Joseph Bartholomew (golf course designer)


Joseph M. Bartholomew was an American golfer and golf course designer.

Early Life

Bartholomew was born New Orleans, Louisiana. As a child, he served as a caddie at the  Audubon Golf Course; in adulthood he became  a greenskeeper at the course.

Career

He was the first African American man to ever build a public golf course, even though he was often barred from playing on these fields due to segregation. His first construction project was for the Metairie Golf Club. After spending time in New York learning about golf course architecture, he began construction of the Louisiana course in 1922. For the next ten years,  Bartholomew designed and built several courses across Louisiana, including City Park No. 1, City Park No. 2, and Pontchartrain Park in New Orleans. The Pontchartrain was renamed for Bartholomew in 1979.
Bartholomew also maintained his own construction company and expanded his business into landscaping.
He was the first African-American inducted to the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame.

Philanthropy

He was a major contributor to Dillard and Xavier Universities.