Breaking barriers for African Americans in golf

On any given day you can find Mark A. Nance at the PXG (Parsons Xtreme Golf) Indianapolis shop. The store manager has been a Professional Golf Association (PGA) professional for 30 years. “My grandfather played golf. I spent summers and weekends with my grandparents, and it went from him dragging me to the golf course when I was about five years old to me begging him to go to the golf course,” said Nance. He would play in junior gold tournaments, before going pro after graduating from Jackson State University. RELATED: Community organizations golf for a good cause Nance now serves on the Indiana PGA board and is a part of their DEI committee with programs that cater to accessibility for minorities in the sport. “Jackson State is obviously an HBCU, and I graduated back in 1990. I was the only Black person on the golf team there. Fast forward to 2024 and to my knowledge as of right now, I am the only Black PGA member in the state of Indiana,” said Nance. Over the past 25 years, the number of African Americans in administrative roles in the golf industry has not significantly increased. In 2019, less than 1%...