The Bermuda Tourism Authority is partnering with Ocean View Golf Club to host a tournament involving local players and teams from Clearview Golf Club in East Canton, Ohio.

Among the visiting players is Rene Powell, a former Ladies Professional Golf Association player and now teaching professional at Clearview, a course her father Bill built in the 1940s.

It was the first course in the United States to be designed, built and owned and operated by an African-American.

“The way Clearview insisted golf be for everyone was a ground-breaking development for the US at the height of racial tension during segregation,” said Pat Phillip-Fairn, BTA chief product and experiences development officer.

“It isn't hard to see how Clearview in the US and Ocean View right here in Bermuda share similar histories. This month a team of golfers from Clearview will travel to Bermuda to play local golfers in a two-day tournament at Ocean View, the back end of a match that began in Ohio last year when Ocean View members travelled to play members at Clearview. The timing is perfect, the shoulder season is a time when we focus on arts, culture and sport, and this Clearview visit is right on time. We love the way this experience has woven in the participation of Bermudians from start to finish.”

The tournament will feature teams of 12 — eight men and four women — from October 20 to 22. On the Friday evening the BTA will host 18 visitors from Clearview and the Ocean View golfers in a welcome reception before the tournament takes place on the Saturday and Sunday, with two rounds each day.

Cheryl Lynne Thompson, president of Ocean View, has worked closely with Powell to establish the friendship with Clearview, a club with much in common with Ocean View.

“I'm so excited to be coming to Bermuda and I really would like to thank Cheryl Lynne, who has been my partner getting the whole thing organised,” Powell said via a conference call during yesterday's press conference at the BTA office.

“We had a fun time when Bermuda came to Clearview and all 18 of us are looking forward to making the trip over to Bermuda. Most have never been there before. It's very historic what we're doing and so exciting.

“Golf is a part of my DNA, I've played it all of my years, so any time we have an opportunity to get more women and youth involved in the game, I'm there.”

Thompson added: “The stories behind Ocean View and Clearview are nothing short of spectacular. It's fascinating how they came to be during the time of deep racial discrimination and how the forefathers overcame.”

Ocean View Golf Club was started in the 1950s, facing similar challenges to Clearview, which started a few years earlier.

“They made the sacrifices and met the challenges, the Ocean View forefathers Erskine Simons, Bill Pitt Sr and George Lowe, and were doing the exact same thing — apart from actually building the course — that Dr Powell's father was doing in Ohio,” Thompson said.

“It's ironic how Renee and I came to be in 2010, after surfing the net to find golf courses similar to the history of Ocean View's. I came upon Renee and we've been like sisters ever since. This is a time for us [clubs] to be together to enjoy the sacrifices that were made.

“We're carrying the baton and preserving the legacy that was started many, many years ago.”

Dr Powell will also speak with students at CedarBridge Academy, sharing her story of becoming the “First Lady of Golf”. After taking her first golf swing at age three, she went on to develop her talents further at Ohio State and Ohio University where she was captain of both women's teams.

She is also recognised as the first African-American female member of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.

• Next week the BTA will host the Nancy Lopez Golf Adventures in Bermuda with 40 visiting golfers participating.