“Port Royal in 1970 = Real Social Change”
[The article below was written on the occasion of Port Royal Golf Course celebrating its 40th Anniversary by Kim.Swan, Leader of the Opposition. Mr Swan is a Honorary Member of the Bermuda PGA and a former professional golfer.]
The week of Monday October 25th marks the 40th Anniversary of Port Royal Golf Course, a successful vision by the then United Bermuda Party Government for a truly public golf facility that transformed the game of golf in Bermuda into a truly inclusive sport.
Golf in Bermuda before the introduction of Port Royal Golf Course was rigidly segregated and reserved mainly for the elite white community. Ocean View was the only course where the black community (and whites if they choose to) could play together.
The birth of Port Royal required a major shift in mindset and commitment to change.
And what a change it was a world class golf course – 6,600 yards in 1970 (rubber wound ball and wooden clubs) Port Royal Golf Course was championship in every sense of the word. Together with affordable rates that made the course accessible to the working class, this world class public course set the stage for a renaissance of integration and social interaction, unrivalled in Bermuda.
“The fact that I write this article on the 40th Anniversary is living testament the spirit of Port Royal”
The credit needs to be given to the visionary leadership of that day – local MP Ralph Marshall, Banker Reggie Tucker the first Chairman, former Ocean View President Musician Hubert Smith, Hubert Simmons,Terry Brannon, Shirley James, Champion Bermuda golfer George Wardman, Eric Parker and the heart and soul of the Port Royal Golf Professionals Walter King, Frank Rabain, Betty Vincent, Martin Greaves, Noel Van Putten, Toppy Cowen, and many others.
When Port Royal Golf Course opened in October of 1970 it was a world class golf course beyond a shadow of a doubt, affordable to all and it embraced an inclusive welcoming spirit for decades.
That was its mandate and it exceeded all expectations.
Port Royal Golf Course as a truly public facility, revolutionised golf in Bermuda and provided a vehicle for Tourism to flourish and it also brought Bermudians from all walks of Bermuda together socially, a dynamic that also enhanced the experience of our visitors.
Most importantly, the creation of Port Royal Golf Course brought the Black and White communities together socially in a way never seen before in Bermuda.
Personally, I owe a debt of gratitude to the vision of Port Royal and the spirit if Public golf which followed – which I am proud to have played and integral part in developing.
Today, whilst I appreciate the upgrades to Port Royal Golf Course – I am saddened to see that Bermuda has moved away from the truly affordable public golf course as it was first envisaged and became in Bermuda.
Nonetheless, no one can erase the good that building Port Royal Golf Course achieved and its rich legacy and the contagious positive vibe that later evolved with the creation of St. George’s Golf Course and the upgrading of Ocean View Golf Course.
I thank God for the souls that conceived the vision of Port Royal Golf Course, the many persons and pray the spirit of true public golf can be reborn in Bermuda again.
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