Highland Park Golf Course
Highland Park Golf Course, formerly known as Charley Boswell Golf Course, is a public course located at 3300 Highland Avenue. Its location at the intersection of Highland Avenue and Clairmont Avenue forms a boundary between the Lakeview area and Forest Park to the east.
In 1903, the Highland Park Golf Course was originally built as the Country Club of Birmingham on the site of the Lakeview Park. It hosted numerous tournaments at this time, including one of Bobby Jones' early victories. When the Country Club moved to Mountain Brook in 1927, the club sold the course to the city, which opened it for public use.
In the early 1950s the former clubhouse was operated by Mike Boackle as the Highland Park Supper Club, with Frank Parisi as head chef and Lloyd Morris and his Versatilions providing dance music. In 1955, the course was named for Charley Boswell, a native of Birmingham and a blind golf champion.
Until 1963 the city-owned course was available only to white golfers. Following the Birmingham Truce, the newly-installed Birmingham City Council reopened parks and golf course on an integrated basis. Marketing professional Jesse Lewis was one of the first Black golfers to tee off at Highland Park that day.
In 1988, the course was restored by Bob Barrett. It currently is a par-70 course that plays at 5,800 yards.
References
- Windham, Otis (May 10, 2019) "A Look at African American Golf in Birmingham (Then and Now)" African American Golfer's Digest