Five years ago, Mariah Stackhouse started her professional career on the LPGA Tour after a successful four-year playing stint at Stanford University. When Stackhouse qualified for the tour, she became the seventh African American player to qualify for the LPGA. Today, she is the only full-time active Black player on tour. As the 27-year-old veteran continues to search for her first win on tour, she acknowledges that her greater purpose is to inspire the next generation of golfers and promote diversity and inclusion within the game.
While in play this week at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, Stackhouse explains in her own words why she embraces her Blackness in the golf world, how she wants to impact the game and what she hopes to see change when it comes to diversity in the sport.
The goal is to get to the point where it's not an anomaly for a young, Black kid to be playing golf.
I think back to my early years of playing golf. In high school, everybody was super supportive because I was good. It was like, "Okay, wow, Stacks plays golf. That's cool." I got nicknamed, "Tiger Hood," which was actually pretty funny. But Tiger was the only reference other kids had for a Black golfer which is why I still remember it so vividly.
That's why I want the next generation of golfers to see more Black players. I don't want it to be an anomaly. I want there to be plenty of us on the LPGA, in college, junior golf, amateur golf, everywhere. That's what I want to see.
Lately, I'm not playing as well as I'd like. It's interesting because my game is not bad. It's actually pretty solid. But I've been missing many -- the majority -- of opportunities with the putter. When the putts won't fall, you're missing crucial par putts and not making those birdie putts, that's when golf is the most frustrating. I'm not playing badly. I'm in positions that I need to be in. I'm just not connecting those birdie putts. So the occasional bogey that shouldn't matter now matters because I'm not making those birdies throughout the rounds to make them less impactful on the scorecard.
Whether I'm playing great or struggling, I understand that I'm still one of the few Black women out there, and I like to represent well. I do my best to never get too down on myself, to always carry myself with confidence, love and passion for the game. No matter what, I respect the game and the opportunities that come out of just my visibility on the LPGA. It's not something that I'm unaware of. It's not something that I want to neglect in any way, shape or form -- no matter if I'm making birdie putts or not. I've had young Black girls, boys, women and men who play the game tell me how excited they are to see me out there. I understand that visibility matters. It matters that I show up for them. I embrace it.
I don't mind being a direct voice in this space.
I know that as a professional athlete, and one of just a few in the professional golf space, that I am constantly visible to the media and fans. I do hope that we move towards amplifying other voices in this space. I think you have to take steps farther than only amplifying the professionals because although we have that visibility, we are actually playing the game at a professional level. We can't be 100% dedicated to elevating and growing the game at the grassroots level because the majority of our time is dedicated to how we can improve our golf game and continue to climb the leaderboards and rankings.
There are various golf organizations, like the Women in Golf Foundation here in Atlanta, that actually work on growing and diversifying the game every single day. It would be awesome to see their voices included and amplified in these conversations as well. We can't stop with the professionals when it comes to Black History Month and beyond. There are many key voices that need to be heard, and simply not enough of us on tour for our voices to be representative of the Black golf community.
The majority of people who play the game of golf do so at the recreational level. It's incredibly important to showcase people enjoying the sport leisurely, people being in a sport in a capacity that's not actually playing professionally. Brands like Trap Golf. Organizations like The Chicago Women's Golf Club and Inner City Youth Golfers. That's what it takes. It's a well-rounded understanding of what the golf world looks like right now and where we need to continue to go.
Traditionally, golf is a very conservative sport -- in that it's been slower to accept progressive changes. And I see that pushback on social media and even in person when these organizations use their platforms to acknowledge things like race, gender, sexuality and more. "We don't want to talk about that. This is golf." The way I look at it is that these organizations have to talk about it and broadcast it. If we're truly aspiring to grow the game, there are some simple truths: The more people that love a sport, the better that sport does, the more it excels, the more courses are built, the more courses we'll have access to. It's a win for everybody.
I want us to get to a place where anyone can feel confident entering golf spaces. For anyone to visit their local golf driving range and feel comfortable, not shunned or judged -- whether that has to do with skill level, gender, race, sexuality, whatever it might be. There shouldn't be any of that if we are actually committed to growing the game.
Leaders in the golf space are becoming bolder about being willing to say, "We're here and we support all people." It's up to all of us currently occupying golf spaces to continue to make intolerance unwelcome and be intentional and loud about inclusiveness. The game of golf is on this journey. We have to keep bravely pushing the way.
I often reflect on former professional golfer and the second Black woman to ever play on the LPGA Tour, Renee Powell. She is truly a legend. She's still dedicating her entire life to the game. She's gone on from the LPGA Tour to dedicating everything to continuing to help the game of golf progress and become more inclusive.
When reflecting on Powell's time as a pro, I can only imagine how much she endured. She had a special love for the game. And I feel like she never let the racial hatred and experiences that she had growing up take her love and passion away for this game. She made a name for herself. And she paved the way for golfers like me to have a much smoother journey in the golf world. She's not only a role model and ambassador for golf, but she symbolizes the best in what people can make out of the hardships of their life. She's just truly a champion.
Looking back and knowing her story, I think that it could've hardened a lot of people's hearts. Powell could've retired from the LPGA and said, "You know what? I don't want anything else to do with the golf space. Too many of the golf clubs are unwelcoming." But Powell said the opposite. She embraced the good that she experienced and sought a way to bring that out more than anything else.That's why it's great to see her receiving all her flowers lately. She deserves it.
That's the kind of person I draw inspiration from. The attitude I want to emulate in my own life.
In 2017, Reagan met #GirlsGolf alumna @MoStacksBirdies when she was competing on the @ROAD2LPGA.
— LPGA*USGA Girls Golf (@LPGAGirlsGolf) June 25, 2021
Today, they were reunited at the @KPMGWomensPGA 💖#LittleGirlsBIGDreams | #InspireGreatness pic.twitter.com/BdKsByOGYG
This week, playing in my hometown of Atlanta for the first time as a professional golfer, I realize that I'm playing out here for something more.
Not only do I get to sleep in my own bed, which is amazing, but my family and friends get to be there. And then there's all of the young boys and girls who are starting out in youth golf just like I did years ago. I think there's an acknowledgement this week from the young golfers that are coming out that they could be here one day. Like, this is a girl that came up through the Georgia ranks and look at her now out here on the LPGA. I also acknowledge that this tournament, no matter how I play, is an opportunity to give back to the place that gave me golf.
I want to win on the LPGA Tour for myself, but also for my parents. Everything they endured and all the time they put into allowing me to follow my dreams in a sport where Black women weren't really represented. My parents always wanted me to embrace my Blackness on the course.
I was raised as a golfer to really and truly embrace and be proud of my Blackness and to represent. I am trying my best to do that every time I'm on the course. I can't say how many little girls come up to me at tournaments, and when I have my hair out in a curl-fro or in braids or in twists, and the little girls will say, "Oh I wear my hair like that" or "I like that style." The small things like identifying with young girls who look like me are just as important as the big moments like winning tournaments and making cuts.
There's a spectrum of impact. I would love to be able to capitalize on things like visibility and representation while I'm here as an LPGA golfer.