The City once again will recognize Herbert Dixon Day in Bartow, this year on April 11.
Mr. Dixon, a local golfing legend, was born in 1919 in Dade City, FL, and moved to Bartow at age eight and has resided here ever since.
His love for golf began six years later at the age of 14, when he took a job as a caddie at the Bartow Golf Course. Mr. Dixon earned 50 cents per day and occasionally received tips of up to 25 cents.
Although he never received formal training, Mr. Dixon launched his own professional golfing career at the age of 32 and went on to win 63 tournaments. With the support of his sponsors, Dr. Butch and Dr. Roberts, he travelled to tournaments across the nation, often accompanied by his friend and fellow professional golfer Richard Lewis, who taught him much about the game.
Mr. Dixon’s professional golf career ended in 1961. His success earned him induction into the National Black Golf Hall of Fame in 1998. He also received the African American Golfers Hall of Fame Legacy Award in 2012 and was inducted into the West Palm Beach Golf Association Hall of Fame in 2014.
At age 106, Mr. Dixon continues to play amateur golf with great skill, consistently scoring between 70 and 80, with an all-time best tournament score of 63, and he remains an active member of the Sunshine State Amateur Golfers Association, the Executive Par and Birdie Club, and the Bartow Golf Club.
In recognition of his important contributions to the game and the City, in 2020, the City of Bartow dedicated a new driving range at the Bartow Golf Course in his honor, and, in 2023, renamed a portion of Idlewood Avenue South to Herbert Dixon Boulevard.
The Bartow Golf Course also will host the 13th Annual Herbert Dixon Charity Golf Tournament on April 11, starting at 8:30am.
Mr. Dixon, accompanied by Carver Young, representative of the Bartow Deacons and Stewards Alliance, Inc. and members of his family, attended the April 6 Commission meeting to accept a proclamation declaring the day in his honor and promoting the Tournament, the proceeds of which benefit the Bartow Deacons & Stewards Alliance, Inc. Scholarship Fund.
*info provided by City of Bartow
