Timothy A. Clary / AFP - Getty Images file

Tiger Woods celebrates on the 18th green after winning the 1997 Masters with a record 18-under par.

Some wonder if those running the sport and all the ancillary businesses — equipment makers, vendors, those behind the counter — are doing enough to change the look of golf.

“I have some doubts about the sincerity of efforts to produce African-Americans who are good enough to play on Tour,” said Jackson State’s Payton. “It’s all just window dressing and guilt money. You throw a lot of guilt money at it, which shows the consumer that you are concerned — but not enough to make a difference.”

The 12 men on the PGA Tour’s executive committee are all white, as are the 46 staff members depicted in its media guide. The PGA of America has some 28,000 members, but a minuscule 145 — less than 1 percent — are black. The USGA has only had three black members on its executive committee — none now, although the chair of its women’s committee, Barbara Douglas, is an African-American. There are only a handful of black-owned golf courses in the United States. Most coaches and trainers and equipment reps are white.

“You go to a golf trade show and it looks like a white people’s convention,” Duke’s Starn said. “There are no people of color, besides Asians, in the golf industry. They need to be more inclusive.”

Joe Louis Barrow agreed. The son of legendary boxer Joe Louis heads up The First Tee program, which was launched in those euphoric days after Woods’ first Masters victory.

“Golf needs to reflect the face of the country,” Barrow said. “People like to gravitate to environments where they feel comfortable, where they feel welcome. And there are studies out there that reflect (black) people don’t feel at home in golf.”

With good reason.

The PGA Tour made it to the 1960s with a Caucasian-only clause. And it wasn’t until 1990, when the selection of all-white Shoal Creek as host of the PGA Championship sparked protests, that anyone thought it might be a good idea to make sure clubs hosting tournaments didn’t discriminate on the basis of race.

(Augusta National, home of the Masters, is still without a female member and proudly protected its turf against Martha Burk and a media onslaught in 2003).

“Historically, golf has been a racist, elitist sport,” said Gary Player, the South African who won nine major titles. “Go back in history and look at the country club rules — no women ... no minorities, no children. Etcetera. Etcetera.”

While much of the overt racism has been swept aside, one black golfer said it still exists just below the surface.

“We are not welcomed with open arms,” said Paula Pearson-Tucker, who plays part-time on the female Futures Tour. “When you walk out there, everyone looks at you like, ’What are you doing here?’ After a while, you get tired of that.”

She believes golf may have lost some promising young black players over the years because they didn’t want to put up with that sort of subtle discrimination.

“I’m a lot older. I had been through a lot before I became a golfer,” the 52-year-old Pearson-Tucker said. “But a lot of people just won’t put up with it.”

Then there’s the attitude that often prevails in the black community: not only does golf have a poor racial history, it often appears to be slow, boring and out of touch to the younger generation.

“It’s going to take a complete transformation in the way we think about sports,” said Pearson-Tucker, who teaches golf in south Florida. “It’s still a wimp sport for a lot of kids. Our kids don’t want to play wimp sports.”

Kendall Murphy runs up against plenty of skeptics, too. He went to UNLV’s PGA Management School and is now a black tournament professional at The Broadmoor in Colorado.

“When I go into the community and I’m working with kids, I say, ’What do you want to do? Have you ever thought about golf?”’ Murphy said. “And they say, ’Black kids don’t play golf. Only Tiger Woods plays golf. We can’t do that.’ I tell them that I play golf, I’m an expert in the business and game of golf. You can do what you want. But a lot of people think if they don’t see it, then it’s not possible. They’ve seen lawyers, doctors, firefighters and policeman of their race. They don’t see people of their race playing golf.”

Murphy, who grew up in the Bay Area, often struggles to explain just what it is he does.

“If I went back to Oakland and held a town hall meeting and told them I was a PGA Class A professional, I bet 70 percent would not know I’m talking about. They would think I’m in the Plumbing and Gas Association.”