Long before hashtags and highlight reels, there were women who dared to step onto fairways where they weren’t always welcome—and swing anyway. The United Golfers Association (UGA), founded in 1925, was more than a golf organization—it was the proving ground for Black golfers when segregation kept them off mainstream tours.
And the women? They were fierce.
- Ann Gregory, known as the “Queen of Negro Women’s Golf,” broke barriers in the 1940s and 50s, often the only Black woman on the course.
- Althea Gibson, who’s better known for her Wimbledon titles, also made history as the first Black woman to compete on the LPGA Tour.
- Renee Powell, only the second Black woman on the LPGA, carried her father’s legacy from Clearview Golf Course into a career that defied odds and opened doors.
These women weren’t just golfers. They were warriors with wedges.
Now, the Sapphire Golf Tour stands on their shoulders. It’s not just about prize money or leaderboards—it’s about carrying forward a 100-year legacy that says, “We belong here. We always have.”
Every tee shot on the Sapphire Tour echoes the courage of those who teed it up before fairways were fair. And now, for the first time in history, there’s a full-season tour for Black women that puts their growth, stories, and success front and center.
Because history isn’t just something we honor—it’s something we expand.
