Morehouse golf once was a national power. A new facility invests in its future.
Edgar Evans knew his ideas to rebuild the golf team at Morehouse were almost insanely ambitious when he became the head coach in the fall of 2024.
He envisioned an indoor practice facility, a dedicated locker room for the team and a new weight room. It was a very high bar.
Thanks to generous financial support from the corporate community and Evans’ endless energy, the dream became reality. Amid great pomp, circumstances and tons of maroon and white balloons, Morehouse celebrated the opening of the new facilities with a ribbon cutting that drew more than 100 supporters.
“We’re just getting started,” Evans said. “I think once people see what we’re doing here, more and more people are going to buy in, which is very exciting.”
The Morehouse golf program once was a national power. The Tigers won the 2010 PGA Minority Golf Championship under the guidance of coach William Lews, an outstanding PGA player and respected instructor. But after Lewis left, the program fell into disrepair.
That began to turn around when Evans was hired. He had played golf at Southern University and was teaching at Atlanta Country Club in Marietta, where he ran junior camps and organized clinics. When originally approached about the Morehouse job, Evans turned it down.
But then he thought about it, prayed about it and even talked to Kip Banks, the team’s captain, who honestly told the coach the program needed an overhaul. Evans signed on and soon called Ralph Stokes, the vice president of PGA Tour Superstore, whom he knew from his time at Atlanta Country Club. Evans shared his vision and Stokes helped give it legs.
“Edgar said he had a vision for an indoor practice facility and I said, ‘OK, we’re going to fix that,’” Stokes said.
Stokes called Arthur Blank, who owns the PGA Tour Superstore, and explained the need.
“I walked into his office and said, ‘Chief, I’ve got a vision,’” he said. “We can’t have this great institution that’s right down the street from Mercedes-Benz Stadium, one of the iconic HBCUs in the country, but they’ve got a golf team that has limited facilities and limited things to work on.”
With very little arm twisting, Blank made a commitment of $250,000. It wasn’t long before Aflac donated $150,000 for the project. Other donations also came flooding in.
“This is just the start of building a world-class golf program,” Stokes said. “I know Steph Curry has done a lot to help the Howard golf team, and they have some great facilities and they set the bar. We will chase and surpass that bar because we’re going to keep going.”
The Tigers had already gotten help from Eastside Golf founders Olajuwon Ajanaku and Earl Cooper, two Morehouse grads who provided a Mercedes van to travel to events.
Last spring the PGA Tour Superstore also had each of the players fitted for a new set of clubs. The team responded by winning the next week, its first victory under Evans. Morehouse went on to finish fourth in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship.
The indoor facility, with a price tag of more than $650,000, features a simulator that produces immediate data that can be used to fix problems, as well as a small putting green. The old metal lockers have been replaced by the sort of wooden lockers that can be found in elite private clubs. The new weight room will also be shared with other teams.
“This is all very exciting,” Evans said. “And like I told the young men on our team, ‘The things I try to instill into each of you — attention to detail, having a sense of urgency, going above and beyond, and respect for yourself and others — all of those principles is what it took to make today happen. As you go along in life, you’ll be given opportunities and it’s what you do with those opportunities that matters.’”
About the Author
Stan Awtrey has been covering sports for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 1977. He currently writes about high school sports, Georgia State University athletics and golf.
