plans to play golf, a thought that Peete was against at first. Peete then decided to accompany his buddies rather than sit in a hot car all afternoon waiting for them to finish. Calvin does not remember what he shot that day, but he made a par at the short 7th hole, a par 3. From that moment on, at the advanced age of 23, Calvin devoted every waking hour to learning the game of golf. He practiced for hours in trailer parks and on football fields, often hitting thousands of balls until his hands literally bled. Throughout his learning curve, professional golf seemed like a pipe dream to a poor, black, uneducated man. Calvin learned the nuances of the game from books and quickly became a scratch golfer. He learned how to compete under pressure against golf hustlers at Genesee Valley Park.

In 1974, Calvin watched professional golfer Lee Elder win the Monsanto Open and become the first African American to qualify for the Masters. Upon hearing that Elder won a nice amount of money, Peete became determined to make it to the PGA Tour. In 1975, after only 3 tries at the PGA Tour's Qualifying school, Calvin received his playing privileges, becoming a rookie at the age of 28 with very limited tournament experience.

In 1976, Peete began the long apprenticeship in becoming a winner on Tour. He started by first learning how to make cuts and handling his nerves in contention. In his fourth year as a professional, Calvin won the Milwaukee Open and gained the much-needed confidence that a short hitter on Tour needs to win at the highest level. In 1981 Calvin qualified for the Ryder Cup, but was not able to play because of some archaic rule which required a high school diploma to participate. Undaunted, Calvin approached the situation with the determination to overcome any obstacles without becoming angry or bitter. With his wife's tutoring, he received his G.E.D. and was part of the victorious 1983 Ryder Cup team.

Calvin's breakout year occurred in 1982 when he won 4 times: Milwaukee, Anhueser Busch, BC Open and in Pensacola. Despite the success, Calvin had few friends on Tour and he was often lonely and misunderstood by fellow players. He had little in common with his upper crust white contemperaries and preferred the company of the caddies whose skin color and social background was similar to his. There was also an issue with Calvin winning the Vardon Trophy awarded to the Tour player with the lowest scoring average. He had a reputation of dropping out of Tournaments when he posted opening round high scores, leading fellow players to accuse him of withdrawing to protect his scoring average. Calvin answered his critic's disapproval with the explanation that his back and right arm often hurt so bad that he wasn’t able to swing a club.

Despite the controversy that surrounded him, Calvin continued to win more golf tournaments. In 1983 he triumphed at Alanta and in the Anhueser Busch. The following year, he won the Texas Open. In 1985 Calvin won early in the year at Phoenix and in March headed to Jacksonville in what would become his greatest victory of all.

The stadium course at T.P.C. Sawgrass was the brainchild of commissioner Deane Beman and designer Pete Dye. The course was only three years-old and was considered the toughest venue on tour, in fact, it's still considered the tour's toughest stop. Calvin arrived that week extremely confident that he could find the fairway off the tee, a strong part of his game and a must for the tight confines of the Stadium Course. The display he put on all week was astounding. Averaging less than 260 yards off the tee, he would hit fairway woods into par four greens. By Sunday it was a runaway victory.

His Sunday tee shot on the famous 17 hole island green would be the icing on the cake. Landing only a few feet away from the pin, the roar of the gallery was a tribute to a lifetime of hard work and respect that this strong African-American man deserved for his incredible victory that week and in life.

The following year he continued his winning ways by capturing the annual Tournament of Champions and the USFG played in New Orleans. Calvin never won another professional tournament and eventually played on to the Senior Tour.

Now retired from golf, Peete spends his days teaching youth the fundamentals of the game he loves. All but forgotten in the world of pro golf, he never plays on the Senior Tour and has not merited inclusion to the hall of fame. From 1981 to 1990 he led the tour in driving accuracy, won 11 times and played on two Ryder Cup team. On the Senior Tour he set a record for having a driving accuracy percentage of 80.9% that still stands today.

I personally believe he should be inducted to the PGA Hall of Fame despite never having won a major tournament. 39 years ago, a poor, black migrant worker decided to follow his friends in a game of golf, rather than sit in a hot jalopy all afternoon. The world is a better place because of his decision to play and hopefully golf will one day recognize his contributions by inducting Calvin Peete in the Hall.

-Andrew