Five black women claim they were discriminated against by the white owner of a Pennsylvania golf course and his father, who called the police on the women because they were playing too slowly and refused to leave the course.
‘We, the only all African American group and the only all women golf group on the Grandview Golf Club’s course, were discriminated against, refused the benefits of our membership, were told to vacate the premises, and had the police called on us,’ Sandra Thompson wrote in a Facebook post detailing what she says happened on Saturday.
Thompson, 50, and her friends, Myneca Ojo, 56; sisters Sandra Harrison, 59, and Carolyn Dow, 56, and Karen Crosby, 58, met up Saturday morning to play a round of golf at the Grandview Golf Club in Dover Township, Pennsylvania, where they are all members.
Five women said they were discriminated against by white golf course owners who called police while trying to kick them off the green for playing too slowly. Pictured (L to R): Carolyn Dow, 56, Sandra Harrison, 59, Karen Crosby, 58, Sandra Thompson, 50, and Myneca Ojo, 56
At the second hole, a white man whose son co-owns the club came up to them twice to complain that they weren’t keeping up with the pace of play.
Thompson, an attorney and the head of the York chapter of the NAACP, wrote that the man, former York County Commissioner Steve Chronister, identified himself as the owner of the club. His daughter-in-law, however, said he is not an owner, he only has an advisory role.
‘They wanted us off the course, offering to refund our money,’ Thompson wrote on Facebook. ‘They didn’t want us as members offering to refund our membership.We paid so we wanted to play.’
Thompson told the York Daily Record that his complaints about slow play weren’t true.
On the same hole, another member of the group, Sandra Harrison, said she spoke with a Grandview golf pro, who said they were fine since they were keeping pace with the group ahead of them.
![In videos, former York County Commissioner Steve Chronister (left) can be heard telling his son, course owner Jordan Chronister (left), to 'Back off' after telling the women to leave](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/04/24/04/4B7AD78000000578-5648991-image-a-59_1524542060949.jpg)
In videos, former York County Commissioner Steve Chronister (left) can be heard telling his son, course owner Jordan Chronister (left), to ‘Back off’ after telling the women to leave
![During a video of the confrontation, Jordan Chronister (right) tells the women to leave and repeatedly has to be drawn away from the women](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/04/24/04/4B7AD7B300000578-5648991-image-a-58_1524542040503.jpg)
During a video of the confrontation, Jordan Chronister (right) tells the women to leave and repeatedly has to be drawn away from the women
Despite that, the women skipped the third hole to avoid any other issues, Harrison said.
Thompson noted that she and her friends were longtime golfers who had played on course across York County and elsewhere, including nationally and internationally, and were well-aware of golf etiquette and rules.
It’s part of golf etiquette that slow-moving players let groups behind them play through if they are holding things up, and often golf courses have personnel who monitor the pace of play, letting golfers know when they are taking too long.
After the ninth hole, where it is customary to take a break before continuing on the next nine holes, three of the group decided to leave because they were so shaken up by the earlier treatment.
Thompson wrote that they group of five managed to complete the first nine holes in about two hours time, despite the various interruptions to their play.
Thompson and her remaining friend, Ojo, took their break and then returned to the course, only to be approached by Steve Chronister again, this time accmpanied by his son, club co-owner Jordan Chronister, and several other white, male employees.
They told Thompson and Ojo that they’d taken too long of a break and that they needed to leave the golf course.
In a video, the women can be seen saying that they took an appropriate break, and that the men playing behind them were still on their beer break and not ready to tee off.
While the women are surrounded by the group of men, Steve Chronister can be heard telling his son, Jordan Chronister to ‘Back off, this is what she wants. This is what she does for a living.’
![The women were members of the Grandview Golf Course (pictured) and longtime golfers](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/04/24/05/4B7AD6FE00000578-5648991-image-a-69_1524542599899.jpg)
The women were members of the Grandview Golf Course (pictured) and longtime golfers
![The Grandview Golf Course in Pennsylvania is co-owned by Jordan Chronister (left) and his wife, JJ Chronister. JJ called the women to apologize about the confrontation](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/04/24/04/4B7AD73500000578-5648991-image-a-61_1524542083186.jpg)
The Grandview Golf Course in Pennsylvania is co-owned by Jordan Chronister (left) and his wife, JJ Chronister. JJ called the women to apologize about the confrontation
![The women said that Steve Chronister repeatedly approached them while they were playing on the second hole, complaining that they were playing too slowly](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/04/24/04/4B7AD7DA00000578-5648991-image-a-62_1524542087492.jpg)
The women said that Steve Chronister repeatedly approached them while they were playing on the second hole, complaining that they were playing too slowly
Jordan, meanwhile, tells the woman speaking in the video to leave the course and has to be physically drawn away from her on multiple occasions.
The women are then told by a golf course employee that the police had been called.
Thompson, on Facebook, noted that the golfers who were behind them had not lodged any complaints about their rate of play, even remarking that the group of women had maintained pace of play despite having a group of five.
Northern York County Regional Police then arrived, conducted interviews and left without charging anyone.
‘We were called there for an issue, the issue did not warrant any charges,’ Northern York County Regional Police Chief Mark Bentzel said. ‘All parties left and we left as well.’
‘I felt we were discriminated against,’ Ojo told the York Daily Record. ‘It was a horrific experience.’
In a Facebook post on Sunday morning, Grandview Golf Course issued a statement saying: ‘Yesterday at Grandview Golf Club, several of our members had an experience that does not reflect our organization’s values or our commitment to delivering a welcoming environment for everyone. We are disappointed that this situation occurred and regret that our members were made to feel uncomfortable in any way.’
The statement went on to say, ‘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. Our team is very sorry for any interaction that may have made any member feel uncomfortable. Please know that we are taking this issue very seriously and expect our own organization to meet the highest standards for service that allows for everyone to feel comfortable and welcome.’
![The day after the club called the police on the women, the club issued a statement](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/04/24/05/4B7B037000000578-5648991-image-a-72_1524542946573.jpg)
The day after the club called the police on the women, the club issued a statement
On Sunday, Jordan Chronister’s wife and co-owner of the club, JJ Chronister, told the York Daily Record that she called the women personally to apologize.
‘We sincerely apologize to the women for making them feel uncomfortable here at Grandview, that is not our intention in any way,’ JJ said. ‘We want all of our members to feel valued and that they can come out here and have a great time, play golf and enjoy the experience.’
In an email, JJ told The York Dispatch that, ‘While our intention was to ensure all teams on the course were moving through in a timely manner, the interaction between our members and our ownership progressed in a manner that was not reflective of our company’s values or expectations for our own professionalism.’
JJ also wrote that, per the course’s scorecard rules, people who are not keeping up with the pace of play are asked to leave the course, which she maintained was what occurred on Saturday.
Thompson said that, during a phone call, JJ invited her and the other women back to play at Grandview. However, Thompson said that she wanted something officially inviting them back to the course, in light of the fact that cops were called.
‘It’s a tricky situation because I don’t like giving my money to people who don’t want me,’ Thompson told The York Dispatch. ‘But I don’t want to give them the benefit of success … to have reduced the number of African-Americans … to have reduced the number of women on their golf course.’
The encounter comes after two black men in Philadelphia were handcuffed and arrested on April 12 when a Starbucks employee called police because they hadn’t bought anything in the store.
The two men told The Associated Press that they were waiting for a business contact to arrive.