Clearview Golf Club facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Clearview Golf Club
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Golf course greens
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 Location in Ohio
Location in the United States
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| Location | 8410 Lincoln St SE East Canton, Ohio |
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| Area | 5 acres (2.0 ha) |
| Built | 1948 |
| Architect | Bill Powell |
| NRHP reference No. | 01000056 |
| Added to NRHP | February 16, 2001 |
The Clearview Golf Club is a special place in golf history. It was the first golf course in the United States to be built, owned, and run by an African American. This important club was started in 1946 by Bill Powell. He bought the land and worked on it whenever he had free time.
The Clearview Golf Club opened its doors to everyone in April 1948. It welcomed people of all races. Located near East Canton, Ohio, the club was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. Bill Powell's daughter, Renee Powell, learned to play golf here. She later became only the second black woman to play on the LPGA tour, which is a professional golf tour for women.
About Clearview Golf Club
The Clearview Golf Club is still the only golf course in the United States that was fully designed, built, managed, and owned by African Americans. It is one of just a few golf courses in the U.S. that are owned or run by black individuals.
The club is located about two miles outside of East Canton, Ohio. It is an 18-hole course, meaning it has 18 different sections where golfers play. The course covers about 130 acres of land. It is a par-72 course, which means a good golfer is expected to finish the 18 holes in 72 strokes.
The name "Clearview" was chosen by Bill Powell, who designed and first owned the club. He wanted the club to show his "clear view" of what golf should be: a game open to everyone. Today, Bill's children, Larry Powell and Renee Powell, continue to manage the club.
History of Clearview Golf Club
The Clearview Golf Club was designed by Bill Powell and construction began in East Canton, Ohio in 1946. As an African American, Powell had faced unfair treatment when he tried to join other golf clubs in the United States. Because of this, he decided to build his own club.
First, Powell tried to get a special loan for veterans called a GI loan, but his request was turned down. However, he found support from two black doctors and his brother, who took out a second mortgage on his own home. With their help, Powell was able to buy a 78-acre dairy farm.
Powell and his family moved into a house on the farm. At the time, he worked as a security guard. In his free time, he began turning the farm into a golf course. He worked hard during the day, planting grass and clearing the land by hand. At night, he worked at the Timken factory.
By 1948, he had finished the first nine holes of the course. The club officially opened in April of that year. Powell's wife, Marcella, helped out a lot. Their young daughter, Renee Powell, started playing golf on the course when she was just 3 years old. Renee later made history as the second black woman to play on the LPGA professional golf tour.
Once the club was open, it welcomed everyone, no matter their race. The club did face some challenges, but these did not stop its success. Bill Powell wanted Clearview to be a place where race didn't matter, and where only the game of golf was important.
Powell expanded the club to eighteen holes in 1978. In 1995, Renee Powell became the head golf professional at Clearview. Her father, Bill, never made a profit from running the course. Like her father and her brother, Larry, Renee did not take a salary for her work at the club. The PGA of America helped with renovations in 1999.
In 2001, the course was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Also in 2001, the club started operating as a non-profit group called the Clearview Legacy Foundation. The foundation, the club, and the Ohio Historical Society put up a historical marker at the site that year.
The club received free renovations in 2004 from Hurdzan-Fry Golf Course Design. This renovation helped fix the main drainage system on the course, which was connected to two ponds. In 2007, civil engineering students from the University of Akron created drawings and designs to help plan more renovations for the golf course. These drawings helped raise $1.6 million for improvements.
Images for kids
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Clearview Golf Club Historic Sign
See also
- Shady Rest Golf and Country Club – established in 1921, listed on the NRHP in Union County, New Jersey
- Meadowbrook Country Club – listed on the NRHP in Wake County, North Carolina
