Muni's history and evolution
From its origin, Muni welcomed players of all types, including minorities. With a green fee of 50 cents a round in 1927, the golf course designed by famed architect Donald Ross was built with the express purpose of promoting public play to grow the game. Under the restrictive segregation laws in place during the course’s early years, Black golfers were allowed to play just one day a week. “They had what they called Caddie Day, which was Monday, and the Blacks could play the course then,” said Billy Gardenhight of Asheville, a member of the Black Golf Hall of Fame who played the course for parts of eight decades. “As a kid, I started hanging out around the clubhouse, picking up balls and washing down the porch, so I could play on Mondays.”
The rule for Blacks at Muni continued until 1954, when the landmark “Brown v. Board of Education” decision required school integration, and subsequent laws were enacted to help eliminate segregation. Gardenhight said 1954 was a life-changing time in his pursuit to play golf as often as he wished. “When things changed in 1954, me and a buddy named Boyce Layton went to (Muni) on a Sunday and played,” he said. “A lot of people weren’t happy about that.’’ Soon after, a headline in the local Asheville Citizen newspaper read “29 Negroes Play Golf at Muni on Restricted Days.”
“(Desegregation laws) meant freedom,” said Pete McDaniel, a retired Black golf journalist who grew up in Asheville and caddied at Biltmore Forest Country Club. “This gave us a chance to play, and all African Americans wanted to do was play the game, just like anybody else. And Muni, it wasn’t always in the greatest condition, but it was our Augusta National.”
Skyview opened doors for Black golfers
As Black players gained more opportunities to play at Muni, the Skyview Golf Association was formed in 1959. The group of local Black golfers and community leaders decided to host a Blacks-only golf tournament in 1960, the beginning of more than half a century of spirited competition over three days, featuring 54 holes of stroke play. After the first Skyview Open, organizers like Gardenhight realized that not opening the event to others was the very essence of the restrictions they had fought to end.
So, in 1961, the Skyview Open was opened to all players, and has grown and endured into WNC’s oldest golf tournament. The tourney became a regular stop for the North American Golf Association, a Black pro tour that helped season players to the ultimate destination for pros, the PGA Tour. And, even more importantly, it became an event where Black and white folks played together. It was a huge social event for the Black community, and before Asheville became known as such a haven for tourists, it brought hundreds of golfers and others to the area every July.
“All the greats played here,” said McDaniel. “If you were a Black golfer worth his salt, you played in the Skyview.” Lee Elder, who won on the PGA Tour and was the first Black golfer to compete in the Masters, won three straight Skyview titles (1962-64).
“There is a need for places like Muni and tourneys like Skyview,” said Black golf pro Paul Everett, who played in the Skyview for decades. “Not everyone can afford to play at the country clubs. I wish younger people understood the significance of a tournament like the Skyview.”
Progress, one swing at a time
Asheville Municipal Golf Course
Many Black golfers from the era of players like Bryson, Gardenhight and McDaniel were introduced to the game through caddying, earning money by carrying the clubs of white players at local country clubs like Biltmore Forest. It was also an introduction and a reminder of their status as young Black men. “I started caddying at Biltmore Forest in the (1940s),” said Gardenhight.
“First time out, I made three dollars and thought I was rich. “You had some guys who were nice to you and some who would have nothing to do with you. Some would call you a (racial slur), some would call you a boy, but none of them ever would call you a man.”
A full set of clubs was usually beyond the budget of young Black players and caddies, so the game was often honed with a single club. “We had our own golf course in the housing project,” said Bryson. “Made a course from dirt, made a hole in the ground and put a tin cup in the hole, and we were playing golf.” Even after integration gave players more opportunities, golfers were often reminded of the realities of the Deep South and the attitudes that lingered. “For years and years, we were still invisible people when it came to playing golf,” said McDaniel. “And even though we were at a public course, you always felt a little uncomfortable. There was a little bit of an attitude about us being there.
When a fire destroyed the Muni clubhouse in the 1950s, there was talk of closing the course, but Gardenhight led a protest at a City Council meeting that helped convince leaders to keep it open. He no longer plays after some health issues, but Gardenhight has always maintained a balance of pride in his race and the understanding of the realities he grew up in. And for him, it reverts back to a love of the game.
“It’s healthy to have a place to go, to come out and joke with your friends and be with other people, Black and white or whoever,” said Gardenhight. “For me, it’s Christ first, family second, and then golf. Asheville has always been the best place for golf camaraderie between Black and white players. Our men’s association has always been very diverse, just the way it should be.”
Today, Asheville’s Muni remains what it has always aspired to be: a place shaped by its community. The fairways still trace the same ground where access was once limited and change was hard-won, but the spirit of the course has evolved alongside the city itself. More than a historic site, Muni stands as a reminder that public spaces carry public stories—and that progress, like the game, is something built over time, one swing at a time.
Want to Play at Muni?
Where: Asheville Golf Course, 226 Fairway Drive, Asheville
What: 18 holes, public course, open seven days a week.
Note: Asheville Municipal Golf Course is currently undergoing renovations after Hurricane Helene. Please check course availability before playing.
Contact: 828-298-1867, ashevillegc.com
When is the Skyview Open?
Note: The 66th Annual Skyview Open has not yet been scheduled for 2026. Check back later for more details.
