'They Think It's Not a Sport': Blacks in Golf

April 5, 2007 — -- When Tiger Woods won his first Masters golf title 10 years ago, it was predicted that his victory would change the very nature of who played the sport and encourage more African-Americans to take a swing.

But now, Woods' sport is not nearly as popular among African-Americans as many had hoped, and on the professional level, there are actually fewer black players -- Woods is the only one.

When 13-year-old Martavius Adams quit the football team at his Atlanta school to play golf, his black schoolmates questioned his decision.

"They think it's not a sport. They think it's a white man's sport," Adams told ABC's Steve Osunsami.

Lauren Braswell plays golf in the NCAA league for Rutgers University and said she rarely sees other African-American golfers. "I would say that at every tournament I go to, there are probably one or two."

"It's not instant grits," remarked recreational golfer Joe Martin. "You can't just stir it up and it appears. It's gonna take awhile."

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And to get there, some say a better strategy is in order. "I think we have to figure out a way to make it easier for this young group of players to get on a golf course, to play golf, to afford golf," said two-time U.S. Open Champion and ESPN analyst Andy North.

Among many African-American families, there's still the perception that golf is a sport reserved for white Americans, or, more recently, wealthier black Americans.

Still, by some estimates, there are nearly 800,000 black golfers in America -- twice as many as there were before Woods' win in 1997.