Film telling the story of ‘The Queen of Negro Women’s Golf’ in the works

A film depicting the first Black woman to tee up in a national golfing championship is in the works.

The story about Ann Gregory, known as “The Queen of Negro Women’s Golf,” will be told by following a pivotal golf match between Gregory, the first Black woman to play in a U.S. Golf Association event, and a fictional white female golfer from the South named Babs Whatling.

The film titled Playing Through hails from writer Curtis Jordan, a former rowing coach at Princeton University who now lives in Sarasota. His own mother and her real-life golf match with Gregory in the 1950s were the inspiration for Whatling’s character.

“My mom was a pusher of barriers and adventurous and she was over the top with her life, and she would let you know about it. But she never talked about this. I don’t think it was a very bright light in her life,” Jordan said as reported by Sarasota Magazine.

“When I found out about Ann Gregory, I thought, why don’t I know more about this woman? Why isn’t she more celebrated for her courage and bravery and the things that she did?” Jordan recalls. “That was the driving factor for me to write this.”

Gregory was considered the best Black American female golfer of the 20th century, as noted in the late decorated Black tennis player Arthur Ashe‘s book, “Hard Road to Glory.”

The Playing Through synopsis on IMDB reads, “Late in her career, Ann Gregory finds the courage to be the first woman of color to enter the USGA Women’s Amateur. She collides with Babs Whatling, a privileged white woman from the south who is searching for her own identity.”

Jordan has teamed with producer Peter Odiorne to develop the project. Actress Andia Winslow has been tapped to play Ann Gregory with Julia Rae as Babs Whatling.

Director Balbinka Korzeniowska is currently filming the $1 million – $2 million project in Sarasota at the Laurel Oak Country Club. According to the report, locations also include the Historic Spanish Point, the Waffle Stop restaurant and several homes in the Rosemary District.

There’s reportedly no distribution plan for the film but Odiorne says the Playing Through team is open to selling it to Hulu, Netflix or A24.

Source: Film telling the story of ‘The Queen of Negro Women’s Golf’ in the works