Municipal courses were on public land and were supposed to be for everyone. Not all public courses were open to the public. Most of the courses were as they were designed an affordable recreation for anyone. Wealthy Private Golf Clubs organized and would monopolize public courses for their own private use. They would deter lower classes golfers from enjoying the course built for them not the elite. The monopolizing of private clubs became a major issue in several cities. The Park commissioners had to step in and regulate the use of public land by private clubs by disallowing them to take over the course for any period of time on any day. Parks commissioner ruled that public land must be used for public use and cannot but run by a private group. This regulation forced many of the Private Golf Clubs to join private courses. Many of the Parks built during the progressive era push for public parks, built their parks on the outskirts of the city bordering suburban areas in an attempt to cater to the wealthy.
Blacks in Border States and in the South were limited or denied or limited access to play on public courses. They were allowed to work as caddies at both private and public golf clubs where they worked on mastering the fundamentals of golf. Some of the private clubs would allow blacks to play on Monday when the courses were closed to members. The early twentieth century marked the first efforts to challenge racial restrictions on public courses. Chicago banned three black golfers from participation in a public links tournament in 1910. Speedy Walter one of the golfers not allowed to participate in the tournament organized along with some friends the Alpha Golf Club. Speedy and his Club held the first African-American golf tournament at Marquette Golf Course. In 1921 the Windy City Golf Association, a black golf group, were denied entrance to the annual citywide tournament. Speedy and his friend sought legal help but were denied by the court. The following year the Windy City Golf Association hosted a nation golf tournament open to all armatures regardless of race. St. Louis restricted blacks from playing till a 1922 policy reserving the links on Monday from 6:00am to Noon for the play of colored golfers. In 1925 blacks gained the exclusive right to play a Lincoln Memorial Golf Course but were forbidden to play any of the other public courses. By the 1920s thousands of black golfers were out on public courses and forming their own private clubs on their own grounds. During the 1920 there were fourteen black golf clubs in eight states and the District of Columbia. (Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, and Illinois)
