GOLF CHANNEL Presents "Uneven Fairways" Documentary

Posted by Ryan

On Tuesday, Feb. 11 at 9pm ET, GOLF CHANNEL (HD) airs a special Black History Month documentary presentation on the pioneers who broke racial barriers in the game of golf. Hosted by Samuel L. Jackson, Uneven Fairways reveals the little-known stories of African-Americans who were forbidden to play golf at its highest level but refused to accept their exclusion. The documentary celebrates the men and women of the United Golf Association — the “Negro Leagues” of golf — who challenged segregation and paved the way for future stars of the game.

The documentary is based on the books Uneven Lies by Pete McDaniel and Forbidden Fairways by Calvin H. Sinnette, and includes archival footage, interviews with UGA golfers — such as Pete Brown, Calvin Peete, Bill Spiller Jr. (pictured) and Bill Bishop — and their families, and insight from Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.

GOLF CHANNEL also has a piece by Pete McDaniel on his inspiration for Uneven Lies, as well as how the documentary came to be.

Immediately following Uneven Fairways at 10pm ET, Vince Cellini will host and moderate a roundtable discussion on the history of African-Americans in golf. The panel includes 13-time Champions Tour winner Jim Thorpe, Uneven Lies author Pete McDaniel, New York University professor Dr. Jeffrey Sammons and Golf World senior writer Bill Fields.

[Update: GOLF CHANNEL has a micro-site dedicated to Uneven Fairways with extended interviews and features. Check it out here.]

Photo: Credit: Corbis-Betman/GOLF CHANNEL