The Pitch and Putt Golf Club is the United States’ second oldest African-American female golf group. It arose from the persistence and sheer resolve of a group of African-American ladies who loved the game.
It was nearly difficult for African-American female golfers to compete in the sport in the 1930s. White men had imposed restrictions on where Black female golfers could play the game.
The only course where Black female golfers could play the game of golf in 1938 was the Carroll Park. According to Afro.com, they gained access to the park in 1936 after the Monumental Golf Club filed a lawsuit opposing the segregation of golf courses. The Club ensured that their demonstrations for the desegregation of the golf course received constant coverage.
Even when they did have access to the Carroll Park Golf Course, they could only play on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
To make the elite game more difficult for the ladies, they were compelled to play on sandy fairways with little vegetation. In 1942, female golfers again took to the courts to protest the state of the golf course. A white-only jury ruled in their favor. Carroll Park was renamed the Negro golf course when it was refurbished. By 1951, all golf courses in Baltimore City were open to all people, regardless of race.
A brick monument has been erected in Baltimore to recognize the African-American female golfers who fought for equal access on the golf field. Stephanie Williams, President of Pitch and Putt Golf Club, stated that the club has 33 members ranging in age from 30 to 80 years.
Williams stated that the persistent African-American female golfers’ activism is the reason they have the opportunity to play golf today. She claims the monument symbolizes the difficulties the ladies had in desegregating the game of golf in Baltimore.