I was invited to a wedding in Canton, Ohio, which is a 7-hour drive from my house.  As soon as I RSVPed “Yes,” I started planning my round at Clearview Golf Club, which has been on my Bucket List since I first heard its story.

It’s a famous story that you may already know, but briefly: Bill Powell, an American soldier who loved to golf, returned from Europe after having served his country honorably during WWII only to find he wasn’t welcome on U.S. golf courses… because he was Black.

So, he built his own golf course.

I don’t mean he arranged to have a course built.  I mean he literally, by himself, designed and built his own course.  He bought an Army jeep, attached a row of lawnmower blades to the back of it, and proceeded to mow his way into history.

Adding to the Clearview legend is Mr. Powell’s daughter, legendary LPGA player Renee Powell, who was raised at Clearview.  As the second African-American woman to play on the LPGA (after only legend Althea Gibson), she helped break the color barrier in golf during the very racially tense 60’s.

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But this article isn’t about the Powells – as inspiring as they are – it’s about the course itself.  To say my expectations were low would be an understatement.  I mean, Clearview is a municipal course.  Sure, there are some great Munis out there, but overall, Munis aren’t known for having much character.  And this Muni was built by just one guy.

Uh, I was wrong.  Every one of Clearview’s 18 holes has its own unique, sometimes awe-inspiring, character.  Some holes have elevation changes, some have strategically placed water features, some are doglegs, some have blind shots, and none were tricked-up.  Bill Powell may have just been one guy, but he sure knew what he was doing.

He wanted big greens like those he played in Scotland, so the Clearview greens are huge… and undulating.  There wasn’t a gimme 2-putt on the course.  And the fairways?  I expected them to be narrow, flat and boring.  I mean, they were built by a guy in a jeep!  But the fairways were wide, with interesting contours.

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The 3rd hole required a blind tee shot – one of my favorite golf hole features because I love watching a golf hole unfold while I’m playing it.  I made it over the hill to see the beautiful expanse of the 3rd hole in front of me.

When I got to the 13th tee, I could see the entire hole.  But after I got to my tee shot in the fairway, I couldn’t find the green!  I was on a 45-degree hill looking straight up.  I finally found the top of the flag but the only other thing I saw was sky.  The hill created the coolest illusion that my target was air.  I saw a hole like this once…. hmmmm, where was that?  Oh yeah, Oakmont!

The 15th tee was so elevated that I looked at my smart watch to note the altitude.  Then I checked my watch again in the fairway valley to calculate how much the hole dropped – seventy feet!

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How wrong could my expectations of Clearview Golf Club have been?  I knew I would be on hallowed ground.  I knew I’d be playing a course steeped in history.  But who knew it was going to be so much fun?  If I lived anywhere near Canton, Ohio, this would for sure be my home course.  And every time I played it, I’d get to pay my green fees to LPGA trailblazer Renee Powell, who still runs the place.