Ann Gregory, the golfer who beat racism in 1956
That crowd of spectators, that swarm of reporters on the 1st tee at Meridian Hills Country Club in Indianapolis, Indiana, on September 17, 1956 was something totally unusual at a U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship. First-round matches didn’t usually draw that many people. But it was because until that day, the Negro Women’s Golf Association champion had never before been seen at that tournament. And there she was, ready for the sporting battle, African-American Ann Gregory.
Ann Gregory, a passionate golfer, a fighter against racism since the beginning of her career
She became the first woman of color to compete in a USGA tournament. It was a tumultuous time for blacks in the United States. It had been three years since the historic Supreme Court decision that eliminated racial segregation in public schools, and only eight months since a federal court had ordered that public golf courses in Nashville, Tennessee, be opened to African-Americans. However, the racial conflict was still simmering, and in Greensboro, North Calorina, a jury convicted three African Americans of trespassing for playing on a public golf course.
Ann Gregory’s defeat, the beginning of her victory
Gregory’s opponent in that historic Indianapolis match was Carolyn Cudone. “I went out first,” she said, “and hit a good shot, which got a standing ovation from the crowd. Gregory’s shot was at least 20 yards longer than mine, but it only got a small ovation.”
Gregory took a 2-up lead after the first nine holes, but Cudone was able to rally in the closing stages and eventually won the match 2 and 1. Cudone went on to become a five-time U.S. Women’s Senior Amateur champion. 
Ann Gregory’s words after the famous match
“My husband told me I had no chance of winning” stated Gregory, 44, after the tournament. She did not triumph on this occasion, but Gregory took home more than 400 trophies and won more than 200 trophies from around the world during her career.
The moving story of Ann Gregory
Gregory was born in Aberdeen, Mississippi, on July 25, 1912. She was the third of five children born to Henry and Myra Moore. When she was only 4 years old, her parents were killed in an automobile accident and her former employer, a white family, took her in and raised her.
Years passed and he graduated from high school in 1930. She then moved with her sister and brother-in-law to Gary, Indiana. She began working as a caterer and played tennis in her spare time. In 1938, Gregory married Leroy Percy Gregory, a steel mill worker who also enjoyed playing golf.
In 1994, Ann began taking golf lessons from golf pro Calvin Ingram. The following year, she participated in her first professional competition, the Chicago Women’s Golf Club Annual Tournament, and finished second. A member of the UGA, an organization for African-American golfers formed in 1925, Gregory was often invited to play in prestigious tournaments, which caused a stir in the media, as she was usually the only African-American woman competing.
Ann Gregory, achieves her long-awaited victory
In 1948, Gregory won the first of five Chicago Women’s Golf Club tournaments, as well as a tournament in Kankakee, Illinois, where both she and her husband competed and won.
In 1950 she won six of the seven tournaments, and that year she was nicknamed“The Queen of Black Golf“.
Ann Gregory’s strong conviction for golf and equality
In 1956, the Chicago Women’s Golf Club became the first African-American organization to join the United States Golf Association, the USGA. Gregory soon became the first African American to play in the SGA Women’s National Championship. Although Gregory was an accomplished golfer, she still had to battle the racism of her era.
He then broke the color barrier in Indiana at South Gleason Golf Course by demanding to play the full 18 holes when African Americans were only allowed to play nine.
A player once mistook her for a maid during a tournament, which led to a very embarrassing moment for the player when she faced Gregory on the green.
Ann Gregory’s career summary and memory of her passion.
Over the course of his career, Gregory won more than 300 tournaments worldwide in a career that spanned more than five decades. Her golf career ended in 1989 with a Gold Medal at the Senior Olympics. She died months later, was inducted into the United Golf Association Hall of Fame, the African American Golfers Hall of Fame, the National African American Golfers Hall of Fame and the National Black Golf Hall of Fame.
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