Renee Powell Becomes Blogger

RENEE POWELL (PGA/LPGA)
JOINS AFRICAN AMERICAN GOLFER’S DIGEST
AS MONTHLY BLOGGER

New York, N.Y. (August 1, 2010) – Renee Powell (PGA/LPGA), professional golfer and educator has joined the African American Golfer’s Digest online portal, becoming part of its team of talented bloggers.

Powell joined the LPGA in 1967; retired from LPGA Tour in 1980 and serves as Head Golf Professional at her Clearview Golf Club, East Canton, OH. Powell is one of only three African American women to have ever played for the Ladies’ Professional Golf Association since its inception in 1950. Of those three, only Renee Powell was able to become a Professional Class A member of both the LPGA and the PGA of America.

Powell, an inspirational speaker and sports celebrity played the game of golf during a time period in American history when not only was it difficult for a woman to gain respect in the sport, but also during a time when it was almost impossible for African Americans to even become accepted to a professional golf organization. Powell spent 13 years on the tees and greens gaining the respect of her peers and the sports world with her impressive playing. And while Powell never won an LPGA tour event, she still changed the face of the sport of golf, both on and off the course, promoting the need for diversity in the various professional golf associations as well as women in sports around the world.

“I am pleased to share my experiences and the happening at Clearview Golf Course with the readers of the African American Golfer’s Digest,” said Powell. “Times are changing and becoming more challenging yet, communication with millions of golfers around the world is now just a click away. I am excited about being involved as a blogger!”

“I am proud to have Ms. Powell as a part of our online blog team and I believe that she will enlighten our readers on her daily challenges and successes of owning, operating and managing the legendary Clearview Golf Couse, known as America’s course, said Debert Cook, publisher of the African American Golfer’s Digest.

“Renee’s efforts in golf through the years have tremendously aided in growing interest and participation in the game among youth and adults. Her dedicated leadership, along with brother, Larry and her late father, the honorable Mr. William J. Powell, has inspired others to go on to own their own golf courses and to be a part of this great $70 billion industry in America. Renee has won many distinguished awards, is a highly sought after speaker and travels extensively yet, she has taken this valuable time to share her experiences with our readership through a monthly blog,” said Cook.

Born to Dr. William J. and Marcella Powell on May 4, 1946, Renee Powell was immersed in the game of golf long before she could hold a club. Her father formed the first golf team at historically black college Wilberforce University in 1937 and after college attempted to continue to play the game of golf. However, he found it difficult to gain admittance to golf courses, for most of them had an “all-white” policy. So William Powell decided to design and build his own golf course in East Canton, Ohio, on dairy farm land that would be open to all African Americans as well as any other players who wanted to play. This course became the Clearview Golf Club which remains the only African American designed, constructed and managed golf course in the United States. It is no surprise that with a golf course in the family and a father who loved the sport that Powell would ultimately be drawn to golf.

In 1949 Powell was already being taught how to play the game of golf even though she was only three years old. Powell spent the next nine years playing golf at the Clearview Golf Club, improving her game and slowly growing up. It wasn’t until she was 12 years old that she entered her first tournament, and to the surprise of many in the crowd, she won. By the time she was 15, the crowd was no longer stunned by the amateur Powell, for she had won over thirty trophies in the amateur league, and had been featured in magazines such as Ebony and Sports Illustrated. Instead, Powell had a bigger rooting section then merely her parents, who often had to fight to get Powell into different tournaments where she was the only African American player.

By 1967 Renee had competed in over 100 amateur golf tournaments and she had served as the captain of the Ohio State University Ladies Golf Team. Both she and her parents felt that she was finally ready to go professional. But this was not the easy choice it should have been for a woman of Powell’s talents. Only one African American woman had ever played in the LGPA before Powell, that being the most popular Althea Gibson, who had already left the sport by 1967. There was also the issue of sponsorship to contend with, for it was expensive to join the Ladies’ Professional Golf Association as well as maintain all of the fees that went along with membership. Powell didn’t let any of this stop her however, and her first professional tournament was the US Women’s Open in 1967. Powell went on to win on the LPGA Australian Ladies Tour in Brisbane, Australia.

At various points in her career, Renee has worked as a commentator for ABC and CBS with such announcers as Frank Gifford, Pat Summerall, and Ken Venturi. Her career has been chronicled in Golf Digest, Black Sports, Jet, Ebony, the African American Golfer’s Digest and Golf For Women magazines, among others. She has received coverage in a number of major newspapers, including the New York Times, USA Today, The Los Angeles Times, and the London Times.

Renee has served as a member of the Board of the National Minority Scholarship Fund, the Amputee Opportunities Unlimited Foundation, The National Minority Golf Foundation, and the National Advisory member of the Women’s Sports Foundation. Renee has been an Advisory Staff Member of Wilson Sporting Goods Company for 30 years and is an advisor for Golf Digest Magazine Pro Panel. She has conducted the Renee Powell Golf Schools for Women with fellow LPGA Tour Professional, Murle Breer.

Renee was named on of the 50 Top Teachers by Golf For Women magazine in the year 2000 and also recognized by Golf Digest as one of the top 10 teachers in the state of Ohio. In June 2003, Renee became the first and only woman inducted into the Northern Ohio PGA Hall of Fame. She joins such legends as, Byron Nelson and Tommy Armour. She has bee honored in the world of golf by being name 2003 recipient of the First Lady of Golf Award by the PGA of America, previous recipients have been Barbara Nicklaus, Judy Bell, Judy Rankin, and in 2002 Nancy Lopez.

One of her greatest honors was in receiving an Honorary Doctorate from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland – as the only female golf professional in its 600-year history.

Powell was named honorary member, Executive Committee of the LPGA and Club Professional Division; recipient, Budget Service Award, 1999; designated Professional Class A member of both LPGA and PGA of America; named an honorary member of the Executive Committee of the LPGA.