How PGA Tour Superstore executive Ralph Stokes brings diversity to golf
Ralph Stokes knew becoming one of the first five Black players to desegregate the University of Alabama’s football team 55 years ago could spark social change.
He was a running back who received over 100 full scholarships from around the country but decided to attend college in the South so his family could attend games. During freshman orientation, the Montgomery native was told by administrators he could only major in social work or physical education.
Stokes told them he wanted to study business. He met with head coach Paul “Bear Bryant” to discuss his educational and career plans.
The coach told him he would support and encourage his decisions.
“All of the Black men in my neighborhood were manual laborers who worked before sun came up, wore the same dirty clothes until they took their Friday bath and changed. I wanted to go to work after the sun came up, in an office, wearing a suit and tie,” Stokes told UATL.
“I knew there were going to be challenges, but I was never afraid. I wanted to open doors, go into an environment that historically hadn’t welcomed me and earn my living with my brains.”
Stokes would devote his career to bringing diversity into business and sports on and off the field.
Stokes — vice president of PGA Tour Superstore — is opening the specialty store’s 81st location in Buckhead on Saturday. The 30,000-square-foot space has apparel, shoes, interactive, customized equipment stations, private lesson studios and practice and fitting bays.
The activities begin with a tailgate with apparel brand Callaway Golf in the parking lot Friday. On Saturday, the grand opening event has breakfast, prize giveaways, contests and product demos. Stokes hopes the new store offers customers products and services beyond player preferences.
“Golf is changing rapidly with more women, juniors and people of color, so everything has to be welcoming and pleasing with products people want to buy but giving them the opportunity to see what pros on the PGA Tour are playing with,” Stokes said.
“We want to up the ante, engage the whole community and as much of the city as possible. Atlanta is our home base, and we want everyone to be proud and feel like this is their place.”
Stokes moved to Atlanta from Chattanooga in 1983 to head Provident Life and Accident Insurance Company’s Southeast region. His supervisor suggested he start playing golf to network and secure clients.
“I was in the office all day Friday, calling people, trying to catch up with them, and I couldn’t find anybody. Everyone returned on Monday saying they were playing with CFOs, brokers and closing deals at the 19th hole,” Stokes said.
As PGA Tour Superstore’s vice president, Stokes connects the specialty store to golf organizations and oversees partnerships, community engagement, charitable giving and diversity programs.
He works closely with store management to identify and hire talent and expose them to opportunities beyond the golf course.
“They see Atlanta as a melting pot, where Black people have been successful and think it gives them a fair shot to build their careers, personal lives, grow with us and try to do things I’ve done,” Stokes said.
After Stokes graduated from Alabama in 1975, he spent a year in Greenville, South Carolina, before relocating to Chattanooga, Tennessee. The insurance salesperson was challenged with finalizing benefits packages with senior executives who didn’t normally conduct business with executives of color.
“They wouldn’t speak to, look at me, shake my hand, would ask questions but only direct them to my colleagues that were with me. I continued to build my expertise and not accept what my mentor was saying because I wouldn’t get any better,” Stokes said.
In 2005, Stokes was invited to join PGA Tour Superstore after retiring from a three-decade career in health care. The retailer was one of his clients and had three stores at the time.
Stokes held positions in sales, events and marketing but decided to also mentor and introduce youth to golf. For six years, he’s organized First Tee Leadership Academy, a five-week golf intensive for teenagers led by PGA store managers, that combines golf with life skills.
“It teaches kids values, brings them together and gives them an experience they wouldn’t otherwise get,” he said.
In 2023, Stokes was selected as the first Black president of the Georgia State Golf Association, the state’s governing body for golf. He’s also vice chairman of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club.
Stokes takes pride in breaking color barriers to bring inclusion into sports and business.
“I’ve led integration all my life, because I stand on what I believe is right. Sometimes, it means being on the mountain by yourself,” he said.
“I want to be at the table, influence where the game is, where the game will go, see more people of color engaged in the administration and running it.”
PGA Tour Superstore Grand Opening. Doors open at 9 a.m. Saturday. Free. 3255 Peachtree Road #101, Atlanta.
About the Author
Christopher A. Daniel is a Black Culture reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He is an Atlanta-based, award-winning journalist, cultural critic and ethnomusicologist. He previously taught courses at Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University and Georgia State University.