Ebony Ladies Golf League gives black women the chance to pick up the club

The Ebony Ladies Golf League is devoted to its mission of growing and diversifying the sport of golf. President Tracy Raoul recently he said CBS News reported that their goal is to proceed welcoming recent members to this inspiring community.

The organization celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in March, marking one other 12 months of encouraging women of color to play golf. Raoul, who has been president since 2021, said that while golf can seem intimidating to newcomers, their Chicago-based group is concentrated on breaking down those barriers and helping more women tackle golf with confidence.

She explained: “Golf is a great sport. It’s great physically. It’s a mental game. You have to know how to let go of that bad shot and move on to the next one.”

Raoul proudly told the website about the recent increase in recent members of the Ebony Ladies Golf League from 2022 – from 46 ladies to 81 members in total.

“A lot of them have never picked up a golf club. I want to grow the game and see more African-American women playing the game.”

Back in the early twentieth century, there was an amazing demand for women of color in the game of golf.

“African Americans were not allowed to play the game back then,” Raoul said. She continued: “They could be caddies, and if they did play, unfortunately they had to play with poor materials and equipment.”

She added: “Walter Speedy and his three gentlemen sued the Park District because they couldn’t play on the public golf course, Jackson Park. So they sued and won. In 1910, these gentlemen started playing.”

It took an extended time for women to have a spot on the golf course, and it took even longer for women of color to play. Fortunately, Raoul said she sees a trend of more young golfers bringing in black girls and boys, which she is optimistic will help diversify way forward for the game.

The Ebony Ladies Golf League approached CBS about accepting more members and provided some advice to its founders and members.

Member Eleanor Fox said: “If you want to play golf, play golf. You can do anything our colleagues can do, and sometimes we can do it better.”

Another member, Kathy Davis, added, “I’ll say, ‘Yes you can, and we (Ebony Ladies Golf League) are here to help you.'”