Maryland Golf Hall of Fame Class of 2024: Albert R. Green, PGA

Albert Rudolph Green was born in Annapolis, Maryland, and graduated from Wiley H. Bates High School in Annapolis in 1958. Al fell in love with the game of golf at a young age. When they weren’t caddying, he and his brothers Franklin and Carrolton (Skip) would often sneak in playing time on the U.S. Naval Academy Golf Course. Without any formal lessons, he learned to play left-handed because someone gave him a left-hand set of clubs. After receiving a right-hand set, he seamlessly transitioned the techniques and soon became a fierce competitor on the course.

Al became the first African American to earn membership in the Mid-Atlantic Section of the Professional Golf Association (MAPGA) in 1971.  Al accomplished trailblazing milestones across golf’s racial divide thanks to the helping hands of Johnny Bass, who appointed him as his Assistant Pro at Pine Ridge Golf Course, teaching him the business of golf and allowing him to refine his game. Al won over 50 local and regional tournaments in his career and, in 1974, paired with Lee Elder to win the PGA Tour Disney Classic, a two-man team event.

Al Green was a member of the United Golfers Association, a group of black golf professionals who formed their own tour. Al was a dominant competitor on the course.

In 1969, Al became the first African American head club professional in Maryland as the head pro at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Golf Course in Crownsville, MD.  For nine years he and his family managed the operations of the course.  As his career continued to grow, Al left Eisenhower for a new appointment as Director of Golf at the Bahamas Princess Hotel and Casino in Freeport, Bahamas, for three years.  Afterward, he and his family returned home, where he went on to lead operations at Langston Golf Course, Lee Elder Enterprises, and Lake Arbor Country Club. After a short time in Florida, Al once again returned home to Maryland, returning to Eisenhower as Head Teaching Professional until his full retirement in 1991.

The new professional shop at The Preserve at Eisenhower Golf Course will be named in his honor when complete.