William J. Powell An American Hero

[C. Sturges]

I just wanted to post this video about Mr. William J. Powell.  For those who do not know, he was the first black golf course owner and designer.  His course is located outside of Canton, Ohio.  I got to play it for the first time this fall, and by the second hole I thought I was playing golf in the UK.  This was a surprise to me as I had just returned from two weeks in Scotland.

This is some of the history of golf I hope we never forget!  His daughter was also one of the first women given membership to the R&A for contributions to the game of golf!  I guess the apple does not fall far from the tree.

Please enjoy:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoFwbsk_nRE           Sorry, looks like you will have to copy and paste, but please take the time to do so.
chris

[BCowan]

Thank you Chris, hell of a post. 

[Rees Milikin]

Thanks for posting this b/c I have never heard of this course or its history.  Very cool and would love to see some recent pictures if you have any.

[C. Sturges]

Rees,

Sorry I did not take my camera when I played, but here is a link to the Clearview Golf Course web site:  http://www.clearview-gc.com/coursetour/hole1.htm 

If it ever warms up again, I will be more than happy to go back and take some pictures.  I would also be more than happy to set up a play day and try and get one of the Powell's to tell us more about there father and the course history.

Glad you all enjoy,
chris

[Jason Way]

Thank you for sharing this Chris.  This is fantastic.

After having read Jeff Mingay's Feature Interview from a while back, in which he made illustrated the interconnectedness of golf history and GCA, this really brought that point down to earth in a powerful way.

This one is going in the archive for sure.

[Pete Blaisdell]

   I attended the USGA annual meetingand Service Awards dinner in NYC on 2/7 and I was privileged to have been seated next to Rene'e Powell. What a wonderful lady. I had heard through the grapevine that weekend that she would be one of the women that were offered R & A membership but I did not mention it because it was not official yet. We talked about a number of subjects pertaining to golf and I was struck by her easygoing manner and knowledge. Very impressive lady. The R & A made a great choice in Rene'e.

[Benjamin Litman]

Chris, thank you. One of the better posts I've encountered in my short time here.

On a related subject, ESPNW recently ran a nice profile on Cheyenne Woods and Sadena Parks, both African-American rookies on the LPGA this year--only the fifth and sixth African-Americans ever to play on the tour.

http://espn.go.com/espnw/news-commentary/article/12335119/sadena-parks-cheyenne-woods-arrived

[Lester George]

Mr. Powell and his equally famous daughter Renee were on hand to open one of my First Tee projects (Chesterfield).  Our board also started and funded a scholarship in his name.

Lester

[Joel_Stewart]

Mr. Powell and his equally famous daughter Renee were on hand to open one of my First Tee projects (Chesterfield).  Our board also started and funded a scholarship in his name.

Renee Powell was just elected into the R&A, one of the first 7 women.

Back in 2009, there was a post on Clearview.

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,38619.0.html

[Mark Hissey]

Mr Powell built that course himself also. He even seeded everything with a backpack seeder.

Truly, a quiet legend of golf architecture.

Renee is an absolutely lovely woman also. Class personified.

[BCowan]

This story really needs to get into the mainstream.  Mr Powell, should be recognized for his grit, perseverance, and revolutionary practice of bringing golf to everyone.  The few clicks this thread has received is rather sad.   

[BHoover]

I grew up in the Canton area, so I knew of Mr. Powell, his daughter Renee and their course Clearview. He designed, built and operated the course for decades. His story deserves to be told more often.