Lloyd Morrison Junior Golf Tournament
Sponsored by Save Muny
May 31st, 2012
Sign up now for this historic tournament. Lloyd Morrison was instrumental in making Lions Municipal what it is today. The golf pro has always put a major emphasis on developing junior golfers which has benefited Austin's youth for many, many years. Lloyd Morrison served as pro at Lions Municipal Golf Course from 1977 until February, 2012. Please see below for an excerpt from an article written by Doug Smith on how important Morrison has been to the Austin golf scene. Thank you Lloyd!
Lloyd “Morrison was one of the area's top juniors in the 1960s. When he was 17 he won the Austin Men's City Championship and finished second in the state junior. That same year he qualified for the Texas Open and made the cut in the PGA Tour event at historic Oak Hills Country Club in San Antonio.
In 1967 Morrison had played some junior college golf and was expecting to transfer to the University of Houston. Instead, he said he took a liking to the golf business and took a job as a part-time assistant to George Hannon at Lions.
Morrison turned pro in 1969 and went to work full time at Lions. In 1970 he went to Morris Williams as assistant pro. In 1973 he won the city contract to operate Hancock Golf Course, and in 1977 he added Lions to his responsibilities.
At Lions, Morrison continued to run the Firecracker Open, and in 1978 he established the Lions Spring Partnership, one of the most popular tournaments in the area. Morrison has always been a big booster of junior golf, and he teamed with Hannon and Joe Balander to start the city's summer Junior Golf Academy. Three years ago he started the Lloyd Morrison Invitational, a free end-of-the-school-year scramble event for juniors.
"When I was just a kid playing out here (at Muny), I never would have dreamed that this is where I'd spend most of my career," Morrison said. "Over the years I had some chances to take other jobs, some at some fancier places. But I never wanted to be anywhere else. And I still like to work. I don't want to retire.
"I have been very fortunate," Morrison added. "I learned the business from great people like coach Hannon and Joe Balander. And I have been fortunate to have a lot of really good people work for me. Over the years they have given me a lot of good ideas. I'm proud of a lot of the things we have done."”
Lloyd “Morrison was one of the area's top juniors in the 1960s. When he was 17 he won the Austin Men's City Championship and finished second in the state junior. That same year he qualified for the Texas Open and made the cut in the PGA Tour event at historic Oak Hills Country Club in San Antonio.
In 1967 Morrison had played some junior college golf and was expecting to transfer to the University of Houston. Instead, he said he took a liking to the golf business and took a job as a part-time assistant to George Hannon at Lions.
Morrison turned pro in 1969 and went to work full time at Lions. In 1970 he went to Morris Williams as assistant pro. In 1973 he won the city contract to operate Hancock Golf Course, and in 1977 he added Lions to his responsibilities.
At Lions, Morrison continued to run the Firecracker Open, and in 1978 he established the Lions Spring Partnership, one of the most popular tournaments in the area. Morrison has always been a big booster of junior golf, and he teamed with Hannon and Joe Balander to start the city's summer Junior Golf Academy. Three years ago he started the Lloyd Morrison Invitational, a free end-of-the-school-year scramble event for juniors.
"When I was just a kid playing out here (at Muny), I never would have dreamed that this is where I'd spend most of my career," Morrison said. "Over the years I had some chances to take other jobs, some at some fancier places. But I never wanted to be anywhere else. And I still like to work. I don't want to retire.
"I have been very fortunate," Morrison added. "I learned the business from great people like coach Hannon and Joe Balander. And I have been fortunate to have a lot of really good people work for me. Over the years they have given me a lot of good ideas. I'm proud of a lot of the things we have done."”
History of Lions Municipal Golf Course
In 1924, Local Lions Club Members formed the Austin Municipal Golf and Amusement Association to open the first public golf course in the city. The association leased part of the Brackenridge Tract from the University of Texas, and by fall of that year had converted the heavily wooded land into a nine-hole facility. It later added a brick clubhouse and expanded the course to 18 holes, retaining the name "Lions Municipal" or "Muny" after the transfer of the lease to the city in 1936.
The site is near the historically African American community of Clarksville; yet, while young men from that neighborhood helped build Muny and often worked as caddies, a system of segregation at public recreational facilities kept African American citizens from playing the course. In 1950, Mayor Taylor Glass anticipated building a separate, segregated course. However, some city council members thought it was not a cost-effective measure, and on April 5, 1951, councilwoman Emma Long suggested African American golfers be allowed to use existing public courses.
Two black youths forced the city's ultimate decision by walking onto Muny and playing golf. Authorities decided to let them complete their groundbreaking round, ushering in an era of de facto integration at Muny. Although at least one segregated event was held after this and segregated clubhouses were maintained, play on the course was otherwise integrated. The quiet desegregation at Muny preceded access at other public courses, as well as federal public accommodation legislation, by several years, drawing African American golfers to Austin from around the State. Some scholars consider this the earliest integration of a public golf course in the Southern United States.
The site is near the historically African American community of Clarksville; yet, while young men from that neighborhood helped build Muny and often worked as caddies, a system of segregation at public recreational facilities kept African American citizens from playing the course. In 1950, Mayor Taylor Glass anticipated building a separate, segregated course. However, some city council members thought it was not a cost-effective measure, and on April 5, 1951, councilwoman Emma Long suggested African American golfers be allowed to use existing public courses.
Two black youths forced the city's ultimate decision by walking onto Muny and playing golf. Authorities decided to let them complete their groundbreaking round, ushering in an era of de facto integration at Muny. Although at least one segregated event was held after this and segregated clubhouses were maintained, play on the course was otherwise integrated. The quiet desegregation at Muny preceded access at other public courses, as well as federal public accommodation legislation, by several years, drawing African American golfers to Austin from around the State. Some scholars consider this the earliest integration of a public golf course in the Southern United States.
Complete History of Lions Municipal
| history_of_lions_municipal.pdf |
What Muny Means to Me
by Ben Crenshaw
