Wake Robin Golf Club Tournament a Huge Success
By Carla Peay
WI Contributing Writer
Thursday, July 14, 2005

They came from a variety of different backgrounds but were all united in one area. They all love golf. Their conversations ranged from talks about their handicaps to new and better equipment to improving their scores and the tournaments they played in. Coming on the heels of the U.S. Women’s Open and the increasing popularity of women’s golf, it is likely that conversations like this are common in golf clubs across the country. But this was a very special day for the members of the women of the Wake Robin Golf Club, one of the first all-black women’s golf clubs in the United States.

This year’s annual tournament, held on June 27 at the Cross Creek Golf Club in Beltsville , Maryland , was a huge success, with more than 130 players participating.

They began early in the morning, played 18 holes and concluded the day with a luncheon and awards ceremony for the members and participants. The ceremony’s special honorees were eight members of Wake Robin who have been members of the club for more than 30 years.

One such honoree was Clementine “Clem” Aquilea, who became interested in playing golf when she took the sport in gym class at Howard University. Now 75 and retired from a career with the NSA, she fondly recalls being drawn to the sport.

“Golf is an independent sport. That’s one of the things that appealed to me about it,” said Aquilea. “A lot of young African American women are playing golf now and would love the opportunity to become professionals if they could find sponsors.”

The proceeds from this year’s tournament are being donated to the Langston in the 21 st Century Jr. Golf program, whose mission is to prepare young children for the challenges of life coupled with an introduction and progressive approach to learning golf.

“I’m very impressed by the efforts of the committee to make today’s event a success,” said Linda White, who is President of the Wake Robin Golf Club, which is affiliated with the Eastern Golf Association, the United States Golf Association, and is a member of the Interclub Federation of Golfers.

“We at Wake Robin are thrilled and honored to support the Langston in the 21st Century Jr. Golf program. This program is teaching kids to learn to love, appreciate and respect golf,” said E. Dawn Samuel, chairperson for the Wake Robin Golf Club.

Founded in 1963 years ago, the Wake Robin Golf Club was founded by women who loved golf and wanted nothing more than the freedom to play it and the ability to share their love of the sport with other women. Founded by Helen Webb Harris and 13 friends, the women started the club because each had grown weary of spending their weekends home alone while their husbands played golf. In 1938, the club was in the forefront of the efforts to desegregate public golf courses for both women and Blacks in the District of Columbia.