D14. Native Links and the First People in Golf

Native Links is an entertaining and insightful course that makes the case that, as with the DNA of American history, Native American history is a leading strand and that is true for golf as well. Beginning in Eastern Long Island at Shinnecock Hills, and carrying through the contemporary rise of Native golf, the course will introduce students to the personalities, legal findings, and surprising stories of Our First People in “the least violent, most difficult game of human history.” Students of history will be amazed.

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Instructor: Mark Wagner was born in Paterson, New Jersey, the fourth child of eight born to Jack and Pat (Coyle) Wagner. A decorated athlete and educator, Mark has published extensively on golf course architecture and history. In 2021, as he explored the history of Native-owned golf courses, Mark began to realize there were many firsts among our First Peoples in golf, a game he has loved since his childhood outings in the Adirondacks with his family. The result is I (Back Nine Press, 2024), a travelogue and oral history about and by the Indigenous people who have shaped and played the game of golf. Mark’s work on golf has appeared in The Boston Globe, The Worcester Telegram, Northeast Golf, and ICT News. For more information see drmarkongolf.com