Clearview golf club in ohio11/25/2023 ![]() ![]() “Stay true to yourself and listen to your inner voice.“It's beyond our wildest dreams,” Wie West said. And in 2007, civil engineering students from the University of Akron provided drawings and designs to help renovate the golf course.The drawings helped the fundraising drive to raise $1.6 million for capital improvements. In 2009, the club faced problems when Buckeye Industrial Mining was allowed to mine coal 370 feet from the club. Quite the history!!!! Please take a moment to look at photos from our day. In 2001, the course was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Also in 2001, the course began to operate as a non-profit under the name, Clearview Legacy Foundation. The foundation, the club and the Ohio Historical Society erected a historical marker on the site in 2001. The club was renovated for free in 2004 by Hurdzan-Fry Golf Course Design. The Hurdzan-Fry renovation helped fix the main drainage system at the course. The drainage system was connected to two ponds on the course. Renee Powell, Craig Kirby, Tiana Jones, Jasmin Cunningham, Mackenzie Mack, Mark Jordan, Steve Jurick, 2K Foundations, NRGPhoto by Jef Janis, The Cleveland Film Company, NRG Dayton, OH STEMa Camp Field Trip to Clearview Golf Course. Powell expanded the club to eighteen holes in 1978. In 1995, Renee took over as head golf professional at Clearview. Her father, Bill, never saw a profit while running the course. Like her father and her brother, Larry, Renee didn’t draw a salary for working at the club. Renovations sponsored by the PGA of America took place in 1999. Once the club was open, it welcomed everyone, regardless of race. The club did experience some problems with vandalism and community hostility, but these did not impair the club’s success. A member of the Ku Klux Klan golfed his course, but Powell only told his daughter, Renee, about the incident. Racists called the club the “ nigger nine.” But Powell didn’t care. He said, “I wanted this to be a place where race didn’t matter where the only thing that matters is the game of golf.” Renee would go on to become the second black woman to play on the LPGA tour. At the time, he was working as a security guard and in his spare time, he started converting the farm into a golf course. He worked on the course during the day, growing grass and clearing the land by hand while at night, he worked at Timken. He completed the first nine holes by 1948.The club opened in April that same year, with Powell’s wife, Marcella, helping out. His young daughter, Renee Powell, began playing golf on the course shortly after it first opened at the age of 3. Powell moved his family to a house on the golf course. Powell obtained financial support for his effort to build the golf club from two black physicians and from his brother who took out a second mortgage. With this support, he was able to purchase a 78-acre dairy farm. The Clearview Golf Club was designed by Bill Powell and was begun in East Canton, Ohio in 1946. As an African American, Powell had faced prejudice when attempting to join other golf clubs in the United States, so he chose to build his own. First, Powell tried to get a GI loan, but was turned down. So much to say about Clearview, I thought it best I share what I found in Wikipedia: Renee Powell, and throughout the day had the opportunity to hear and learn from PGA of America Head Professionals Mackenzie Mack, Tiana Jones, Jasmin Cunningham and Mark Jordan, 85th National President of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America. It was a grand day! Upon arrival we were met by Dr. Last week with Steve Jurick, Executive Director, Miami Valley Golf Association we took 14 young adults to the Historic Clearview Golf Club and learned about the Strength of a Legacy. Our Sponsor 2K Foundations https:foundations.2k.com helped us to remember the day by taking many photos, many of which you will see below. ![]() ![]() There are times in life you sit back, take it in and realize you are fortunate to witness and experience history I’ve been fortunate in that way.
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