Actor Samuel L. Jackson will host Golf Channel's documentary chronicling African-Americans' history with the sport.
Premiering Feb. 11 at 9 p.m., Uneven Fairways celebrates the golfers who confronted prejudice and endured indignities for the right to play golf at its highest level.
Produced in partnership with Moxie Pictures and based on the books Uneven Lies by Pete McDaniel and Forbidden Fairways by Calvin Sinnette, the 60-minute film will reveal the stories of the men and women of the United Golf Association, which many compare to the Negro Leagues of Baseball. Through never-before-seen archival footage, interviews with golf's pioneers and their families, insight from links legends Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus and a personal tribute from Tiger Woods, the documentary recounts both the painful memories that caused heartbreak to the lighter moments prompting laughter.
Additional information is available at a microsite, www.GolfChannel.com/uneven-fairways, where visitors can find bonus video footage not seen in the documentary and extended interviews with several of golf's legends and pioneers, plus feature stories from GolfChannel.com senior writer Rex Hoggard. The site also will include a first-person narrative on the origins of the documentary from Golf World senior writer Pete McDaniel, co-writer of Uneven Fairways and author of Uneven Lies.
Readers also will have the opportunity to share stories on how golf and their passion for the game has impacted their lives when it comes to overcoming adversity. Golf Channel will take a collection of the stories for a compilation book to been given to the men and women featured in Uneven Fairways.
Immediately after the documentary, Vince Cellini will moderate a roundtable panel discussion on the history of African-Americans in golf with three-time PGA Tour champion and 13-time Champions Tour winner Jim Thorpe, McDaniel, New York University professor of sociology and African-American Studies Dr. Jeffrey Sammons and Golf World senior writer Bill Fields.
