By Kelly Churney
Indianapolis’ Douglass Park has been a centerpiece of the Martindale-Brightwood community for more than a century. Named after abolitionist Frederick Douglass, the park was originally created as a safe, recreational place for people of color.
For generations, Douglass Park provided just that. Back in the day, community members believed that “it takes a ‘village’ to raise a child.” Douglass Park was the ‘village’ that helped raise many local children. 
Five years after Douglass Park opened, a golf course was built and the first tee shot was struck in 1926. It became a meeting place, not just for the Black community, but for Black celebrities, as well. Both World Heavy-Weight Boxing Champion, Joe Louis and golfing great, Tiger Woods have visited the park over the years.
Today, Douglass Park continues to be one of the more popular golf courses in town, because of its accessibility and historical legacy.
In 2021, that legacy came full circle with the introduction of First Tee-Indiana at the Douglass Park Golf Course. First Tee is a youth development organization that teaches life lessons through the game of golf – such as integrity and perseverance. Additionally, First Tee is committed to creating and maintaining a safe and welcoming environment for all affiliated with the organization.
“It’s special to be able to continue the strong legacy of inclusion with Indianapolis youth, as Douglass Park has always been known for,” said Mike David, executive director of Indiana Golf. “First Tee was a perfect fit and we are excited to see our programs at Douglass reaching such a large number of kids.”
Local programming is taught by Liz Cooprider, the General Manager of Douglass Park Golf Club, Taylor Haudek, Site Director for Indianapolis First Tee-Indiana, Roger Lundy, First Tee-Indiana Regional Director-South, and Alex Pettigrew, former Indiana Golf Foundation/Gongaware Junior Academy participant.
Pettigrew grew up playing golf at Douglass Park and her return as an instructor, sets the perfect example for local kids and opens their eyes to a possible career path.
“Growing up playing at Douglass, I enjoyed learning golf with people that looked like me and being taught by older Black golfers,” said Pettigrew. “The community at Douglass is so strong and I’m proud to be a part of it.”
When Pettigrew was a camp participant, the Indiana Golf Foundation provided transportation for camp participants from Douglass Park to Gongaware Golf Academy. Roger Lundy was her instructor and now she teaches alongside him.
“My experience at camp was fun,” said Pettigrew. “I remember getting to play on the course barefoot. My group was tired of our golf shoes, so we took them off. I had never stepped on grass that soft before.”
Pettigrew’s goal has always been to become a golf professional at Douglass Park, so being able to help give lessons through First Tee programming was an obvious next step.
“During the summer of 2021, someone reached out to me and asked me to play golf with her daughter. She was trying to make her high school golf team, so we met regularly to play and practice. I tried to help her and that was my first time giving lessons. I took her to Douglass Park one day to practice, because I knew she would enjoy golf even more if she had the opportunity to play with her peers, like I did growing up. Helping her further sparked my interest in giving back to the game of golf.”
In 2021, the First Tee program at Douglass Park had more than 100 participants in both the summer and fall sessions and that number is expected grow this year.
“The majority of our participants are brand new to the game and our goal is to provide a fun and safe environment for them,” said Taylor Haudek, site director at Indianapolis at First Tee-Indiana. “And the location at Douglass Park allows us to work with participants within the city that might not have otherwise have the opportunity to learn the game we all love.”
For dates and time of the Frist Tee-Indiana’s sessions at Douglass Park visit their website.
