These Black Women Say They Were Discriminated Against After A Golf Course Called The Police On Them

Owners of the golf course told the women to "remove yourself from the premises" after they took a break between the ninth and 10th holes.

Five black women were kicked off a golf course in York, Pennsylvania, Saturday after the club owners said they were playing too slowly and took too long of a break between holes.

In a Facebook post, Sandra Thompson said she and her friends were told to leave the premises and had the police called on them while they were playing at the Grandview Golf Club.

One of the women, Myneca Ojo, told BuzzFeed News that at first they were told they weren't keeping up with the pace of play, even though they believed they were. Later, after the women took a break in between the ninth and 10th holes, they were told it had been too long and they had to leave.

"It was a horrific experience," Ojo, 56, said. "They weren't looking to accommodate their patrons. They were looking to marginalize us and make us not want to be there anymore."

In a video Thompson posted to YouTube, several white men are seen confronting Thompson and Ojo about the issue. At this point, Ojo said the three other women had left the club because they were so uncomfortable with the first encounter.

One of the men, who identifies himself as Jordan Chronister, tells Thompson to "remove yourself from the premises in the next five minutes," the video shows.

Thompson and Ojo argued they took an appropriate break, and that the group of men behind them had paused to drink a beer and were not ready to tee off. One of the men in the video told the women that the police had been called, and so they waited.

Officers arrived, conducted interviews, and left without charging anyone.

Northern York County Regional Police Chief Mark Bentzel told the York Daily Record the situation "did not warrant any charges."

"All parties left, and we left as well," Bentzel said.

The Grandview Golf Club has since apologized to the women in a post on Facebook, saying that their experience "does not reflect our organization's values."

"We are disappointed that this situation occurred and regret that our members were made to feel uncomfortable in any way," the statement said. "We have reached out to the members who shared their concerns to meet in-person, to fully understand what happened so that we can ensure it never happens again."

The golf club did not immediately respond to a BuzzFeed News request for comment.

Ojo said she and the other women were still processing the incident and have not decided when and where to meet with the club.

The women are part of the Sisters in the Fairway, an organized group of more than a dozen female golfers that meets to play on a weekly basis. Ojo said the group had planned to have meetings at the club and that all of the members purchased memberships to golf there.

But now, they don't feel welcome.

"They kept saying we broke the rules. What was the rule? That blacks don't play or was it the rule that women don't play?" Ojo said. "That's the question they're going to have to ask themselves."

Skip to footer