Located in Baltimore, Maryland, the Pitch and Putt Golf Club is the second-oldest African American female golf club in the United States.
Today, they have a monument to convey how things have changed in Charm City and across the country.
Unveiled at the start of Black History Month 2022, the monument married a lifetime of pride with sacred remembrance of the significant events leading up to that day.
Long-time golfer Mattie Gaines said that the celebration means a lot of work has been done, even as more progress is needed.
When the Carroll Park Golf Course opened in Baltimore City in 1923, only white people could play on it. When black golfers tried to change the rule, it was repeatedly eliminated and brought back. Finally, in 1948, the course was desegregated for good.
Founded as an all-black women's group, the Pitch and Putt Golf Club has been around for 83 years and has become a voice for the historic course. Today, their efforts in the face of overwhelming odds are praised by everyone.
At the monument's unveiling, District 9 Councilman John Bullock called having the chance to show off how far the community has come “a great thing." He honored the women for helping make sure that African Americans could play golf and that the conditions were right for the community.
Gaines is 88 years old and a proud member of the club, and she still plays the game she loves.
As soon as Gaines leaves the golf course, there is always one shot that brings her back to it. “You want to beat the people you're playing with, but you also want to improve your own skills," she shared.
This group has done a lot of good things for themselves, their community, and the world. The legacy they leave behind is now written in stone, so it will be impossible to ever forget them.
“It demonstrates how far we've come, if you think about where we've been, where we're going, and where we are now,” Bullock reflected.
The Pitch and Putt Golf Club golf club is always looking for new people to join them. To learn more about them, go to their site.
