Jim Beatty, founder of the African American Golf EXPO and Forum, has announced the Jerry Tarde Awards for 2027, which will be presented at EXPO 2027. The event will be co-located with the PGA Show.
The Jerry Tarde Legacy Award will be presented to Renee Powell, and the Jerry Tarde Courage Award will be presented to Pete McDaniel.
Renee Powell is the LPGA/PGA Head Golf Professional at the historic Clearview Golf Club in East Canton, Ohio. She has dedicated her life to expanding golf opportunities for youth, women, seniors, minorities, and military veterans. She has also made a significant impact on the golf industry as a golf apparel designer and as a guest commentator for major U.S. golf events on CBS and ABC. Renee has informed, inspired, and enlightened countless audiences locally, nationally, and internationally.
The Jerry Tarde Legacy Award is presented to someone who:
- Has significantly impacted the sport and golf industry
- May have pursued efforts that were unpopular at the time
- Has made a difference for African Americans
- Has created opportunities for others
The Jerry Tarde Courage Award will be presented to Pete McDaniel, a noted golf journalist and best-selling author. The North Carolinian, who began his journalism career in 1974, co-authored the late Earl Woods’ best-selling book Training a Tiger and Tiger Woods’ best-seller How I Play Golf. He is also the author of the critically acclaimed Uneven Lies: The Heroic Story of African-Americans in Golf.
The Jerry Tarde Courage Award is presented to:
- A person who has caused meaningful change for African Americans and people of color
- Someone who finds ways to work with golf’s power structure
- Someone who works effectively at both local and community levels
- Someone who has remained consistent and made personal sacrifices
- Someone who is acknowledged and respected throughout the golf industry
About Renee Powell
Renee Powell is one of the most resilient and persevering athletes of our time and golf’s greatest living ambassador. Raised on the East Canton, Ohio, golf course built by her father, William “Bill” Powell, during an era of racial adversity and segregation, Renee learned early what it meant to excel against the odds.
By age three, she was swinging a golf club, and during her teenage years she won more than 30 tournaments. In 1967, she became the second African American woman to compete on the LPGA Tour. She has played in more than 250 events worldwide. Renee won the 1973 Kelly Springfield Open in Brisbane, Australia.
Renee later became an International Goodwill Ambassador, traveling to Africa more than 25 times to conduct golf clinics.
In 2011, she launched Clearview HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere), a cost-free, year-round therapeutic and recreational golf program specifically for women veterans. In 2016, Clearview also became the site of a PGA HOPE program serving male veterans.
In 2008, Renee became the third American—and the only woman golfer—to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of St. Andrews. In 2015, she became one of the first two American women granted honorary membership in the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews. In 2018, the more than 600-year-old University of St. Andrews made Renee the first American to have a campus building dedicated in her honor.
Renee is a member of 12 Halls of Fame. Her many honors include being named the PGA of America First Lady of Golf, receiving the LPGA Rolex For the Love of the Game Award, the PGA Tour Card Walker Award, the USGA Ike Grainger Award, the LPGA Pioneer Award, and the inaugural Charlie Sifford Award for advancing diversity in the game of golf.
Renee is a Board Member Emeritus of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and serves on the boards of Mercy Medical Center, the Stark Convention & Visitors Bureau, Pathway Caring for Children, and Rotary International.
For more information about Renee Powell, visit www.clearviewgolfclub.com.
About Pete McDaniel
Pete McDaniel is a freelance writer and best-selling author. The North Carolinian, who began his journalism career in 1974, co-authored the late Earl Woods’ best-selling book Training a Tiger and Tiger Woods’ best-seller How I Play Golf. He is also the author of the critically acclaimed Uneven Lies: The Heroic Story of African-Americans in Golf.
As a senior writer for Golf Digest and Golf World magazines from 1993 to 2009, McDaniel collaborated with Tiger Woods on instructional and feature articles. He later served as an instruction editor and writer under contract with Golf Digest from 2010 to 2012.
In 2014, he teamed with renowned sculptor Mario Chiodo to produce Honoring the Legacy: A Tribute to African-Americans in Golf, a permanent exhibit at the World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum.
McDaniel is an inductee of both the National Black Golf Hall of Fame and the African American Golfers Hall of Fame.
About the EXPO
The mission of the African American Golf EXPO and Forum is to educate and inform African Americans and all people of color about jobs, careers, and business opportunities within the $102 billion golf industry. Despite the industry’s size, African Americans represent less than 3% of its workforce.
Founded in 2021, the EXPO has been held in Atlanta, Georgia; Charlotte, North Carolina; Louisville, Kentucky; and West Palm Beach, Florida. Several thousand people have attended these events. The EXPO was founded and is organized by Jim Beatty, CEO of Jim Beatty Golf Ventures.
EXPO 2027 will take place January 24–28, 2027, in Orlando, Florida, at the Orange County Convention Center and will be co-located with the PGA Show.
For schedules, details, and registration information, visit www.aagolfexpo.com. Information is updated regularly.
