Since the sudden death of his daughter Elexis Brown in 2021, Ben Peter has become an outspoken critic of golf clubs failing to confront bigotry in all its forms. Here, in his own words, he explains why golf has a long way to go before it can call itself a true champion of equality.
‘The Elexis Brown Golf Foundation is built on the premise that everyone should have the chance to play golf at all levels. Sadly, this sport that Elexis loved, still has much work to do in levelling the playing field and being proactive to ensure that anyone who wants to play, can play by having access, resources and a friendly welcome on the course and within clubs.
As a family, we have shared many stories about the support offered to Elexis on her golf journey from amazing people like the golf coaches she had, but we haven’t talked much about some of challenges she faced. One of the issues Elexis encountered was racism. You might be surprised to read that in 2023, we are still talking about this but you only need to look at the demographics of golf club membership and also ask people of colour who play golf in the UK and many of them will tell you about an occasion(s) when they have experienced racism in golf. We believe that as part of Elexis’ legacy, we should shed light on this issue and hope that golf clubs and institutions will commit to having the conversation and more importantly, be proactive about the change we need so see so more people of colour feel welcome in golf clubs.
Our daughter Elexis Brown sadly passed away suddenly in August 2021 with a very rare heart condition. She absolutely loved golf and achieved much success in the sport for her young age. Unfortunately, Elexis experienced racism in golf and at school. According to the World Economic Forum more than 95% of British black or mixed-race children have witnessed or have been on the receiving end of racist language towards them.
Elexis Brown Foundation to host second Charity Golf Day at Kirby Muxloe
Never would I have thought that Elexis would experience this at a golf club. There were several things about her experience that concerned us but we struggled with her wishes for us to keep quiet about racist behaviour towards her and not a make a big deal about things. I recall a few years back, I picked Elexis up from a junior competition and on the way home she shared that she had overheard a junior saying something racist about her to a fellow junior. I was in such shock that I had to pull over to take in what she was sharing. She was very upset and shocked that children she knew and liked, and thought liked her, would speak like that about her. She just could not understand why they would say these things when they thought she could not hear. We live in Leicester which is a very diverse and multicultural city so hearing this level of ignorance was extremely surprising to her.
Elexis felt like she could not return back to the golf club after the incident, and as a family we didn’t have the confidence that our concerns would be fully heard and dealt with.
Elexis also experienced racism at a county level as well. Some of the resistance she experienced from older juniors when she was moved up to the next team level because of her age can just be put down to the usual team rivalry, desire to get ahead or even jealousies but for Elexis, she felt ignored and unwelcome; and because of her previous experience put this down to her only visible difference, her race. We are talking about a young girl who was only 13 when she died and at her young age had begun to understand that in the sport of golf, if you are a person of colour, you are not what is considered to be ‘the norm’ and that if she was to pursue golf as a career, she would have to learn to navigate this quite often, instant prejudice. As her parents, we had to have the difficult conversations and confirm to her that yes, there are people out there that will dislike her simply because she is different.
There were times when we tried to raise our concerns with junior organisers but, to us, it seemed like they, along with other parents, would close ranks and say that it was Elexis and us as a family that had the issue. This was so frustrating especially when we saw the impact it was having on Elexis.
Elexis then joined Lincolnshire Girls County Golf and Woodhall Spa Golf Club who made Elexis feel very welcome from the start as did the juniors organisers and both junior girls and boys as well. We began to see Elexis’s spark return and that, at last, she was feeling like she was a part of a golfing family.
We have never really opened up about these aspects of Elexis’s journey and it is only recently since Elexis passed away that we have started to speak more openly about these issues. We feel that all of Elexis’ experiences are an important part of her story and therefore an important part of her legacy too. We are sharing this so other aspiring golfers know that they do not need to accept racism or any form of discrimination in any form and that their voice is important. We wish with all of our hearts that Elexis was here to tell her story herself, we know her bright light as a golfer would not have dimmed by the negative words and treatment and we want to encourage any other young person who might be feeling some of what Elexis did, to speak up.
This is one of the reasons the Elexis Brown Foundation exists. To support aspiring young golfers through providing practical resource but also advocating for them if needed.
“We are sharing this so other aspiring golfers know that they do not need to accept racism or any form of discrimination in any form and that their voice is important”
We feel that golf clubs and County organisations must do more to engage and welcome people from all races and work to make golf reflective of the community in which it sits.
In private clubs new members generally come from existing members and generally those members will propose people from within their own circle of friends or family. We want to challenge members to think about how they can broaden their social circles, to be more inclusive of people who do not look like them especially if they live, work or play golf in a diverse area.
Representation is so very important. The more diverse golf clubs become is the more that young people will be inspired to try the sport and feel assured that they will be welcomed once they decide to apply to join. I look forward to the times where I am not pleasantly surprised to see a black person or a person who is Muslim on a golf course but will smile, because it is the norm.
