For more than a decade, women veterans have found their way to Clearview Golf Club in East Canton, Ohio, through Clearview HOPE.
The program, Helping Our Patriots Everywhere (HOPE), is a year-round therapeutic and recreational golf program created exclusively for women who have served. It is entirely free and open to veterans of all ages and skill levels. Through golf, participants build friendships, gain confidence, and connect with other women who understand the experience of military service. What many find is something bigger than the game itself: a welcoming community and lasting support.
“HOPE is about much more than golf,” said Renee Powell. “It gives women veterans a place to connect, support one another, and know they are not alone.”
Powell founded HOPE in 2011. As an LPGA and PGA of America Hall of Famer and one of the few African American women to compete on the LPGA Tour, she has spent her career using golf to create opportunities for others. Establishing a program for women veterans at Clearview was a natural extension of that commitment.
For Powell, the connection is personal.
Bill Powell, a World War II veteran, founded Clearview Golf Club in 1946 with a simple mission: golf for everyone. After returning home from military service, Powell encountered barriers in the game he loved and responded by creating opportunities for others. The course he built became the only golf course in American history designed, built, owned, and operated by an African American.
Today, Renee and her brother Larry continue the work their father began nearly 80 years ago.
That legacy takes on special meaning this year.
On September 11, 2026, Clearview will celebrate its 80th anniversary by hosting the Women’s Golf Leadership Academy, bringing together professional women for a day of golf instruction, networking, and leadership development.
The date is especially meaningful. A course founded by a veteran and home to a program that serves women who served their country will mark 80 years of a mission that has never wavered. The connection feels particularly fitting on a day when Americans pause to remember service, sacrifice, and resilience.
The Academy will feature LPGA professionals Cindy Miller and Shasta Averyhardt, nationally recognized golf course architect and keynote speaker Jan Bel Jan, and a premier equipment experience from Titleist, all hosted by Renee Powell on the course her father built.
While the event offers participants an opportunity to strengthen their golf skills and professional networks, it also provides a chance to experience one of the most meaningful stories in American golf.
For sponsors, the Academy offers an opportunity to connect with accomplished professional women while supporting a veteran’s legacy and a program that serves women who have served their country. Proceeds benefit the Clearview Legacy Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports Clearview HOPE and expands access to golf for youth, women, veterans, and underserved communities.
Reservations for the Women’s Golf Leadership Academy are limited to 50 participants and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration closes September 1, 2026.
To reserve your spot or explore sponsorship opportunities, contact Renee Powell at 330.488.0404 or rpowell@clearviewgolfclub.com.
