Fueled by a $7 million donation, the South Los Angeles, Calif. course will be renovated thanks to a collaborative effort called the U.S. Open Community Legacy Project. “Maggie Hathaway Golf Course is a county gem that, when reinvigorated, will serve the community much better and in more ways,” says Glen Porter, primary caretaker of the golf course and head of the Southern Area Youth Programs, Inc. nonprofit that promotes access to diverse communities in sports.

Maggie Hathaway Golf Course in South Los Angeles, Calif., a 61-year-old golf course named after a Black activist who fought for inclusion within the industry, will see a massive overhaul and more programming for the community, the Los Angeles Daily News reported.

The L.A. County-run course, located within Jesse Owens Park and a few miles from SoFi Stadium, will be renovated thanks to a collaborative effort called the U.S. Open Community Legacy Project, the Daily News reported. Club + Resort Business reported on the project, fueled by a $7 million donation in May.

The United States Golf Association, the Southern California Golf Association, the Los Angeles Country Club and other golf organizations announced the campaign at an event at Maggie Hathaway June 11 — days before the 123rd U.S. Open Championship comes to L.A. on June 15-18, the Daily News reported.

The USGA — as it does in every city hosting the event — has chosen to endow the municipal golf course, the Daily News reported. The nine-hole, par-3 course, originally named the Jack Thompson Golf Course, was first opened in 1962 and renamed after Hathaway in 1997.

At Sunday’s event, officials honored Hathaway’s legacy as a civil rights activist, actor, writer and golfer who fought for inclusion, the Daily News reported. They also took a tour of the modest-looking golf course.

“Maggie Hathaway Golf Course is a county gem that, when reinvigorated, will serve the community much better and in more ways,” Glen Porter, primary caretaker of the golf course and head of the Southern Area Youth Programs, Inc. nonprofit that promotes access to diverse communities in sports, said in a news release, the Daily News reported.

Through the FORE Youth Foundation, the U.S Open Legacy Project aims to expand access to the sport in underserved communities in the area, officials said in a news release. They hope to provide more affordable youth programming, training and services, as well as invest $15 million in the golf course’s overall infrastructure and design, the Daily News reported.

The L.A. County Board of Supervisors accepted a $7 million donation toward kickstarting the project, the Daily News reported. Of the $15 million needed to cover renovations, about $9.3 million has already been pledged through anchor donors and other supporters.

On June 11, youth and alumni from the Southern California Golf Association’s Junior Golf Foundation were also present — including professional golfer Aaron Grimes, a South L.A. local who grew up playing on Maggie Hathaway.

“Maggie Hathaway got me started in golf and got me on the path I am on now,” Grimes said before the event. “Knowing the positive impact the course has on kids in the community, I’m excited to see the project come together. Golf is a game of life, so when the local kids get involved, their lives will start changing for the better.”

Susan Henderson, a longtime friend of Hathaway, called the project a “lasting monument of Hathway’s legacy,” the Daily News reported.

“This project honoring the late Maggie Hathaway is the greatest testament to her lifelong pursuit of access and equality for all,” Henderson said, “especially her specific efforts as they relate to the game of golf for minorities, women, children and the economically challenged.”