Just examining the dress code rules in golf will open doors for many others and allow people who do not wear western clothes to feel included and welcomed. How many golf clubs would consider the hijab as ‘smart dress’? We really need to consider whether the dress codes, most clubs implement, are still relevant and aligned to the times we are living in.
Here are just a couple of examples of racism that I have witnessed…
I remember a few years back I was playing golf with a good friend of mine and he shared that one of his friends was told by an older middle class white member if he would not mind praying in the changing room because this made him feel very uncomfortable. It is this sort of behaviour which puts off many people from different communities from playing golf or joining a golf club.
Just recently another friend of mine, who is new to golf, told me he was given golf lessons as a present for his birthday. The lessons were purchased at a particular golf club and, when he arrived, one of the professionals in the shop said: “Can I help you? Are you sure you are in the right place?” My friend is a British Indian man and he said he was shocked and stunned. Once he explained why he was there the professional quickly made a joke of it.
I am a former committee member of a golf club and I’ve heard several people make comments that have left me feeling angry. They include non-white members being referred to as “them lot and this lot” and accusing members from different religious backgrounds of cheating during competitions on a Saturday and making a mess on the golf course and in the toilets. I was horrified and ashamed to be a part of this organisation and have spoken out about my views.
The number of people playing golf in England holds rather steady, standing at 693,600 adults who play as regular as twice per month but it has been reported only 1.7 % of this number are black or from a non-white ethnicity according to Statista research department.
When it comes to the number of registered golf players, England is also ahead in all of Europe, with approximately 656,000 players. On the face of it, this number seems hugely encouraging but when you visit golf clubs in the UK the majority of those people will be Caucasian and in fact, white older males. We cannot say we are committed to equality and be OK with this.
Another process that needs looking at, in my opinion, is the interview process that exists at many golf clubs. This process of being interviewed by a panel consisting of club president, club captain or committee members can be so intimidating. The interviews can come across as if one is being interviewed for a job and not to pay to play golf! Being required to commit to and adhere to rules is important to ensure that a club runs smoothy but I do question the interview process and whether it deliberately or not, keeps people who are different to the majority out of it.
Elexis Brown Foundation to host second Charity Golf Day at Kirby Muxloe
It might be worth the potential member interviewing the golf club and asking questions such as, “can someone who is Muslim pray during their round’ or “will wearing a hijab be considered appropriate golf attire” and if not why
We have seen other sports consider the impact of religious calendar events such as Ramadan and the impact on players. Many of my Muslim friends would simply not play during Ramadan as there is no consideration given to their fast.
A ratio of around 80 per cent of male players against 20 per cent female proves that women are still having to work hard to be accepted in golf clubs and treated fairly. This is still a very low amount across the world. It’s great to see organisations like England Golf recognising the need to be proactive in encouraging people from different backgrounds to experience golf and we fully support organisations like ‘Women in Golf’ and initiatives like ‘Girls Golf Rocks’, which encourages beginner girls aged 5-18 to learn and play golf in a fun and friendly way.
“A ratio of around 80 per cent of male players against 20 per cent female proves that women are still having to work hard to be accepted in golf clubs and treated fairly”
Girls Golf Rocks played a very special part in Elexis’ life as, at one point, she was an ambassador for them. Elexis fully believed that all girls should have the chance to play golf.
We fully support England Golf and all they are doing for golf across the board. They have produced many helpful guidance documents such as the ‘Gender Guidance’ for golf that can help golf clubs progress in their thinking and policy making.
The world is evolving and we need to see golf clubs do more to ensure that
the sport is sustainable into the future for everyone. Attitudes and mindsets need to change and policies brought in line to reflect growth and inclusivity.
As a foundation we fully support groups such as Black British Golfers who have done a great job in showing us how many black British golfers are out there as well as The Golf Foundation, who are doing some amazing work with marginalised groups and individuals, especially young people. I’m also seeing women such as Hannah Crump, who teaches women from the Muslim golf society and Julia Regis, who has helped more black women experience golf both working hard to engage more women from diverse backgrounds in golf. Golf clubs should be talking to these projects and individuals to learn from them and tap into their knowledge about how to grow the game.
We as a foundation will work hard to achieve our goals to give children and young people every opportunity to experience golf. We want them to have their chance to shine and enjoy all that golf can give, irrespective of race, gender, disability, religion, poverty or personal circumstances, we want them to have the opportunity to enjoy golf and play golf to the best of their ability.
We will support juniors and their parents on our programme and advocate for any young person experiencing discrimination in this sport. We want to support the positive parts of Elexis’ experiences in golf and help to eradicate the negative aspects of her journey. Golf is a sport for all. Elexis’ loved golf and we want to see other young people come to love golf and thrive in the sport too. This is why we exist.
This is Elexis’s legacy.