NBRPA and Deuce Team Up to Provide Unique Competitive Golf Experience for NBA & WNBA Legends
Golf diversity is at the core of the recent National Basketball Retired Players Association and Deuce partnership developed to drive unique golf experiences to members of the NBRPA together with amateur golfers as a component of Deuce AM Tour. The ten event, mini-tour will be hosted at ten golf courses throughout the United States finishing up at the Caribbean global icon, Casa de Campo Resort & Villas in La Romana, Dominican Republic. The new programs caveat is the NBRPA and Deuce organizations are collaborating to raise money in each market an event is held with a local organization dedicated to increasing diversity in the sport of golf. The Sports Techie community blog echoes this charitable contribution. Afterall, the sport of golf has traditional been a white person’s game across the United States. How does that change? One way is through more programs such as The Deuce Am Tour, owned by black entrepreneurs, together with the NBRPA, where both are advocating for further golf diversity. Legends HBCU Scholars is another showcase for giving towards the future of black communities.
Legends Perks
The Deuce Am Tour was created to provide an atmosphere for member Legends to enjoy a premium event at exclusive clubs and to top it off, play the game with together a variety of the world’s top-ranked amateurs. An added bonus for Legends and amateur participants is the opportunity to engage with high-quality entertainment, namely – Pairing parties, events for cigar, fashion and whiskey aficionados, live music, industry and career networking, and other perks.
“We are excited to join forces with Deuce to be able to bring these types of events to where so many of our members enjoy being – on the golf course,” said Scott Rochelle, NBRPA President & CEO. “This partnership, with a fast growing, Black-owned company, allows us to present our members with an incredible opportunity to further their involvement in amateur golf tours and the golf industry as a whole.”
Deuce AM Tournaments are competitive and flighted and will allow NBRPA Legends to choose to compete in the Top 4 Flights, where they will be required to carry a USGA GHIN handicap number that can be verified. If Legends do not have a GHIN number, they will have the opportunity to play in the Hackerish Flight.
“This alliance will enhance the competitive atmosphere at our national Amateur Tour events for our golfers and also for the former basketball players that will transition that naturally competitive spirit from the court to the fairways,” said Tarek DeLavallade, President of Deuce & the Deuce Am Tour. “Our goal is to create a memorable experience for everyone involved from the players, sponsors, and others who will be there to enjoy the all of our national events.”
The Deuce AM golfing tour schedule will feature events from October through August 2022 in the following cities:
October 17 – Potomac Shores Golf Club, Washington D.C.
November 20 – Cowboys Golf Club, Dallas, TX
December 12 – Turnberry Golf Club, Miami, FL
January 22 – Keene’s Pointe Golf Club – Orlando, FL
February – Las Vegas, NV
March – Phoenix, AZ
April – Atlanta, GA
May – NY/NJ metro area
June – Chicago, IL
August – Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic
*Exact dates of later events will be announced at a later date.
Deuce
Deuce is one of the fastest growing brands in the Golf and Lifestyle Industry. Their headquarters are in Windermere, Florida. Deuce, Promotional Product Portal has more than 25,000 items at Deuce Promo, and the parent company also manages the 11 Destination Amateur Event Series – Deuce Am Tour.
Sports Techie, when you think about who plays golf, black people really don’t come to mind and the historical numbers continue to drop, according to The Ringer. NBRPA Legends aside. Basketball though, is much different.
The NBRPA was founded in 1992 by NBA Legends Dave DeBusschere, Dave Bing, Archie Clark, Dave Cowens and Oscar Robertson. Since then, more black athletes play the sport professional in the U.S. and Canada than ever before.
NBRPA demographics are not currently available for the more than 1,000 members that played in the NBA, ABA, WNBA or with the Harlem Globetrotters (including the game’s greatest players of all time).
Yet, when you think about the racial makeup of NBRPA membership, a large percentage of Legends must logically be made up of African-American men and women.
Why is that? Because today, the NBA consists of approximately 73.2% of black players derived from Statista data. While the WNBA’s black female athletes increased to 74.5% in 2021 from 2020, according to a report by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport, or TIDES, says The Hill. The Globetrotters alumni has historically been near 100% black men with just three white men, and several pioneering women starting with Lynette Woodard in 1985, who is black. The amount of white players in the NBA decades ago was certainly more than todays numbers yet an influx of white European players have added to the Caucasian percentages of late.
The thing is, something has to give for black communities to play more golf. The sport’s expense is certainly a prohibitive factor for any color of person. Tiger’s GOAT run helped inspire multiple generations for sure but that temporary boost has slowed way down. Golf startups like tech infused Puttshack are helping.
I don’t have the answers. One thing for sure though, NBRPA aligning with a black-owned company in Deuce for the sake of diversity and lifestyle experiences are solid ways to help shift the tide. The sport needs more role models of color for adults, and boys and girls alike, to show how fun, competitive and endearing golf can be. All factors the Legends are about to find out playing with top-level amateur’s on the Deuce AM Tour.
PGA Tour, LIV Golf and LPGA pay attention.
See you later sportstechie in Seattle, Atlanta and around the world!
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