How the FedEx St. Jude Championship is leaning on Memphis to broaden its appeal

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — James Dukes – perhaps better known by his professional moniker, IMAKEMADBEATS – has never been to the FedEx St. Jude Championship.

“The realest answer, I didn’t even know it existed,” said Dukes, a record producer and founder of Unapologetic, an artist collective in Memphis.

He does now, and he will be there when 70 of the world’s best golfers will converge on the Bluff City. That’s because tournament officials have spent the better part of the past year making concerted efforts to broaden its appeal. To attract a more diverse audience. To show, while it is a golf tournament, it’s not necessarily just for golf fans. And to become more inclusive, more reflective of the city that has hosted the PGA Tour stop every year since 1958.

Joe Tomek, who was named the event’s executive director in September 2021, spearheaded the outreach. He partnered with DCA, a downtown Memphis-based communications consulting firm, and got in front of elected officials, community leaders and prominent voices – like Dukes.

A “listening tour,” he called it, and the feedback he got came through loud and clear.

“We live in the largest majority minority city in America,” Tomek said, referencing 2022 U.S. Census Bureau data that indicated 63 percent of Memphis' population is Black. “The game of golf has not always been the most inclusive place. If you don’t acknowledge that head-on, then you’ll never find a solution.

“(Memphis mayor Paul Young) says it all the time: Diversity is our super-power. Why shouldn’t our PGA Tour stop and Memphis as a city be the place that’s a prime example of golf being for everyone?”

A 'full-throated' approach to change

What was once simply a regular-season tournament, in the past five years it was first elevated to World Golf Championship status, then to what it is now, the first leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. In that time, the four-day tournament has routinely attracted tens of thousands of spectators.

But that is not what resonates with Dukes. It isn’t that he’s not a golf fan. The White Station graduate simply gravitated toward basketball and football, because they were more easily accessible than golf.

Then, there were the optics. Historically, Black representation on the PGA Tour has been few and far between. There is Tiger Woods, of course. There was Charlie Sifford, Lee Elder and Calvin Peete before him. But, today, Harold Varner III, who competes in LIV Golf, is perhaps the foremost pro Black golfer.

“Whenever I did find myself watching golf, I didn’t see nobody that looked like me,” he said.

But when Dukes sat down with Tomek and his team, he respected their approach and appreciated the mission.

“They didn’t call me and say, ‘Hey, we want you to do X, Y and Z.' They wanted to have a conversation about golf and accessibility and the city of Memphis,” said Dukes, who often performs and is seen in public wearing a mask with "IMAKEMADBEATS" printed across the face. “I love full-throated, sincere and honest approaches to change. And what resonated with me the most was the idea of being able to have a hand in this change.”

Rev. L. LaSimba M. Gray Jr. – author of "Out of Bounds: A History of African Americans and Golf in Memphis, Tennessee," which was published in June – is also someone Tomek has leaned on. He is hopeful the FedEx St. Jude Championship team’s efforts will be a mutually beneficial endeavor.

“If the intentions are genuinely made, it’s like planting seeds – if you plant seeds, you expect a crop,” Gray said. “So, I would hope the intentions of the PGA Tour and those here in the Memphis area are being taken very seriously.”

A more inviting atmosphere

Whether you want to show up to the course in loafers or sneakers, a polo shirt or a T-shirt, a baseball cap or a mask − there is room for everyone, says Tomek.

"We're not ignoring traditional golf fans. This is still the top 70 players in the world, what more compelling argument do you need?" he said. "All of this is additive and in an effort to continue to grow, not distract."

One of the most tangible realizations of Tomek’s initiative at TPC Southwind will be on the 14th hole. Dubbed “The Bluff at 14,” tournament organizers have surrounded the green on the 239-yard par 3 with structures for fans and onlookers and upgraded the amenities within proximity. There are planned giveaways each day of the tournament and a two-hour meet-and-greet with select members of the Memphis Tigers basketball team.

The idea is two-fold: to create an environment for the competitors that serves as a spark for the stretch run and create a more inviting atmosphere for the average spectator.

“What’s been built out on 16, 17 and 18 are predominantly corporate hospitality areas,” Tomek said. “But 14 is somewhere with shaded seating, somewhere to congregate, so that when people are watching on TV or sharing on social media or standing there as a new spectator, you feel or see, ‘Wow, that’s a special place that I need to be tomorrow or next year.’ ”

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: How the FedEx St. Jude Championship is leaning on Memphis to broaden its appeal