Renee Powell is a true ambassador of golf, dedicating her life to teaching the game to anyone regardless of age, race, or gender. Her roots in golf began in the 1940s when her father, Bill Powell, experience racism in golf and decided to hand-build the Clearview Golf Course in the rolling landscape of East Canton, Ohio.
Among her long list of historical accomplishments, Powell is the second Black woman to ever play golf on the LPGA Tour when she joined in 1967, competing in more than 250 events.
In honor of Renee Powell and her family legacy, The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) will host the Inaugural Renee Powell Clearview Legacy Benefit with founding partners KPMG and the Mariah Stackhouse Foundation, June 28, 2021, in Atlanta GA. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Clearview Legacy Foundation, celebrating Renee Powell and her father’s legacy through Clearview Golf Club. In honor of its 75th year, the Clearview Legacy Foundation has begun a campaign to endow Clearview and preserve its essential role in golf history.
Credit: Clearview
Set to take place after the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship on Monday, June 28, at Bobby Jones Golf Course in Atlanta, the Renee Powell Clearview Legacy Benefit will showcase LPGA legend Renee Powell’s impact on the past, present, and future of the game. Throughout the golf outings, there will be specific challenges on each hole to raise awareness of the event’s overall mission, with LPGA Tour players and LPGA*USGA Girls Golf members stationed on the various holes. Around the morning and afternoon waves, dual LPGA and PGA Professional Renee Powell and Atlanta-native Mariah Stackhouse, the LPGA’s only full-time Black player, will host showcases on the driving range.
The Renee Powell Clearview Legacy Benefit will also feature a three-hole putting challenge, food trucks, evening reception, and a “Silent Party,” which will allow attendees to enjoy the evening and listen to multiple genres of music through headphones. Additionally, attendees will be able to participate in the “Renee Powell History Walk,” an immersive experience around the clubhouse of the Bobby Jones Course where they can learn more about Powell’s rich golf history and the Clearview Golf Club.
Renee & Bill Powell
“I am absolutely thrilled with the upcoming Renee Powell Clearview Legacy Benefit. Having been a member of the LPGA for five decades, it gives me great pride that my association had created this benefit to support the Clearview Legacy Foundation, especially during the 75th anniversary of when my father built Clearview Golf Course.”
– Renee Powell
Celebrating its 75th year, Clearview Golf Club in East Canton, Ohio, is the only course designed, built, owned, and operated by an African American. When Renee’s father, Bill Powell, encountered racial discrimination on the golf course after returning home from World War II, he decided to build a golf course where everyone would be welcome. Without access to traditional golf maintenance equipment, Bill began building Clearview Golf Club by hand. The original nine holes opened in 1948.
To learn more about the Renee Powell Clearview Legacy Benefit and how you can support the mission of the Clearview Legacy Foundation, visit the website here.
