The Bartow Golfer Who Ended Charlie Sifford’s Five-Year Reign

Most golfers in Polk County know Bartow Golf Course as a hometown course with deep community roots. Fewer realize that it helped produce one of the most accomplished Black golfers of the twentieth century.

Herbert Dixon learned the game while caddying at the course during segregation, when opportunities for Black golfers were limited by both policy and custom. Rather than letting those barriers define his career, Dixon became one of the top competitors on the United Golfers Association circuit, traveling the country and collecting dozens of tournament victories.

His defining moment came in 1951 when he won the National Negro Open Championship, ending Charlie Sifford‘s remarkable five-year run as champion. At a time when many Black golfers were excluded from mainstream professional competition, the National Negro Open represented one of the sport’s most prestigious stages.

Herbert Dixon’s legacy extends far beyond Bartow. His career helped shape the history of Black golf in America.

Dixon’s achievements continued to earn recognition long after his competitive career ended. He was inducted into the National Black Golf Hall of Fame, later joined the African American Golfers Hall of Fame, and became a member of the Polk County Sports Hall of Fame.

Bartow has also embraced his legacy. The driving range at Bartow Golf Course bears his name, the city designated Herbert Dixon Boulevard in his honor, and an annual scholarship tournament continues to introduce new generations to his story.

For BLAC Golf, Dixon represents more than a local legend. He is one of the pioneers whose accomplishments helped shape the history of Black golf in America.

As BLAC continues building the living record of Black golf, Herbert Dixon’s story deserves a permanent place — not only because he was from Polk County, but because his career reached far beyond it.