GOLF / FRED ROBLEDO : Group of Blacks Want to Revive Local Course

There’s a special significance to the history of the course on Western Avenue between El Segundo and 120th Street.

It was once known as a “Hustlers” course. Any hotshot in town with a game in his bag and cash in his wallet was welcome.

There were plenty of takers in the 1950s. Players such as Doug Sanders and Tommy Bolt would come around whenever the PGA Tour was in town.

Lee Elder and Charlie Sifford were among the regulars.

Celebrities such as Jim Brown, Maury Wills and Joe Louis played the course too.

“Yes, it was a very special place for another reason too,” said Alton Duhon, 67, who plays the PGA Seniors Tour from time to time. “It was the only course black folks could go out and play. It was our course.”

Duhon didn’t mean that literally. He explained that it was the course where blacks felt they were welcome, where nobody stared at them as if they were infringing on somebody’s private country club.

Duhon learned to play on the course. So did Eugene Hardy, who is the head pro at Victoria. Those were the glory days for Western Golf Course.

It has since been renamed Chester Washington Course, but it’s nowhere near the shape it used to be in. The tall pines and eucalyptus trees lining the fairways are a reminder of what the course used to look like. The sad state of the fairways and greens tell you that this is a course in need of a face lift.

The county, which has maintained Chester Washington, recently accepted bids from groups wanting to refurbish the course and take it over.

That’s where Hardy, Duhon and Charles Amos come in. They are part of a group, led by Hardy, who believe the needs of the community would best be served if they were to win the bid.

Hardy’s group has an uphill battle. American Golf, a company that has glowing credentials, is considered the front-runner among the bidders.

Since 1982, American Golf has taken control of 28 golf courses in Los Angeles and Orange counties.

“Let me emphasize that we have no contractual agreement with the county,” said Kevin Roberts, president of the Resorts and Public Golf division of American Golf. “We have put together a package that we think would fulfill the needs of the course. If we are fortunate enough to be chosen, we think everybody would be a winner because everybody wants a good, clean course and good service and that’s what we can provide.”

Hardy believes his group can provide the same kind of service.

“Look, we know that American Golf has been good for golf in Southern California, but they already have enough courses,” Hardy says. “We want just one. If we’re really trying to rebuild L.A., giving our group the bid would send a message that they are really trying to help people who are trying to help their own community.

“All of us involved with this project have lived here for years. The Chester Washington course has been part of our lives. . . . It means a lot to me and it means a lot to the people in the community.

“There really is no reason we shouldn’t get the bid. We have the resources to refurbish the course and raise the standard of the course to where it used to be.”

According to Hardy, Amos would become the course superintendent if the group wins the bid. Amos has been in charge of courses at Poppy Hills, California Country Club and Sierra LaVerne.

“I get excited when I think of the things we could do on this course and for the community,” Hardy said. “Not only would we restore the beauty and playability of the course, in time we could take over the entire operation and begin programs for junior golfers. Nobody really seems to think about the future of golf, but we do.

“The play is down on this course, but we know we can make things better and get more people out.”

But Hardy’s enthusiasm is dampened when he thinks about the chances of winning the bid.

“Yes, I’ve heard that it’s a done deal and that we’re wasting our time,” Hardy said. “But I don’t want to believe that or even comment on it. I want to believe that everything is going forward in an appropriate manner.

“My main concern is the community. If they are honest in evaluating everything, it is only right that we be given a chance to take care of a course that has meant so much to us. We don’t need outsiders to do it for us. We can do it ourselves.”

Notes

The Sierra Golf Course in Torrance will stage a junior tournament at 7 a.m. Aug. 21. The event is open to boys and girls between 8 and 16. A $20 entry fee covers green fees as well as lunch after the tournament. Information: (310) 316-9779 or (310) 618-2930. . . . Barbara Stephan of Torrance won the L.A. City senior women’s championship at Rancho Park last week. Stephan, 50, had two rounds of 77 to win the title by nine shots over Sandy Morse of Los Verdes.